Privacy

Last updated: September 20, 2026

TRACE is a search tool for the public web. It has no accounts and does not keep a history of what people search for.

What happens when you search

The text you type is sent from your browser to TRACE's server, and from there to a third-party search provider (Tavily) to find public pages. The results come back to you. TRACE does not save your search text and does not build a database of searches or of people.

Images

When you search with an image, your browser shrinks it and re-saves it, which removes hidden photo details such as location data. TRACE then holds the image for up to two minutes in a short-lived store (Upstash), at a private link with a random code, so that Google Lens can read it. It is deleted as soon as the search finishes. The link is given to SerpApi, a service that runs the Google Lens search for TRACE, so SerpApi and Google both receive the image, and SerpApi may keep records of the search. TRACE does not try to work out who is in a photo, and it ignores any names or labels the search returns.

Technical data

• Our hosting provider, Vercel, handles every request and may keep standard technical logs, such as IP address, time and the page requested.
• TRACE's own code logs only the type of search, whether it worked, and how long it took. It does not log what you searched for.
• To prevent abuse, TRACE counts searches per visitor using a scrambled (hashed) version of the IP address, in a small database (Upstash). These counts are deleted within about a day. TRACE also keeps monthly totals that contain no personal data.

Visitor counts

TRACE uses Vercel Web Analytics to count page visits. It does not use cookies and does not receive your search text.

Cookies and ads

TRACE does not set cookies itself. If ads are added later, this page will be updated first.

Third parties

Tavily (text search), SerpApi and Google Lens (image search), Upstash (search limits and short-term image holding) and Vercel (hosting and visit counts) process data for TRACE. Their own privacy policies apply to what they do.

Results come from other websites

TRACE only links to pages that are already public. It does not control them. To ask TRACE to review or hide a result, see Remove / Report.

Children

TRACE is not meant for children.

Contact

Questions about privacy: thetandtstudios@gmail.com