Last updated: October 30, 2026
Who we are
FoundByChat is run by Bitgate, Inc. ("we", "us"). We decide how your data is used, which makes us the controller under the GDPR. Questions about your data go to support@foundbychat.com.
What we collect and why
| Your email address | To sign you in and send your alerts and account emails. |
|---|---|
| Sign-in details | When you sign in with Google, Google Firebase Authentication gives us a user ID and your email address. When you use an email link, we send a one-time link to your address. |
| Your site | The domain, the few words about what you offer, your market and your questions. We need them to run your checks. |
| Check results | What ChatGPT returns for your questions: the answer, the search results it used, and the titles and snippets of your pages. We use them for your dashboard, history and alerts. |
| Settings | Your language, time zone, alert settings and agent API keys. Of each API key we store only a hash and the last 4 characters. |
| Session | After you sign in, the app keeps a session token in your browser's storage so you stay signed in. |
| Hashed IP addresses | To stop abuse we limit some requests, such as sign-in emails and free audits. For that we keep a one-way hash of your IP address, not the address itself. |
| Free GEO audit | The URL you check, the result, a hashed IP address, your browser's user agent and the page you came from. Each audit gets its own link: anyone with that link can open the result, and we keep these pages out of search engines. |
| Analytics | Clicktag counts page views and a few events, such as clicks on buttons that open the app. It uses no cookies and no local storage. To count unique visitors it uses a hash of your IP address and browser that changes every day. |
| Support emails | What you send to support@foundbychat.com, so we can answer you. |
Who processes it for us
These providers process data on our behalf, only to run FoundByChat.
| Cloudflare | Hosts this site and the app, runs our code (Workers), checks for bots at sign-in and on the audit (Turnstile) and forwards email sent to support@foundbychat.com. |
|---|---|
| Google Firebase Authentication | Sign-in with Google. |
| Postmark | Sends sign-in links, alerts and account emails. |
| DataForSEO | Asks ChatGPT your questions and returns the answers and search results. |
| OpenRouter and Google Gemini | Write the short findings in alert emails, based on your check results. |
| OVHcloud | Hosts our database in Frankfurt, Germany. |
| Clicktag | Counts visits without cookies. |
Some of these providers process data outside the EU, for example in the United States. They do so under the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. We don't sell your data and don't use it for ads.
Why we're allowed to use it
We use your account, site and check data to provide the service you asked for (performance of a contract). We use hashed IP addresses, bot checks and cookieless analytics to keep the service safe and improve it (legitimate interest).
How long we keep it
We keep your data while your account exists. When you delete your account under Settings, we delete your account, sites, questions, check results, alerts and API keys. Copies in our encrypted database backups disappear as those backups expire. To have a free audit result removed, email us its link.
Your rights
You can ask us for a copy of your data, to correct it, to delete it, or to stop using it for a purpose. You can see and change most of it in the app; for the rest, write to support@foundbychat.com. We reply within 30 days. You can also complain to the Dutch data protection authority, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens.
Cookies and storage
foundbychat.com sets no cookies of its own. The app keeps your session token in your browser's local storage so you stay signed in. When you sign in by email or run an audit, Cloudflare Turnstile checks that you're not a bot; Cloudflare's privacy policy covers that check.
Emails
We email you sign-in links, alerts about your site and important account messages. Every alert email has a one-click unsubscribe link, and you can turn alerts off in the app.
Changes
When this policy changes, we update this page and the date at the top. If a change is significant, we let you know by email or in the app before it takes effect.
Contact
Bitgate, Inc. Email support@foundbychat.com.