Privacy Policy

Last updated: 4 April 2026

1. Data Controller

The data controller for personal data processed through Company Shark is:

Kernow Digital Ltd
Company No. 14041056
Registered in England & Wales
Email: [email protected]

2. Data We Collect

We collect and process the following personal data:

  • Account information: Username, email address, and password (stored as a secure one-way hash — we cannot read your password).
  • Search history: Records of searches performed on the platform, including search terms and filters used.
  • Usage analytics: Information about how you use the Service, including search counts, export counts, and feature usage.
  • Session data: IP address and session identifiers for authentication and security purposes.

3. Payment Data

All payment processing is handled entirely by Stripe, which is PCI DSS compliant. We do not store, process, or have access to your full card details. We store only:

  • Your Stripe customer ID (an opaque identifier).
  • Your Stripe subscription ID.
  • Subscription status and billing dates.

For information on how Stripe handles your payment data, see Stripe's Privacy Policy.

4. Companies House Data

The company data you search and view through the platform is sourced from the Companies House public register. This data is publicly available and does not constitute personal data under GDPR. We act as a data processor presenting publicly available information.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following lawful bases:

  • Contract performance (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): Processing your account data is necessary to provide you with the Service you have signed up for.
  • Legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR): We use usage analytics to improve the Service, monitor system performance, and prevent abuse.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data as follows:

  • Account data: Retained for as long as your account is active. Upon account deletion, your personal data will be removed within 30 days.
  • Search history: Retained according to your subscription tier (7 days for Free, 30 days for Pro, unlimited for Business).
  • Usage analytics: Retained in anonymised form for up to 24 months for service improvement purposes.

7. Third-Party Processors

We share your personal data with the following third-party processors:

  • Stripe (payments) — Processes subscription payments securely. Privacy Policy
  • Resend (transactional email) — Sends account-related emails (registration confirmations, approval notifications). Privacy Policy
  • Companies House API — We send search queries to retrieve public company data. No personal user data is shared with Companies House.

8. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

  • Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
  • Right to erasure: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal obligations).
  • Right to data portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
  • Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interest.
  • Right to restrict processing: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within one calendar month.

9. Cookies

We use essential cookies to provide core functionality. For full details, please see our Cookie Policy.

10. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including:

  • HTTPS encryption for all data in transit.
  • Passwords stored using industry-standard one-way hashing (bcrypt).
  • Secure, HTTP-only session cookies.
  • Regular security reviews and updates.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify registered users by email. The "last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

12. Contact & Complaints

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or wish to make a complaint, please contact:

Kernow Digital Ltd
Email: [email protected]

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's supervisory authority for data protection.