Data Retention Schedule
Version 1.0 · Effective July 17, 2026.
This is the retention schedule referenced by our Privacy Policy (Section 6). We keep each category of data only as long as needed for the purpose it was collected for, or as required by law, and delete or anonymize it after that window closes. Publishing this schedule — and following it — is our answer to the “you deleted evidence” and “you kept everything forever” problems at the same time: an ad-hoc deletion looks like spoliation, and indefinite retention is a discovery magnet. A documented, followed schedule is the defense to both.
| Data category | Retention period | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Verification history (citation hashes + per-citation results) | 24 months from last access, or until you delete it / close your account, whichever is sooner | Product feature (your history) + limited evidentiary value if a dispute is filed |
| Shared report links (/v/[id]) | Same as the underlying verification (24 months), then the link 404s | Product feature |
| Disputes (refund-guarantee re-checks) | 7 years from resolution | Financial/accounting recordkeeping |
| Account and subscriber records (email, plan, referral data) | Life of account + 90 days after closure, then deleted or anonymized | Contract performance |
| Payment and billing records (via Stripe) | 7 years | IRS recordkeeping requirement (26 U.S.C. § 6001 and related regs) |
| Clickwrap acceptance log (terms_acceptance: version, timestamp, IP, user agent) | Life of account + 7 years (contract-formation evidence) | Enforceability of arbitration/liability-cap clauses; statute-of-limitations coverage |
| Operational/security logs (audit_log, rate-limit counters) | 90 days rolling | Abuse prevention, security incident response |
| DMCA notices and counter-notices | 3 years from resolution | Safe-harbor recordkeeping practice |
| Data Subject Requests (DSR) | 3 years from completion | Compliance recordkeeping (demonstrating timely response) |
| Signed DPAs | Life of the customer relationship + 7 years | Contract recordkeeping |
| Backups | Encrypted, rolling, overwritten within 30 days | Disaster recovery |
Deletion on request
You can request deletion ahead of these windows at any time via /dsr or by emailing support@citationsafe.com, subject to the legal-recordkeeping exceptions above (e.g. we cannot delete a 7-year-old billing record on request — that retention is an IRS requirement, not a choice).
Changes to this schedule
We update this page in the same change that adds, removes, or changes a retention window in the running Service.
See also: Privacy Policy · Data Subject Request form · Subprocessor list
Digital Empire Holdings LLC · 30 N Gould St Ste N, Sheridan, WY 82801.