Privacy policy

This policy explains what The MOT Files collects, why, and what we do not collect. The data controller is Omega IT, based in the Isle of Man. Contact talktous@omegait.im.

MOT lookups

When you enter a registration we send it to the DVSA MOT History API and show you the result. We do not ask who you are. We do not store the registration against a name, email address or account — there is no account. A short server-side cache of recent lookups exists so a refresh does not hit the API twice; it is keyed on the registration and expires after 30 days.

DVSA is a separate organisation. Their handling of MOT records is described on GOV.UK. We receive the published vehicle record, not keeper details.

Garage and recent checks

Saved registrations and the list of cars you have checked live in your browser’s local storage on this device. They are never sent to our servers. Clearing site data removes them.

Server logs

The web server records the usual access log: time, path requested, status code, user agent, and the connecting IP address. We use this to keep the site up, to count visitors, and to tell human traffic from bots. IP addresses used for visitor counts are hashed with a salt that rotates daily, so they cannot be joined across days. Logs are not sold and are not used to identify you.

Cookies

A first-party cookie stores your cookie choice. The admin portal, if you sign in, uses a session cookie that is not set for ordinary readers. Advertising cookies from Google are used only if you accept them. The full list is on the cookie policy.

Advertising

We use Google AdSense to show advertisements once you have accepted advertising cookies. Google is an independent controller for the data it collects to select and measure those ads. Publisher ID ca-pub-2548809251185287. Google’s explanation is at How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services. You can also visit Google Ads Settings.

If you choose essential cookies only, the advertising library is not loaded and Google does not set advertising cookies through this site.

Children

The site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them.

Your rights

The Isle of Man applies data protection law equivalent to the UK GDPR. You can ask what personal data we hold, ask for it to be corrected or deleted, and object to processing. For almost every reader the honest answer is that we hold nothing that identifies you beyond a transient IP address in a log. Write to talktous@omegait.im. You can complain to the Isle of Man Information Commissioner.

Changes

If this policy changes in a material way we will update the date at the top of the page. Continued use after that date is acceptance of the revised policy.