Enrichment · Passion Projects

Ask for your data.
Keep them to the clock.

Under California law, a growing list of state privacy laws and Europe’s GDPR, you can ask a company for a copy of what it holds on you, and it has a deadline to answer. Log each request, see the date it is due, and read what comes back with a few safety checks.

Log a requestWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Passion projects kit, $39 for 34 items.

Your requests

The worked example is made up: a streaming service a week past its 45 days, and a photo app that answered in nine. Saved on this device only.

Loading the request form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Passion Projects$5

What you finish with
A record per request: the company, the law it is made under, how it was sent, the date sent, a ticket number, the status, the date received, each part of the export and its format, notes, and six checks for reading and storing it. Works out the deadline and days left; flags overdue, extended, refused and partial answers, requests with no law behind them and where to complain.
Who it is for
Teenagers and adults curious about what apps and companies know about them, students doing privacy projects, and families reviewing a child’s accounts.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per request. Prints one request’s record, every request in a table or a blank sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Passion projects kit ($39) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Find the company’s privacy request page or download tool.
  2. Send the request and log the date.
  3. Check the deadline the page works out.
  4. When it arrives, log what came back.
  5. Run the safety checks and decide on a next step.

Log a request

How long they have

How long they have to answerLawDeadlineCan extendCalifornia (CCPA, as amended)45 daysonce, 45 moreOther U.S. state privacy lawsusually 45 daysusually 45 moreGDPR and UK GDPRone monthtwo more monthsOnly company policynone in lawwhatever it saysHow long they have to answerCalifornia (CCPA, as amended)Deadline: 45 daysCan extend: once, 45 moreOther U.S. state privacy lawsDeadline: usually 45 daysCan extend: usually 45 moreGDPR and UK GDPRDeadline: one monthCan extend: two more monthsOnly company policyDeadline: none in lawCan extend: whatever it says
Several U.S. state laws apply only to businesses over a size or data threshold, and many exempt some kinds of data. An extension has to be explained within the first deadline.

What to look for

The interesting parts are rarely the photos you posted. Look for inferred interests, location history, contacts uploaded from your phone, and the list of companies your data went to. Those are what deletion and opt-out requests are for.

If you are under 18

Some state laws give extra protections to teenagers’ data, and federal law limits what sites can collect from children under 13 without a parent’s consent. A parent can usually make a request for a child’s account.

Sources

  1. California Privacy Protection Agency. Your privacy rights under the CCPA as amended by the CPRA (cppa.ca.gov).
  2. California Office of the Attorney General. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) (oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa).
  3. Information Commissioner’s Office (UK). Right of access (ico.org.uk); and GDPR Article 12(3) and Article 15.
  4. Federal Trade Commission. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (ftc.gov).

The worked examples are made up. Which law applies depends on where you live and the company’s size and business; this page works out the usual deadline and is not legal advice. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.