This policy explains what Scout ("Scout," "we," "us") collects when you use the Scout app and website, how that information is used, and the choices you have. Scout is built around one rule: your data is used to help you find honest prices, never to sell to advertisers or third parties.
1. Information Scout collects
- Search and scan activity. The text you search for, and photos you submit for product identification. Photos are used to identify the product you're pricing and are not retained for any purpose beyond returning your results.
- Account information. If you create a Scout account, we collect your email address and any profile details you choose to provide.
- Subscription information. If you subscribe to Scout Pro, payment is processed by our payment provider (such as Apple's or Google's in-app purchase systems). Scout does not collect or store your full card details.
- Usage data. Basic technical information, including device type, app version, and general usage patterns, used to fix bugs and understand which features are actually useful.
2. How Scout uses this information
- To return accurate, real-time price comparisons for the product you searched or photographed.
- To identify products from photos you submit, using an AI image-recognition service.
- To operate and improve Scout Pro subscriptions, including billing and account access.
- To maintain and troubleshoot the app, and to understand aggregate usage so we can improve it.
What Scout does not do: Scout does not sell your personal information to third parties, and does not use your searches or photos to build advertising profiles. There are no ads in Scout, so there is no ad tracking to opt out of.
3. Third-party services Scout relies on
Scout is built on a small number of trusted infrastructure providers, each used only for the specific job described below.
- Product identification. Photos submitted for identification are processed using Anthropic's Claude AI to determine what product is shown.
- Live pricing data. Scout retrieves current retailer pricing through a third-party search and pricing data provider.
- Data storage. Account and app data is stored with a secure third-party database provider, protected by access controls that keep your data scoped to your account.
- Affiliate partners. When you tap "Buy," Scout may direct you to a retailer through an affiliate link, including Amazon Associates and similar programs. See our affiliate disclosure for how that works.
These providers process data on Scout's behalf under their own security and confidentiality obligations. They do not have independent rights to use your data for their own purposes.
4. Cookies and tracking
The Scout website uses only the minimum technical functionality needed to serve pages correctly. We do not use third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking.
5. Your choices
- You can use most of Scout's core search and compare features without creating an account.
- You can request a copy of the personal information Scout holds about you.
- You can request that Scout delete your account and associated personal data, subject to what we're required to retain for legal or billing purposes.
- You can cancel a Scout Pro subscription at any time through your app store account settings.
To exercise any of these choices, use the Scout contact page.
6. Data retention
We keep account information for as long as your account is active. Search and scan activity is retained only as long as needed to provide your results and improve the accuracy of the service, and is not kept indefinitely tied to your identity.
7. Children's privacy
Scout is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we'll delete it.
8. Changes to this policy
If Scout's data practices change in a meaningful way, we'll update this page and revise the "last updated" date above. Continued use of Scout after changes take effect means you accept the revised policy.
9. Contact
Questions about this policy or your data can be sent through our Scout contact page.