Trust & SafetyUpdated August 2026
Trust, Safety & Ethical OSINT
FootprintIQ is built on the principle that individuals should be able to understand their own digital exposure. Using ethical, transparent methods and publicly accessible data only.
This page explains how we operate, what we do and do not do, and the safeguards in place to protect users.
Ethical OSINT for Self-Protection
FootprintIQ uses open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques to help users audit their own digital footprint. Every scan analyses publicly available data.
The same information already accessible to search engines, data brokers, and anyone with a web browser.
Public data only
No private account scraping or authentication bypass
No dark-web intrusion
No access to dark web markets, forums, or hidden services
No data resale
Scan results are never sold, shared, or brokered
Defensive self-assessment
Designed for users to understand their own exposure
For a detailed overview of ethical OSINT principles, see our Ethical OSINT Charter and Ethical OSINT for Individuals guide.
Data Ethics & Sources
Sources We Use
- • Public social media profiles (visible without login)
- • Public forum and community registrations
- • Breach disclosure databases (public metadata only)
- • Data broker opt-out previews and public listings
- • Archived web content from public internet archives
- • DNS and WHOIS records (publicly accessible)
Sources We Never Use
- • Private or authenticated account content
- • Dark web markets, forums, or hidden services
- • Purchased data broker records
- • Government or law-enforcement databases
- • Intercepted communications or surveillance feeds
- • Scraped data behind CAPTCHAs or login walls
FootprintIQ does not operate as a data broker. We do not aggregate, package, or resell personal information. Scan results belong to the user who initiated them.
Logging & Data Retention
FootprintIQ follows a minimal-logging approach. We collect only the data necessary to operate the service and deliver scan results.
Search queries
Not stored permanently. Processed in memory and discarded after scan completion.
Scan results
Retained for user review. Users can request deletion at any time via account settings.
Account data
Email and authentication credentials only. No unnecessary profiling or tracking.
Server logs
Minimal operational logs retained for security monitoring. No query content logged.
For complete details, see our Privacy Policy.
Abuse Prevention & Guardrails
FootprintIQ is designed for self-assessment and legitimate security research. Multiple safeguards prevent misuse:
Rate limits
Automated throttling prevents bulk scanning and enumeration attacks.
Terms enforcement
Violations of the Terms of Service result in immediate account suspension.
Anti-stalking safeguards
Scan patterns are monitored for indicators of targeted harassment or surveillance.
Ethical use policy
All users agree to a Responsible Use Policy that prohibits doxxing, harassment, and unauthorised investigation.
If you believe FootprintIQ is being used in violation of our policies, contact [email protected].
Privacy Mode & User Control
FootprintIQ is built to be usable with minimal personal exposure:
- Pseudonymous usage: Limited free scans are available without creating an account. No real name is required for registration.
- Minimal identifiers: Only an email address is required for account creation. No phone number, address, or government ID.
- Data deletion controls: Users can request complete account and data deletion at any time. Deletion is permanent and irreversible.
Security & Compliance
Encryption in transit
All connections use TLS 1.3. No unencrypted data transmission.
Encryption at rest
Data at rest is encrypted using AES-256 industry-standard encryption.
Access controls
Role-based access controls limit internal data access to authorised personnel only.
Security review practices
Regular security assessments and dependency audits are conducted to identify and remediate vulnerabilities.
GDPR principles
Data minimisation, purpose limitation, storage limitation, and the right to erasure are implemented throughout the platform.
Security questions? Contact [email protected].
Research Transparency
We have withdrawn our earlier research pages, and this section used to point at them. On review, the headline figures on those pages — a 41% false-positive rate in automated username matching, a median of 4.2 linked profiles per reused username, 89% staleness in broker records — were attributed to FootprintIQ research but were not produced by any measurement we perform. We are not going to restate them here with a caveat attached; they are gone, and they should not be cited.
What we can state today is narrower and true. For each open-source username checker we run, on each site, we record how often it reports a match across production scans, and we flag the checkers whose match rate is elevated. That is a measurement of the checker's behaviour. It is not an estimate of how often a match is wrong — that is a different quantity, it needs usernames known in advance to be absent, and we had never run that experiment. We are running it now.
The protocol for that benchmark is being published before the results, so the corpus rules and the classification rules are fixed on the record before anyone sees an outcome. Results and dataset will follow whatever they show.
Using a Privacy Tool Shouldn't Be a Privacy Risk
The paradox of privacy tools is real: to show you your exposure, you have to tell us something. We design for our most suspicious users — a privacy tool should survive their scrutiny.
- Anonymous by default. The free scan runs without an account, and a scan needs only the identifier you're checking — nothing else.
- Card numbers never touch our servers. Payments are handled end-to-end by Stripe.
- Unpaid photo uploads self-destruct. Images uploaded for an Image Deep Scan that never completes payment are deleted automatically within two hours. We do not hoard photos.
- Maximum-caution mode is supported. Run the free scan without an account, use an alias email for report delivery, and request full deletion afterwards — we honour it.
Billing follows the same plainness: the £24.99 Deep Scan is a one-off purchase that never starts a subscription, and Pro cancels in-app in two clicks. Full details in our Safety & Billing Promise and the Ethical OSINT Charter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does FootprintIQ access private accounts or dark web data?
FootprintIQ analyses publicly accessible data and licensed breach-intelligence only. No private accounts are scraped and no authentication is bypassed. FootprintIQ performs no first-party dark-web collection; dark-web and breach exposure signals come from licensed breach-intelligence providers.
Does FootprintIQ sell or share user data?
No. FootprintIQ does not sell, resell, or share scan results with any third party. The platform is not a data broker. Results are delivered only to the person who initiated the scan.
Is FootprintIQ just another people-search site like Spokeo or BeenVerified?
No. People-search sites such as Spokeo and BeenVerified aggregate and resell personal records so that anyone can look up anyone else. FootprintIQ does not sell, resell, or license data to third parties, and it is built for self-assessment — auditing your own exposure — rather than looking up other people. See the full Ethical OSINT Charter for the complete list of what we refuse to do.
How long does FootprintIQ store scan data?
Scan results are retained only for the duration necessary for the user to review them. Raw scan data is not stored permanently. Users can request deletion at any time via account settings.
What safeguards exist against misuse?
FootprintIQ enforces rate limits, terms-of-use compliance, anti-stalking safeguards, and ethical use policies. Accounts found to be engaging in harassment, doxxing, or unauthorised surveillance are suspended immediately.
Is FootprintIQ GDPR compliant?
FootprintIQ follows GDPR principles including data minimisation, purpose limitation, and the right to erasure. Users can request complete data deletion at any time.
Can I use FootprintIQ without creating an account?
Yes. A limited free scan is available without registration. Full features require an account, but only an email address is needed — no phone number, real name, or government ID.
See What's Publicly Visible About You
Use FootprintIQ to audit your username and understand your digital exposure — ethically, transparently, and on your terms.