Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 24, 2026 | Last Updated: July 24, 2026

Welcome to hscodedb.com. This Privacy Policy sets out the data processing principles, technical infrastructure, legal bases, security protocols, and privacy rights governing your interaction with our global Harmonized System (HS) trade tariff database and customs entry engine. The platform is owned and operated by Tech Labs FZ LLC, a registered Free Zone limited liability company organized under the laws of the United Arab Emirates ("Company", "Data Controller", "we", "us", or "our").

We take data privacy, transparency, and regulatory compliance with utmost seriousness. We operate in strict accordance with applicable global data privacy regulations, including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR - Regulation (EU) 2016/679), the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA - Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.100 et seq.), the United Arab Emirates Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on Personal Data Protection - UAE PDPL), and the United Kingdom Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy details how Tech Labs FZ LLC collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects your information across all digital touchpoints on hscodedb.com.

1. Data Controller Identification & Official Contact Details

Under Article 4(7) of the GDPR and equivalent provisions of the UAE PDPL, the Data Controller responsible for determining the purposes and means of processing personal data on this platform is:

If you have any questions, inquiries, or formal requests regarding this Privacy Policy, your personal data, or our regulatory compliance posture, please contact our Data Protection Officer directly via email at hello@hscodedb.com.

2. Categories of Information We Collect & Technical Architecture

We follow the principle of data minimization as outlined in GDPR Article 5(1)(c). We collect personal data strictly when necessary to deliver requested customs tariff alert services, landed cost estimates, freight broker introductions, data error corrections, or customer support responses. The categories of information we collect include:

• Voluntarily Submitted Contact Information: When you subscribe to Duty-Change Email Alerts ("Track this HS code"), request a Customs Broker Lead Quote, submit a Data Correction Notice, or complete our Contact Form, we collect your business email address, full name, company name, phone number (if provided), and communication preferences.
• Customs & Trade Query Metadata: Inputs submitted during service requests, including target 6-digit WCO HS codes, 10-digit US HTS / UKGT / EU TARIC tariff lines, country of origin, country of destination, commercial invoice values, product descriptions, and shipping modes.
• Technical & System Telemetry: Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, operating system, device characteristics, referrer URL, pages visited, time stamps, language settings, and Cloudflare security tokens.
• Security Verification Tokens: Cloudflare Turnstile anti-bot challenge response tokens used to prevent automated spam submissions without deploying invasive tracking cookies.

Our platform architecture leverages edge-computed serverless functions via Cloudflare Pages and a decoupled email dispatch engine via Brevo (Sendinblue). Form data submitted on-site is processed directly via HTTPS POST requests using encrypted JSON payloads.

3. Legal Bases for Personal Data Processing (GDPR Art. 6 & UAE PDPL)

We process your personal data exclusively when we have a valid legal basis under GDPR Article 6(1) and UAE PDPL Article 4. Depending on the interaction, processing is based on:

• Consent (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a)): You have given clear, affirmative consent for us to process your personal data for specific purposes—such as receiving email alerts when tariff rates change for a tracked HS code, receiving weekly trade change digests, or being contacted by a qualified customs broker. You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
• Pre-contractual & Contractual Performance (GDPR Art. 6(1)(b)): Processing is necessary to take steps at your request prior to entering into a commercial agreement, such as transmitting your trade quote inquiry to a licensed customs broker partner.
• Legitimate Interests (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)): Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your data protection rights. Our legitimate interests include platform security, preventing fraudulent bot activity, improving search algorithm accuracy, and ensuring network uptime.
• Legal Obligations (GDPR Art. 6(1)(c)): Processing is necessary for compliance with statutory recordkeeping, financial audit, and legal discovery obligations under UAE law.

4. How We Use Collected Information

Tech Labs FZ LLC uses collected information strictly for specified, explicit, and legitimate commercial purposes:

• To deliver automated Duty-Change Email Alerts when USITC, HMRC, or EU Commission tariff schedules update for your saved HS codes.
• To calculate accurate landed import costs, merchandise processing fees (MPF), harbor maintenance fees (HMF), and Section 301 China additional tariffs.
• To route qualified customs brokerage inquiries to licensed trade partners when requested via our lead form.
• To investigate, verify, and resolve user-submitted classification corrections or data quality reports.
• To defend our web infrastructure against DDoS attacks, automated scraping abuse, and cybersecurity threats.
• To fulfill corporate reporting, tax compliance, and legal audit duties in the United Arab Emirates.

5. Data Sharing, Sub-Processors & Third-Party Vendors

We do NOT sell, rent, monetize, or trade your personal information to third-party data brokers or marketing lists. We share data solely with trusted sub-processors under strict Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) requiring adherence to equivalent data security standards:

• Brevo (Sendinblue SAS - France/EU): Transactional email service provider used to send double-opt-in confirmations, duty alert notifications, and support responses. Processed under EU SCCs and GDPR Art. 28 DPAs.
• Cloudflare, Inc. (USA/Global Edge): Content delivery network, web application firewall (WAF), DNS provider, and Cloudflare Turnstile anti-bot verification provider. Ensures platform availability, encryption, and DDoS mitigation.
• Licensed Customs Brokers & Trade Partners: Only when you explicitly submit a Broker Lead Request form, relevant inquiry details (HS code, origin, destination, estimated cargo value, and email) are transmitted to accredited customs brokerage partners for entry quote fulfillment.

6. Cookies, LocalStorage & Device Preferences

hscodedb.com is designed to be lightweight, privacy-focused, and non-intrusive. We do NOT deploy invasive third-party cross-site advertising trackers, behavioral profiling scripts, or social media pixels. We utilize standard browser localStorage to store user preferences directly on your device:

• saved_hs_codes: Holds JSON records of your bookmarked HS codes so you can quickly access them on our My Saved Codes Workspace. This data remains entirely client-side on your local device and is never transmitted to our backend databases.

7. Data Retention Timelines & Deletion Schedules

Tech Labs FZ LLC retains personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as mandated by applicable regulatory retention periods under UAE law:

• Duty-Change Alert Subscriptions: Retained until you unsubscribe via the link in any notification email or request erasure. Unsubscribed email addresses are purged from active sending lists immediately and permanently deleted within 30 days.
• Broker Lead & Support Inquiries: Retained for a maximum of 24 months to satisfy customer service audit and legal compliance requirements.
• Server Logs & Security Records: Technical access logs generated by Cloudflare are automatically purged after 30 days on a rolling basis.

8. Your Individual Privacy Rights (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA & UAE PDPL)

Regardless of your geographic location, Tech Labs FZ LLC extends robust data protection rights to all users. Depending on your jurisdiction, you have the right to exercise:

• Right of Access (GDPR Art. 15 / UAE PDPL Art. 13): Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification (GDPR Art. 16 / UAE PDPL Art. 14): Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Right to Erasure / "Right to be Forgotten" (GDPR Art. 17 / UAE PDPL Art. 15): Request permanent deletion of your personal data from our systems.
• Right to Restrict Processing (GDPR Art. 18): Request temporary suspension of data processing in disputed circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability (GDPR Art. 20): Receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object (GDPR Art. 21): Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to Non-Discrimination (CCPA): We will never discriminate against you (via price changes or service denial) for exercising your CCPA rights.

To exercise any of these rights, email our Data Protection Team at hello@hscodedb.com. We respond to all verified requests within 30 calendar days without charge.

9. Cross-Border International Data Transfers

Tech Labs FZ LLC is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. Information collected on hscodedb.com may be processed on secure servers located in the EU and US via Cloudflare and Brevo. When personal data originates from the European Economic Area (EEA) or UK, cross-border transfers are governed by European Commission Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and UK International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs) ensuring full statutory safeguards.

10. Protection of Minors & Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

hscodedb.com is a commercial B2B trade database intended exclusively for international trade professionals, customs brokers, importers, logistics managers, and supply chain analysts aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly solicit or collect personal data from individuals under 16 years of age. If we discover that a minor under 16 has submitted personal information, we immediately erase such records from our databases.

11. Cybersecurity Protocols & Encryption Standards

We implement state-of-the-art technical and organizational security measures (TOMs) to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure. All data in transit across our network is encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.3) protocols. Data stored within sub-processor infrastructure is protected with AES-256 bit encryption at rest.

12. Policy Revisions & Regulatory Updates

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect updates in trade regulations, data protection legislation, or operational infrastructure. When material changes occur, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document. Continued use of hscodedb.com after revisions constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

13. Governing Law, Dispute Resolution & Jurisdiction

This Privacy Policy and all matters relating to data protection on hscodedb.com shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the United Arab Emirates. Any legal dispute, controversy, or claim arising under or in connection with this Privacy Policy shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of the United Arab Emirates.

14. How to Submit Privacy Inquiries or File Complaints

If you have concerns about our data processing practices, we encourage you to contact us directly at hello@hscodedb.com so we can address your issue promptly. You also retain the right to lodge a formal complaint with a supervisory authority, such as the UAE Data Office or your local EU/UK Data Protection Authority.

Tech Labs FZ LLC | United Arab Emirates | Portal: hscodedb.com