This Privacy Policy explains what personal data The Car Scene ("we", "us", "our") collects when you use thecarscene.co.uk and thecarscene.app (the "Service"), and what we do with it. We are the data controller for that data under UK GDPR.
The Car Scene is a UK-based platform for car enthusiasts. Contact us about privacy matters at hello@thecarscene.co.uk.
Account data: your email address, display name, handle, password (stored as a secure hash, we never see it in plain text), and profile details you choose to add. Vehicle and build data: any vehicle, modification, maintenance, fuel, and performance information you enter, and any photos you upload. Marketplace data: listing details and, for local listings, an approximate location only (never your exact address, see "Location" below). Payment data: handled directly by Stripe; we receive confirmation that a payment succeeded and basic billing metadata, never your full card number. Communications: messages you send other users through the Service, and any correspondence with us. Technical data: IP address, device and browser information, and standard server logs, collected automatically to operate and secure the Service. Cookies: see the "Cookies" section below.
To provide the Service: create and run your account, display your garage and build content, run the marketplace, and deliver messages and notifications. To process payments for subscriptions and listing fees, via Stripe. To send you service emails: verification, password reset, and activity notifications (you can control optional notification emails from Settings). To keep the Service secure and prevent fraud or abuse. To understand how the Service is used and improve it, using aggregated analytics, only once you've given cookie consent (see below).
We process most of your data because it's necessary to provide the Service you've signed up to (performance of a contract). We process payment data to comply with our obligations to Stripe and, where relevant, tax law. We use analytics cookies only with your consent. We may process limited data on the basis of legitimate interests, for example to investigate suspected fraud or abuse, in a way that doesn't override your own rights.
We use essential cookies to keep you signed in and to remember basic preferences; the Service cannot function without these. We use Google Analytics to understand overall usage, but only after you've given consent through our cookie banner (provided by CookieYes). You can change your cookie choices at any time; look for the cookie settings control on the site, or clear your cookies in your browser to be asked again.
We share data with the third parties that help us run the Service, and nobody else. We do not sell your personal data. Stripe processes payments. Resend sends our transactional emails. Backblaze B2 stores uploaded photos. Google Analytics processes anonymised-where-possible usage data, only with your consent. Each of these providers only receives the data it needs to do its job, and is bound by its own data protection terms.
Some of the providers above may process data outside the UK and European Economic Area. Where that happens, we rely on the safeguards they provide, such as the UK's International Data Transfer Addendum or equivalent standard contractual clauses, to keep your data protected to a UK standard regardless of where it's processed.
We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account from Settings, your profile, vehicles, messages, and activity are permanently removed; some minimal records (for example, transaction records we're legally required to keep for tax purposes) may be retained for the period the law requires, after which they're deleted.
Some information you add is public by design, part of how the Service works: your profile, the vehicles and builds you mark public, and your public activity. Your vehicle registration is private by default; you choose whether to make it visible. Marketplace listing locations are shown approximately, offset by a randomised amount, never your exact address. Anything you don't want visible to other users, keep marked private, or don't post it.
Under UK GDPR you have the right to: access the personal data we hold about you; have inaccurate data corrected; have your data deleted (you can do this yourself at any time from Settings, or ask us); receive a copy of your data in a portable format; object to or restrict certain processing; and complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk), if you think we've got something wrong. To exercise any of these rights, contact hello@thecarscene.co.uk.
The Service is not intended for anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us and we will remove it.
We use industry-standard measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, and access controls on our systems. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your data appropriately for what it is.
We may update this policy from time to time. If we make material changes we will take reasonable steps to let existing users know. The version on this page is always the current one.
Questions about this policy, or to exercise your rights: hello@thecarscene.co.uk.