SIN-AUTO Data Retention and Deletion: How Long We Keep Your Information and How to Have It Removed

SIN-AUTO Data Retention and Deletion: How Long We Keep Your Information and How to Have It Removed

Transparency is not only about what we collect - it is also about how long we keep it. This update explains the retention periods SIN-AUTO applies to the information we hold, how deletion works in practice, and the steps you can take if you want your data removed. It complements our earlier updates on data collection, data transfers, legal bases and marketing preferences.

Why We Keep Data - and for How Long

We retain personal information only for as long as it serves the purpose for which it was collected, or as long as the law requires us to keep it. In practice this means three principles. First, purpose limitation: once an inquiry, quotation or transaction is complete and no longer needs to be referenced, the related personal data becomes eligible for deletion. Second, legal retention: certain records - such as invoices, contracts and export documentation - must be kept for statutory periods for tax, accounting and customs purposes. Third, minimisation over time: even while records are retained, we reduce what we hold to what is necessary and delete or anonymise everything that is no longer needed.

How Retention Works in Practice

Different categories of information follow different timelines. Inquiry and contact records are kept while a conversation is active and for a reasonable follow-up period, so that we can answer questions consistently if you return to us months later. Contract, order and shipping documents are retained for the statutory period applicable to commercial and customs records, because both we and our customers may need them for verification, warranty or audit purposes. Website analytics data is retained in aggregate form and is used to understand traffic patterns rather than to identify individuals. Communication records are kept only as long as they are useful for servicing your account or resolving a dispute.

Your Right to Deletion and How We Handle It

You may ask us to delete the personal information we hold about you at any time. Requests can be sent to [email protected], and we will respond within a reasonable period and in line with applicable law. To protect you, we may first verify your identity and confirm which records the request relates to - for example, an email address, a company contact or a specific inquiry. Once verified, we will delete the information or, where deletion is not possible, explain clearly why. There are limited exceptions: records we are legally obliged to retain, information needed to complete a transaction already in progress, and data required to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Deletion, Anonymisation and Security

When information reaches the end of its retention period, we remove it securely or convert it into anonymised form that can no longer be linked to you. Because our systems are backed up, a deleted record may persist briefly in backup copies before it is cycled out in the normal course of backup rotation - these copies are not used for any business purpose. Where we work with service providers, deletion obligations are passed on to them contractually, so that data removed from our systems is also removed from theirs.

What This Means for Our Trade Partners

Importers and dealers should be aware that some records cannot be deleted on request, because international vehicle trade generates documentation that must be preserved. Commercial invoices, packing lists, bills of lading and conformity certificates are typically subject to mandatory retention for tax, customs and warranty purposes, and we cannot shorten those periods. What we can do is keep everything else to a minimum: limiting personal data in marketing lists, removing contacts that are no longer relevant, and answering questions about exactly which records we hold on your behalf.

Key Takeaways

• We keep personal data only as long as the purpose or the law requires.
• Inquiry and contact records are removed once they are no longer needed for follow-up.
• Commercial, customs and warranty documents must be retained for statutory periods.
• You can request deletion at any time at [email protected]; we verify identity first.
• Deleted data is securely removed or anonymised, and deletion is passed on to our service providers.

Questions about how long we keep your information? Contact SIN-AUTO at [email protected] - we will tell you exactly what we hold and for how long.