Privacy Policy

In-Cite ("we", "us") is an academic research tool operated from the United Kingdom and available at in-cite.com. In-Cite is a trading name of a sole trader based in the United Kingdom, who is the data controller for the personal data described here. This policy explains what personal data we collect, why, and the choices you have. For any privacy question or data request (access, correction, deletion), contact admin@in-cite.com.

What we collect, and why

Without an account: article search and citation generation send your search terms to the OpenAlex API to return results; we don't tie searches to you. If you use Claim Check as a guest, we record a salted, one-way hash of your IP address solely to enforce the free-ruling limit. We cannot recover your IP address from this hash, and we store no other identifier alongside it.

With an account: we store your email address, any username or full name you choose to add, your saved library items, and monthly usage counts for each AI feature (how many times you used it; numbers only, never the content you submit). We use these counts to enforce plan limits and to monitor and manage the cost of operating the service, including estimating the running cost associated with an account. We use your email to send sign-in links and essential service messages only, and no marketing without separate consent.

Claim Check content: the claim you paste and the source material you supply (the abstract of a DOI-identified source, or the source text you paste yourself) are sent to our AI provider to produce a ruling, then the ruling is returned to you. We do not build a stored history of your claims. Our AI provider processes this content under terms that do not permit its use for model training.

Payments: subscriptions are processed by Stripe. Your card details go directly to Stripe and never touch our servers; we store only your plan, billing status, and Stripe customer reference. Stripe's own privacy policy applies to payment data.

Who processes data for us

Supabase (database, authentication, and hosting of our functions), Stripe (payments), Google (AI processing of Claim Check rulings), and OpenAlex (scholarly search queries). Each acts as a processor or independent service under its own terms, and we share only what each needs to do its job.

Cookies and local storage

We use local storage in your browser to keep you signed in and remember your session library. PDFs you attach to Library items are stored only in your browser (IndexedDB) and are never uploaded to our servers. We do not use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking of any kind.

Retention

Account data is kept while your account exists and deleted when you ask us to close it. Guest usage hashes are kept only to operate the free-ruling limit. Billing records are retained as long as tax law requires.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you can ask us for a copy of your data, ask us to correct or delete it, object to or restrict processing, and take your data elsewhere. Email hello@in-cite.com and we'll respond within one month. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) at any time.

Changes

If this policy changes materially we'll note it here and, for account holders, by email. Continued use after a change means the updated policy applies.