Privacy Policy

Version 1.0 — Effective May 27, 2026

Operated by Factual Rational LLC — Austin, Texas

The short version: We collect what we need to file and track your public records requests. We do not sell your information. We do not share it with anyone except the government agency you're filing against — and only to the extent required to file your request.

1. Who This Policy Covers

This Privacy Policy applies to all users of PublicInformationRequests.com, including visitors, registered account holders, and anyone who submits a public records request through our platform. It covers information collected through our website, our filing and tracking tools, and any emails or communications you have with us.

This policy does not cover the privacy practices of government agencies. When we file a request on your behalf, your name and request description become part of a government record subject to that agency's own disclosure rules, which we do not control. See Section 6 for details.

2. What We Collect

Information you give us directly:

Your name — as it will appear on your public records request
Your email address — for account access and status updates
Your phone number — optional, for urgent notifications
Your state of residence — to determine applicable law and residency requirements
The text of your public records requests
Documents and records you upload or receive through the platform
Payment information — processed by Stripe; we do not store full card numbers

Information we collect automatically:

IP address and approximate location at time of account creation and request submission — stored as part of your consent record
Browser type, device type, and operating system
Pages visited and time spent on the platform
Referring URL (how you found us)

Information from third parties:

If you sign in via a third-party authentication provider, we receive your name and email from that provider
If you are referred by an attorney in our network, we may receive confirmation of that referral

3. How We Use What We Collect

We use the information we collect for these purposes only:

To provide the service:

Drafting and submitting public records requests in your name
Tracking statutory deadlines and sending follow-up notices
Receiving and routing agency responses to you
Delivering records to your account when produced
Sending status notifications and deadline alerts

To operate the platform:

Creating and managing your account
Processing payments
Preventing fraud and abuse
Diagnosing technical issues

To improve the platform:

Understanding which agency pages, templates, and features are most used
Measuring fulfillment rates by agency and jurisdiction
Identifying agencies with high overdue rates
Improving request language to increase fulfillment rates

Legal and compliance:

Recording your consent to our Terms of Service, including timestamp and IP address
Complying with applicable law
Responding to lawful legal process

We do not use your information for advertising. We do not build advertising profiles. We do not sell your data to any third party for any purpose.

4. Who We Share Information With

We share your information only in the following circumstances:

Government agencies — required to provide the service:

When we file a public records request on your behalf, we transmit your name, contact information, and request description to the designated government agency. This is the nature of the service — the agency needs to know who is requesting and what they want. We include only what is necessary to file the request.

Service providers — limited to what they need:

We use a small number of third-party services to operate the platform. Each receives only the information necessary to perform their specific function:

Stripe — payment processing. Stripe's privacy policy governs their handling of payment data.
Supabase — database hosting. Your data is stored on Supabase infrastructure in the United States.
Resend — transactional email delivery.
Google Analytics — anonymized usage data. We have configured Google Analytics to anonymize IP addresses.

Attorney referral network:

If you request a referral to an attorney in our network, we share your name, email, state, and a summary of your request with the referred attorney. We notify you before making any referral.

Legal process:

We may disclose information if required by a valid court order, subpoena, or other lawful legal process. We will notify you of any such request if legally permitted to do so.

Business transfer:

If PublicInformationRequests.com is acquired or its assets are transferred, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for any purpose.

5. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period afterward to allow you to access your request history. Specifically:

Account information: retained until you close your account, plus 90 days
Request records and received documents: retained for 3 years after the request closes, then deleted unless you have marked them for permanent retention
Payment records: retained for 7 years as required by applicable tax and financial recordkeeping law
Consent records (ToS acceptance logs): retained indefinitely as legal records

You may request deletion of your account and personal information at any time. See Section 8.

6. A Critical Privacy Note About Public Records Requests

When we file a request on your behalf, your name and the text of your request become a government record. This has privacy implications you should understand:

Your request is public in most states. Many state open records laws allow agencies to disclose the requests they receive, including the requester's name and the description of what was requested. If someone files a public records request with an agency asking for its list of incoming records requests, your request may appear in that list.

We cannot control this. Once a request is filed, it is part of the agency's records. We have no ability to retract or redact requests that have been filed.

Your email address. We use our own email address as the correspondence address with agencies where possible, which means your personal email address is not transmitted to the agency in most cases. In jurisdictions where a requester email is required, we use the email address you provide.

Anonymous filing is not possible. Every public records request requires a requester of record. We cannot file requests anonymously on your behalf.

7. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

Keeping you logged in to your account
Remembering your preferences
Understanding how the platform is used (via Google Analytics)
Preventing fraud and abuse

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect your ability to use some features of the platform, including staying logged in.

We do not use cookies for advertising or cross-site tracking.

8. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access: You can view all information associated with your account by logging in to your dashboard.

Correction: You can update your name, email, and other account information in your account settings at any time.

Deletion: You can request deletion of your account and personal information by emailing privacy@publicinformationrequests.com. We will process deletion requests within 30 days. Note that we cannot delete information that is part of a filed government record, payment records required by law, or records necessary to resolve an active dispute.

Export: You can export your request history and received documents from your account dashboard at any time.

California residents (CCPA): You have the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used, the right to deletion, and the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@publicinformationrequests.com.

Opt out of analytics: You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

9. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including:

Encryption of data in transit (TLS)
Encryption of sensitive data at rest
Access controls limiting which employees and systems can access personal data
Regular security reviews

No system is completely secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at privacy@publicinformationrequests.com.

10. Children

This service is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email or prominent notice on the platform at least 30 days before the changes take effect. The effective date at the top of this page will always reflect the most current version.

12. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal information:

Email: privacy@publicinformationrequests.com

Mail:
Factual Rational LLC
Privacy
Austin, Texas

We respond to all privacy inquiries within 5 business days.

PublicInformationRequests.com is operated by Factual Rational LLC, Austin, Texas. We are an independent technology service and are not affiliated with any government agency.
Version 1.0 — Effective May 27, 2026