Privacy Policy

Effective May 2026. Censum LLC is transparent about data collection and use.

Censum collects different information depending on the workflow:

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  Free address/PIN lookup - Censum uses public Cook County property data to show a free first answer. We store lookup records such as the address or PIN searched, source/session attribution, result count, resolved PIN/address when available, and masked technical context so the checker works, funnel performance can be measured, and Censum can evaluate follow-up opportunities. We do not require signup for a free lookup and do not attach a free lookup to a customer account unless you submit contact information, opt into alerts, enter a giveaway, or purchase.
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  Purchased packet — We keep the PIN/address, email address, order ID, payment metadata from Stripe, generated report, tier shown at checkout, and delivery/status records so we can deliver the packet, handle billing corrections, fraud prevention, and maintain business records.
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  Evidence upload — We collect files you upload, such as photos, PDFs, repair estimates, appraisal or closing documents, owner/contact information, condition notes, and research links. Censum staff and filing-support providers working on your matter may access them for packet preparation, appeal support, quality control, and customer support.
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  Exemption audit — We may collect identity, occupancy, senior, veteran, disability, and income-adjacent answers or documents only when you submit them for exemption screening or workflow support. Access is limited to Censum staff and workflow-support providers who need the information to evaluate or prepare the exemption workflow.
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  Giveaways, alerts, newsletter, and payments — We collect email addresses for giveaway administration, newsletter opt-ins, or township-alert opt-ins, and Stripe processes payment information. Giveaway emails are used for entry administration and prize notice unless you separately opt into marketing. Censum never stores full card numbers, expiration dates, or CVV codes.

Your data is used solely to operate Censum and improve the product:

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  Deliver the service - Generate property assessments, modeled win bands, recommended packet paths, evidence packets, alerts, and customer-support records tied to your searches or purchases.
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  Newsletter & alerts — Send Cook County tax intelligence updates if you've opted in. You may unsubscribe anytime via Beehiiv.
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  Lookup and follow-up review - Lookup and result patterns help us understand which areas create the most homeowner confusion, which informs model refinements, product fixes, and follow-up planning. A free lookup alone does not subscribe you to email marketing.
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  Fraud prevention — Monitor for suspicious activity (e.g., bulk scraping) to protect the platform.

We share data with trusted service providers only as needed:

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  Stripe — Processes payment card information. Stripe is PCI DSS Level 1 certified. See Stripe's privacy policy.
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  Beehiiv — Manages our newsletter subscriptions. Email addresses are shared only if you opt in. See Beehiiv's privacy policy.
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  Hostinger — Hosts our website and database. See Hostinger's privacy policy.
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  Filing-support providers — If you add Concierge or request assisted support, limited matter data and evidence may be shared with licensed Illinois attorneys or support providers who need it for filing, review, or customer support.

We do not sell your data to advertisers, data brokers, or any other third parties. We do not serve targeted ads.

Censum uses minimal cookies:

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  Session cookie — Tracks your login session (encrypted, secure, HttpOnly). Deleted when you close your browser.
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  Referral attribution — If you arrive via a partner or broker link (e.g., a URL with ?ref=partner-name or a co-branded partner page), we store the partner ID/code in a cookie to credit them for your purchase. Expires after 90 days.

We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or other tracking pixels. We do not set persistent user-tracking cookies.

We keep data only as long as needed for the workflow, support, fraud prevention, payment records, legal obligations, and business recordkeeping:

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  Free lookup logs and checker leads - Search, result, and checker-lead records without contact information are generally retained for up to 180 days before aggregation or deletion, unless needed longer for security, fraud-prevention, troubleshooting, or business recordkeeping.
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  Purchased packets — Order records, payment metadata, generated reports, and delivery/support records may be retained for up to 7 years for tax, accounting, audit, dispute, and customer-support purposes.
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  Evidence uploads and exemption documents — We retain uploaded files and related notes while the appeal, exemption, support, or filing workflow is active, then for a reasonable recordkeeping period unless you request deletion sooner and no legal, payment, fraud-prevention, or recordkeeping obligation requires retention.
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  Email alerts and newsletter data — Alert subscriptions remain active until you unsubscribe or request deletion. Newsletter data is also governed by Beehiiv's retention policy.
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  Giveaway entries — Giveaway entry records may be retained for administration, winner verification, dispute handling, fraud prevention, and legal recordkeeping.

To request deletion or correction of your data, email hello@censum.tax. Deletion is subject to legal, payment, fraud-prevention, tax, audit, dispute, and recordkeeping obligations. We will respond within 30 days when feasible.

Censum is not intended for anyone under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If we discover a user is under 13, we will delete their account and data immediately. If you believe a child has provided information to us, please contact hello@censum.tax.

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted here with an updated effective date. Continued use of Censum after changes constitutes acceptance.

Questions about this policy or our privacy practices?