Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2025

1. Who we are

WhoIsCalling.me.uk is a UK-based website providing a free community phone number lookup service. References to "we", "us" or "our" in this policy refer to WhoIsCalling.me.uk.

2. What data we collect

IP addresses (hashed)

When you submit a report, we hash your IP address using SHA-256 before storing it. We never store your plain-text IP address. The hash is used only to prevent duplicate reports from the same user within 24 hours. It cannot be reversed to obtain your real IP.

Comments and reports

If you choose to leave a comment when submitting a report, that comment is stored and displayed publicly on the relevant number page. Do not include personal information in your comments.

Search queries

We record how many times each phone number has been searched. We do not log which user searched for which number. Search counts are used only to show popularity rankings on the site.

Abuse reports

If you submit an abuse report via our report abuse page, we collect the details you provide including any contact email you optionally supply. This information is used only to investigate and resolve the reported issue.

3. What we do not collect

  • We do not require you to create an account
  • We do not collect your name or email address (except optionally on abuse reports)
  • We do not use tracking cookies or advertising cookies
  • We do not use third-party analytics services (e.g. Google Analytics)
  • We do not sell, rent or share your data with third parties
  • We do not build user profiles

4. Cookies

We do not set any tracking or analytics cookies. The site may use a session cookie strictly necessary for the operation of the site. No consent is required for strictly necessary cookies under UK PECR.

5. Legal basis for processing (UK GDPR)

Our legal basis for processing the limited data described above is legitimate interests — specifically, operating a service that helps people identify nuisance and scam callers, which we believe is in the public interest. We have conducted a legitimate interests assessment and concluded that our processing is proportionate, necessary, and unlikely to cause harm given the minimal personal data involved.

6. Data retention

Reports and comments are retained indefinitely to maintain the usefulness of the database. Hashed IP addresses used for deduplication are effectively permanent but cannot identify you. If you wish to have a comment you submitted removed, please contact us.

7. Your rights (UK GDPR)

As a UK resident you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate data
  • Request deletion of your data (right to erasure)
  • Object to processing
  • Lodge a complaint with the ICO at ico.org.uk

Because we store only hashed IPs and not account information, we may be unable to locate data linked to you without additional information from you.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any changes. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

9. Contact

For privacy-related queries or to exercise your data rights, please use our contact page.