This Privacy Policy describes how Check This Email ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and protects information when you use our email scam analysis service at checkthis.email (the "Service").
This policy applies to all users of the Service, including those on Free, Plus, and Family plans. By forwarding an email to help [at] checkthis.email or using our website, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
We practice data minimization — we only collect what is strictly necessary to provide the Service.
| Data | Purpose | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Your email address | Identify your account, send analysis replies, track usage | Until account deletion |
| Forwarded email content | Analyze for scams, phishing, and dangerous links | Deleted immediately |
| Usage counts | Enforce plan limits (emails checked per month) | Until account deletion |
| Plan information | Manage your subscription (Free, Plus, or Family) | Until account deletion |
| Payment information | Process payments for paid plans (handled by our payment processor) | Per processor's policy |
We use information we collect exclusively to:
Provide the Service — Analyze forwarded emails for scams, phishing attempts, malware, and dangerous links, then send you a reply with our findings.
Manage your account — Track your monthly usage against your plan limits and manage your subscription.
Improve the Service — We may use anonymized, aggregated data (e.g., "X% of scam emails contained Y pattern") to improve our detection accuracy. This data can never be traced back to you.
Communicate with you — Respond to support inquiries and send critical service notifications (e.g., plan changes, security alerts). We do not send marketing emails.
Account-level data (your email address, usage counts, and plan information) is retained for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, all associated data is permanently removed within 30 days.
If you have not used the Service for 12 consecutive months, we may notify you and subsequently delete your account data after an additional 30-day notice period.
Your forwarded emails are analyzed by AI (artificial intelligence) systems to detect scams and threats. Here is what that means for your privacy:
No human review by default — Your emails are processed entirely by automated AI systems. No Check This Email employee or contractor reads your emails unless you explicitly contact us for support and provide consent.
No AI training on your data — Your forwarded emails are not used to train, fine-tune, or improve our AI models. They are processed for analysis only and then deleted.
Third-party AI providers — We may use third-party AI services (e.g., large language model APIs) to assist with analysis. These providers process your email content under strict data processing agreements that prohibit them from retaining, training on, or sharing your data.
We do not sell, rent, trade, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing or advertising purposes. Period.
We may share limited data only in these narrow circumstances:
Service providers — We use trusted third-party providers for payment processing and AI analysis. They operate under strict data processing agreements and can only use your data to perform services on our behalf.
Legal requirements — We may disclose data if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request. We will notify you if legally permitted to do so.
Business transfers — In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred. We will notify you via email before any such transfer and before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
If you subscribe to our Family plan, you can add family members who may also use the Service. Here is how data works in that context:
Shared reports — Based on your settings, family members you add may receive copies of scam analysis reports. You, as the account holder, control this in your account dashboard.
Individual privacy — Family members' forwarded email content is processed the same way as yours — analyzed and immediately deleted. The account holder can see usage counts but cannot access the content of emails checked by family members.
Removal — Family members can request removal from a Family plan at any time by contacting us.
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including:
Encryption in transit — All communications with our Service use TLS encryption.
Encryption at rest — Any stored data (account information) is encrypted at rest.
Access controls — Employee access to user data is restricted on a need-to-know basis and protected by multi-factor authentication.
Immediate deletion — Our most important security measure: we don't keep what we don't need. Email content is deleted immediately after analysis.
While we take data security seriously, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you become aware of any unauthorized access, please contact us immediately.
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
To exercise any of these rights, email us at info [at] checkthis.email. We will respond within 30 days. If you are in the EU/EEA, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
The Service is not directed at children under 13 (or 16 in the EU/EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.
Family plan members must be at least 13 years old (or 16 in the EU/EEA) or use the Service under the supervision of the account holder.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:
Notify you by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect.
Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
Provide a summary of changes so you can easily understand what's different.
Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. If you disagree with any changes, you may delete your account.
If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or your personal data, contact us at: