Privacy policy

Who operates PlainBill

PlainBill is a registered trade name of IQ48 LLC, which operates the service in the United States. You can contact us about privacy at support@plainbill.org.

Browsing and search

Our hosting services process technical information needed to deliver and protect the website, such as IP addresses, requested pages, browser information, and request or error logs. We use this information to operate the site, diagnose problems, and prevent abuse.

Searches are sent to our servers to find relevant bills. Your search terms appear in the page URL and may remain in your browser history or in a link you share. Search matching, including the model used to understand a query’s meaning, runs within our own hosting environment.

When you visit a bill that does not have a current PlainBill explanation, the site can send that bill’s identifier to help us prioritize analysis. We keep bill-level request counts; this feature does not send your name, email, or a unique visitor identifier.

Page visits and Popular rankings

Our Popular page uses server-side access logs to estimate visits to bill pages, including pages served from our content delivery cache. It does not use a browser tracker, tracking cookies, or a visitor identifier. Repeat requests can count more than once. These are approximate page visits, not unique people, confirmed reads, searches, or support for a bill.

For these rankings, we configure logs to contain the request date and time, page path, host, request method, response status, browser user-agent text, and a request identifier. We exclude IP addresses, query strings (including search phrases), cookies, and referrers from these logs. Browser user-agent text helps filter known bots; automated traffic can still get through. Other hosting services continue to process technical request information as described above.

The private logs are encrypted and scheduled to expire after seven days; storage cleanup can take additional time. Processing markers expire after 14 days, and daily bill totals after 90 days. All-time aggregate totals and ranking snapshots may be retained longer. Only aggregate counts and bill information are published, with daily updates.

Browser storage and cookies

PlainBill uses browser session storage to avoid repeatedly requesting analysis for the same bill. Popular rankings do not require browser storage or a browser participation setting. If the site’s service worker is active, it caches application files to help the site load efficiently. You can remove stored site data through your browser’s site-data settings.

We do not currently use advertising cookies or third-party audience analytics on PlainBill. Stripe’s checkout and customer portal are separate services and may use cookies or similar technologies under Stripe’s privacy policy.

Support payments

Stripe processes one-time and recurring support payments on its hosted pages. Stripe collects the contact, billing, and payment information needed to process your payment, manage subscriptions, and prevent fraud. PlainBill’s website does not collect or store your full card number.

Through Stripe, we can access information such as your checkout email, payment amount, transaction status, subscription details, and limited payment-method information. We use it for receipts, support, refunds, accounting, and payment disputes. We do not publish a list of supporters.

Messages you send us

Our contact form accepts questions, suggestions, and corrections without an account. We store your message, message type, submission time, and email address if you choose to provide one, in private storage hosted by Amazon Web Services. The saved submission does not include your IP address or browser identifier; hosting services still process technical request information as described above. Leaving the email field blank lets you submit without providing contact details, but information in your message could still identify you.

We use these messages to respond and improve PlainBill. Authorized reviewers may use OpenAI’s Codex to help summarize and review them, so message content may be processed by OpenAI. Messages are not published automatically. We retain them as support records for as long as needed for these purposes, and do not currently apply automatic expiration to form submissions.

If you email us, we receive your email address, message, and any attachments you include. We use them to answer your request and keep appropriate support records. Our email delivery services process these messages. Temporary copies used by our forwarding system are scheduled for deletion after seven days; delivered messages may remain in our support mailbox.

Please send only the information needed for your request. Do not include card numbers or other sensitive financial information.

Sharing and service providers

We use service providers, including Amazon Web Services for hosting and email delivery, email providers for correspondence, and Stripe for payments. They process information needed to provide those services. We do not sell personal information or share it for targeted advertising.

We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to meet legal obligations, respond to lawful requests, prevent fraud or abuse, or protect people and the service. Information may also be transferred as part of a business reorganization or sale, subject to applicable privacy obligations.

Retention and security

We keep information for as long as needed for the purposes described here, including support, accounting, security, and legal obligations. Retention depends on the type of record; canceling a subscription does not automatically delete transaction records.

We use measures such as encrypted website connections and restricted administrative access to protect information. No system can guarantee complete security. Our service providers may process information in the United States or other countries where they operate.

Your choices

You can browse without contributing, clear your browser storage, and manage or cancel monthly support. To request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information we hold, email support@plainbill.org. We may need to verify your identity and retain information required for legal, accounting, or security reasons. Your rights may also depend on where you live.

PlainBill is intended for a general audience and does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, contact us so we can address it.

Changes to this policy

We will update this page and its effective date when our practices change. We will provide additional notice when required for material changes.