TrueCar Terms of Privacy

This Privacy Notice has recently changed.
Please read below to understand your rights and how we use the information we gather

Effective Date: December 10, 2024.

This Privacy Notice (“Notice”) applies to this website or mobile application and the websites or mobile applications of TrueCar, Inc., and its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively “we”, “us” or “our”) that display this Notice (each a “Site” and collectively, the “Sites”). By visiting the Sites, you are consenting to our collection, use, disclosure, retention, and protection of information about you and devices you use as described in this Notice.

This Notice only applies to the Sites and does not apply to information collected or received by other means.

Our Sites are not directed to children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under age 18. This Notice does not apply to anonymized or aggregated data that does not allow us or third parties to identify or contact you.

1. What Information Does TrueCar Gather?
Information You Give Us. We may collect and retain any information from you or your devices provided to us when you visit a Site, including when you:

• use our service or mobile application;
• register for an account;
• apply for financing with one of our lending partners;
• communicate with us, such as to provide feedback, request support, or ask for additional information; and
• subscribe to content we offer, such as newsletters, alerts, etc.

We may collect information such as your first and last name, home or other physical address, email address, zip code, your title, Company, telephone number, your automobile’s make, model, trim, model year, mileage, color, options, vehicle identification number (“VIN”), license plate number, or information about your interactions with us or others, and other information. If you request your credit score through TrueCar, we may collect your social security number, income information, and your credit score to personalize your preferred auto financing terms from our lending partners. We may also collect a temporary copy of your driver’s license and photo of you to securely verify your identity and prevent fraud through our service provider, Persona. This information is not retained by TrueCar. Persona may collect biometric information, including a scan of your facial geometry based on the photos you provide. Please see Persona’s Privacy Policy for how Persona treats scans of facial geometry extracted from photos.

When you apply to see if you may either pre-qualify or receive a lending/lease offer for auto financing through one of our participating lending institutions, that participating lending institution may require you to provide additional information to determine your eligibility (in the case of a pre-qualification) or finalize your eligibility (in the case of a lending or lease offer), such as date of birth, social security number, residential history and employment history. This information is not captured or retained by TrueCar. Please refer to that participating lending institution’s privacy policies to learn more about their data practices.

Social Media. You may use social networks or other online services to access our Sites. When you do so, information from those services may be made available to us. By associating a social network account with our Sites, you agree that we may access and retain that information in accordance with the policies of the social network or other online service and this Notice. For example, we may be able to access account or profile information that you have provided to the social network or information about your interactions with the social network to make information available to us (such as when commenting on a blog post or using a sign-on service, such as Facebook Connect).

Automatically Collected Information. We may collect information automatically when you visit our Sites or use our mobile applications, such as:

• your IP address; the type of browser, devices and operating systems you use;
• identifiers associated with the device(s) you use to access our Sites;
• the pages you visit, vehicles you view or configure, and the features you use, including dates and times;
• if you navigated from or navigate to another website, the address of that website; and
• information regarding your internet service provider.

In addition, we may collect information about your activities on our Sites via first and third-party cookies, clear GIFs or web beacons, session logging, heatmaps and scrolls, or through other identifiers or technologies, including similar technologies as they may evolve over time. We refer to these technologies collectively as Metrics Tools.

We may allow third parties to use Metrics Tools on our Sites for analytics and advertising. The information collected by Metrics Tools may be shared with and used by us, by others acting on our behalf, or by third parties subject to their own privacy policies. Information collected by Metrics Tools may be used on this Site or on other websites or services, including those that may not be operated by us.

Email. We may collect information regarding the effectiveness of our email and other communications with you. For example, we may know if you follow a link in an email we send to you.

Mobile. We may collect session and geolocation information from your mobile device. Geolocation information includes data such as your device’s physical location and may include GPS-based, WiFi-based or cell-based location information.

Information from Other Sources. We may obtain information about you from affiliates, partners, automobile dealers and other third parties. This information may include information about your use of this Site or our services, your use of other websites, your interactions with or purchases from automobile dealers, lending institutions and insurance providers, your interests and preferences and other information about you or your household. We may combine the information we obtain from third parties with information that we or our affiliates have collected about you.

2. How Does TrueCar Use Information About Me?
We and others acting on our behalf may use the information that we collect or receive to operate our business, including our Sites, as described below:

Operate and Support our Sites and Services. We use the information that we gather in order to operate our Sites and our services. For example, we may use the information that we collect or receive to provide support and assistance that you request or to diagnose or address technical problems in the operation of our Sites or any of our services. If you establish an account with us, we may use information about you to manage or support your account. We may use information obtained about you from our affinity partners to pre-populate your account during the registration process. We may identify your use of our Sites across devices, and we may use information we collect from you and receive from others to optimize your use of the Sites and our services as you use different devices.

Improving and Evolving our Services. We constantly evaluate and improve our Sites and services, including developing new products or services and use the information we gather to do so.

To Allow You to Connect with Dealers and Vehicle Manufacturers. When you use our service, and after you provide your contact information to request offers or information, we may use the information you provide us to connect you with a limited number of automobile dealers and vehicle manufacturers and/or personalize your preferred auto financing terms. These dealers and vehicle manufacturers may provide you with a savings certificate, offers and/or incentives for new or used vehicles or other products or services. When you choose to share your contact information with dealers (i.e., providing your mobile phone for texts instead of using our text masking service), your direct interactions with those dealers will not be controlled by this Notice. You should review the applicable notices of those dealers to understand how they may use your information.

To Allow You to Connect with Credit Bureaus and Lending Institutions. Our Sites and services may permit you to provide information relevant to assessing your creditworthiness or designed to facilitate financing (for example, in connection a potential vehicle lease or purchase). Your direct interactions with credit bureaus and lending institutions will not be controlled by this Notice. You should review the applicable notices of those lending institutions to understand how they may use your information.

To Allow You to Connect with Insurance Providers. Our Sites and services may permit you to provide your contact information to request a free insurance quote from a limited number of insurance providers (in connection with a potential vehicle lease or purchase). Your direct interactions with insurance providers will not be controlled by this Notice. You should review the applicable notices of those insurance providers to understand how they may use your information.

Advertising and Promotions. We may use the information we gather to offer, provide, or personalize products and services from us and third parties or for short-term, transient use including non-personalized advertising shown as part of your real-time interaction with us. For example, we may customize content, advertising, promotions and incentives to reflect your preferences, interests, or prior interactions with us and others. We may also use the information to conduct auditing related to counting ad impressions to unique visitors, verifying positioning and quality of ad impressions, and auditing compliance.

Other Contacts. We may contact you through telephone, text, or chat for other purposes, as permitted by law.

This Notice only addresses our own information practices. This Notice does not apply to information you share with third parties, including but not limited to dealers, lending institutions and insurance providers, even if we link to those third parties from a Site. These third parties may have their own privacy policies governing their use of information that you can access from their websites. Our services may be offered through third party websites or mobile applications (“Partner Sites”). This Notice does not apply to Partner Sites, unless otherwise indicated on the Partner Site.

Please note that other parties may collect personally identifiable information about your online activities over time and across different websites when you use our Site.

TrueCar may use Plaid Inc. (“Plaid”) to verify your bank membership status with one of our finance partners so you can take advantage of certain special offers. Information shared with Plaid is treated by Plaid in accordance with the Plaid end user privacy policy.

3. When Does TrueCar Share Information?
We only share information about you as described or permitted by this Notice, unless you consent to other sharing. We may share information about you in the following ways:

Corporate Affiliates. We may share information with our corporate affiliates for their everyday business purposes, to provide services or to perform marketing. We may also participate in joint ventures with others and we may share information as part of that joint venture.

Partner Sites. We may share the information we gather with Partner Sites (and the owners of those sites). For example, we may share information for determining or verifying our economic rights and obligations.

Service Providers. We may share information with third party service providers who help us operate our business or provide services on our behalf, including third parties who help us operate our Sites. These service providers include analytics companies and communication providers that provide Metrics Tools on our Sites.

Social Media Platforms and Advertising Networks. Some of our Sites have features such as cookies, plugins, widgets, and other similar tools made available by third parties that may result in information being collected or shared between us and the third party about the websites you visit and the advertisements you interact with. Their use of your information is not governed by this privacy policy.

Promotional. We may share information with third parties to help us promote our products and services, or to help us customize advertisements, offers, or other communications to you.

Automobile Dealers and Vehicle Manufacturers. We may share information with automobile dealers, manufacturers and other providers of automobile related products and services. For example, we may share information with our participating dealers to personalize your preferred auto financing terms, allow you to communicate with them, and them to communicate with you when you elect to share your information with them.

Lending Institutions. Our Sites and services may permit you to provide information relevant to assessing your creditworthiness or facilitating conditional pre-qualification for auto financing in connection with a potential vehicle lease or purchase.

Business Transfer. We may share information we have collected from you in connection with the sale or merger of our business or the transfer of assets.

Protection of Ourselves and Others. We may use and share the information we gather to enforce our rights and protect our property and those of our affiliates, customers and members of the public, to comply with applicable law, legal process, legal advice and for preventing fraud, theft, and injury to you, us or others.

Customer Comments, Reviews and Testimonials. We may publish or use customer comments, reviews or testimonials on our Site or on Partner Sites or in other advertising accompanied by attribution, including your name and other information that we deem relevant to the statement, such as your geographic location. If you do not wish your reviews, feedback or testimonials to be used in that matter, contact [email protected].

Mobile Phone Numbers. Please note that we do not share mobile phone numbers or other text messaging originator opt-in data and consent information with any third parties for their marketing or promotional purposes, or authorize any third parties to use such information for their marketing or promotional purposes. When you choose to share your contact information with dealers (i.e., providing your mobile phone for texts instead of using our text masking service), your direct interactions with those dealers will not be controlled by this Notice.

4. What Choices Do I Have Regarding My Information?
You may limit and control the information provided to us in several ways. You may not be able to use all features of our Sites if you limit the information you share with us.

For example, you can choose not to access our Sites through your social media account. You may also be able to limit the information provided to us by third party social media providers by altering your privacy settings with those providers. You may unsubscribe from promotional emails from us by following the unsubscribe link included in each such email.

Your browser and your device may provide you the option to limit the use of cookies or other Metrics Tools. You should consult documentation for your browser or device for more information. Your mobile device may have settings that allow you to prevent sharing geolocation information with us. You should consult your mobile device’s settings or help documentation for more information about exercising these options.

Like many companies, TrueCar uses Google Analytics and related products, such as cookies, web beacons, cross-device linking, mobile advertising IDs (such as Facebook cookies or Google’s Advertising ID), and similar tracking technologies, which help TrueCar better understand its audience and target communications and advertisements based on demographic or targeted interests. Google is subject to its own privacy policy. To learn more about Google’s data collection and security practices, we encourage you to review its privacy policy. You may learn more about opting out of certain Google advertising initiatives here and here. You may also be able to opt out of certain targeted behavioral advertising via the Network Advertising Initiative’s opt-out.

Please note that you may still receive advertising even after opting out, but that advertising may not be tailored to you or your interests.

5. How Can I Access and Update My Information?
If you are a registered user on truecar.com, you may access, update and change certain information we have collected about you by accessing the “My Account” tab after signing into your account on www.truecar.com.

Personal Information We Collect

We describe the Personal Information we have collected from consumers in the twelve (12) months preceding the effective date of this Notice in the part of our Notice titled, “What Information Does TrueCar Gather?”. The information we collect includes the following:

• Identifiers such as name, address, e-mail address, your title, Company, phone number and other identifiers that we describe above.
• The following categories of Personal Information are described in California Civil Code § 1798.80(e): (1) the Personal Information listed in the preceding bullet point as “identifiers,” (2) vehicle identification numbers (when linked to identified persons), vehicle information such as model and year, vehicle registration information, and license plate numbers, (3) information you provide or that we record in connection with customer support calls or complaints, (4) demographic information such as age range and gender, (5) select financial information (e.g., social security number, income information, credit score) if you request your credit score to personalize your preferred auto financing or lease terms or provide your credit score and payment preferences to assess your estimated buying power, and (6) the other information that identifies, relates to, describes, or is capable of being associated with, a particular individual that we describe in “What Information Does TrueCar Gather?”.
• Characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law, such as military service, sex or age range.
• Commercial information, including information about records of personal property, orders, purchases or interest you have expressed in any of our products or services; information for any event or program or promotions; and information you provide or submit to us when you participate in any event, program, contest, surveys, or other promotion that we may offer from time to time.
• Any data from your usage of services in connection with TrueCar Services.
• Internet or other electronic network activity information, including, but not limited to, browsing history, search history, preferences related to digital communication, usage of, and information regarding your interaction with our Sites.
• Geolocation data relating to your computer or device when you connect with dealers in your area. Geolocation information includes data such as your device’s physical location and may include GPS-based, WiFi-based or cell-based location information.
• Audio information may be collected when you place a call with TrueCar’s customer service or accounting centers for quality control purposes as well as electronic information in the form of Internet or other electronic network activity information as described above.
• Inferences drawn from (1) the information we collect when you utilize our Sites, (2) the information we collect, including through third party vendors, regarding content and other data posted on the Internet, and (3) information about TrueCar user preferences and behavior, which we use for product and service enhancement and optimization purposes.
• Sensitive Personal Information, such as government identifiers, Social Security number, precise geolocation data, and account login in connection with credentials allowing access to an account.

For information regarding the purposes for which we collect and use the Personal Information we collect, please see “How Does TrueCar Use Information About Me.” We do not process sensitive Personal Information for purpose that, under applicable law, require us to offer consumers a “Right to Limit” the use or disclosure of sensitive personal information

Disclosures of Personal Information for Monetary or Other Valuable Consideration for Business Purposes

We have disclosed the following categories of Personal Information to other businesses or third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration within the twelve (12) months preceding the effective date of this Privacy Notice:

• Identifiers and Inferences. Identifiers for individuals who visit our Sites and the devices such individuals use to visit our Sites, data relating to usage of our Sites and inferences drawn from such usage data, and data acquired from third party marketing and digital advertising providers. We share this information with our social media partners and third party vendors that provide consumer behavioral analytics and digital advertising service to TrueCar, and where applicable these partners and vendors may use the information for use for their own purposes.

We have disclosed Personal Information in all or substantially all of the categories identified in this Additional Notice of State-Specific Privacy Information and Rights for various business purposes. For more information about the categories of Personal Information we have disclosed, the categories of entities with which we have disclosed this information and the purposes for which we have disclosed the information, please see “When Does TrueCar Share Information?”

Like many companies, TrueCar processes Personal Information for targeted advertising. When you use our Sites, we (and our vendors) may collect Information about your activities so that we can provide you with advertising tailored to your interests. We do not disclose Personal Information of individuals we know to be under the age of 16 to other businesses or third parties for consideration. We also do not engage in profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects under applicable law.

Your State-Specific Rights

Consumers who reside in California and other states that have enacted comprehensive consumer data privacy laws may have one or more of the following rights. We will honor requests received to the extent required by applicable law and within the time provided by law.

We will deliver Personal Information that we are required by law to disclose to you in the manner required by law within 45 days after receipt of a verifiable request, unless we notify you that we require additional time to respond, in which case we will respond within such additional period of time required by law. We may deliver the Personal Information to you through your account, if you maintain an account with TrueCar, or, if not, electronically. If electronically, then we will deliver the information in a portable and, to the extent technically feasible, in a readily useable format that allows you to transmit the information from one entity to another without hindrance.

Requests to Exercise Your Rights

You may request to exercise the foregoing rights by:

• Submitting a request online, or
• Calling us toll-free at 1-833-TRUECAR, or

You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. Please note that we may take steps to verify your identity, such as by asking you to provide your name, email address, physical address, and phone number in our online form and responding to an automated email, before granting you access to information or acting on your request to exercise your rights, as required or permitted by law. We may limit our response to your exercise of the above rights as permitted by law.

If we decline to take action on a request, applicable law may give you the right to appeal our decision by replying to our response, emailing [email protected], or calling 1-833-TRUECAR. Please use the reference ID associated with your request when you contact us so we can locate your records.

Data Sharing for Direct Marketing Purposes

Residents of the State of California may request a list of all third parties to which we have disclosed certain personal information (as defined by California law) during the preceding year for those third parties’ direct marketing purposes. If you are a California resident and want such a list, please contact us via the Contact section provided below.

Do Not Track Notice

At this time, there is no worldwide uniform or consistent industry standard or definition for responding to, processing, or communicating Do Not Track signals. Thus, like many other websites and online services, our Sites are currently unable to respond to Do Not Track Signals.

Metrics Regarding Privacy Requests

Please see the chart below for metrics relating to our handling of California rights requests in the period from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023.

7. How Does TrueCar Handle Privacy Disputes?
By using this Site, you agree that any dispute arising out of or relating to the Sites, the Sites’ content or the services or materials made available on the Sites, or regarding information collected or shared about you, is subject to the Choice of Law, Venue, and Class Action Waiver provisions in our Terms of Service.

8. How Does TrueCar Protect the Security of the Personal Information it Collects?
We use administrative, technical, and physical security designed to safeguard personal information in our possession. We cannot guarantee the security of the information that we collect and store. If you believe that information about you has been subject to unauthorized disclosure, please let us know by emailing [email protected].

9. How Long Does TrueCar Retain My Information?
We will retain and process Personal Information for the duration of time reasonably necessary to carry out the purposes described in the Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. We also retain Personal Information for related business purposes, such as complying with our legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our legal agreements and policies, consistent with our retention policy and as permitted by applicable law.

10. How Does TrueCar Provide Updates to this Notice?
When we make material changes to this Notice, we will update this web page and change the Effective Date listed above.

11. How Can TrueCar be Contacted Regarding Privacy Issues?
You can contact us with questions or comments about our privacy practices or this Notice by emailing us at [email protected] or you can contact us at:

TrueCar, Inc.
225 Santa Monica Blvd, 12th Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90401
1-888-TRUECAR