Privacy Policy
Effective Date: May 8, 2026 — Version 2.0
Smart Drive Elite LLC operates an automated automotive finance decisioning platform at smartdriveelite.com. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, share, and retain personal information. This Policy is supplemented by our GLBA Privacy Notice at smartdriveelite.com/privacy-notice as required by federal law.
1. Information We Collect
When dealers submit credit applications we collect: full legal name, date of birth, Social Security Number, driver license number and state, current and previous address, employer name, employment status and tenure, gross monthly income and pay frequency, phone number, email address, down payment amount, trade-in information, and vehicle information. We also collect uploaded stipulation documents including government-issued IDs, pay stubs, bank statements, and utility bills. We collect IP addresses, session data, and platform usage patterns for security monitoring.
2. How We Use Information
We use collected information to process credit applications and generate decisioning output, assign lender programs and vehicle matches, generate deal documents and adverse action notices, verify identity documents and detect fraud, maintain audit trails as required by law, communicate deal status to dealers, process billing, monitor platform security, and comply with federal and state law. We do not use customer information for marketing.
3. How We Protect Information
All Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, and driver license numbers are encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM. All data in transit is encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher. Encryption keys are stored separately from encrypted data. Access is controlled by role-based permissions across 12 distinct access levels. Sessions use HMAC-SHA256 signed tokens. Login attempts are rate-limited to 5 per 15 minutes per IP. Uploaded documents are stored in private Vercel Blob storage with signed URLs and are not publicly accessible.
4. How We Share Information
We do not sell customer personal information. We share information only with service providers necessary to operate the Platform: Neon Technologies for encrypted database storage, Vercel for platform hosting and file storage, Anthropic for identity document image analysis only with no NPI retained, DocuSign for e-signature execution, Stripe for dealer billing only with no customer NPI transmitted, and Resend for dealer status notifications only. We may disclose information when required by law or court order.
5. Data Retention
Funded deal records are retained for 7 years from the funding date. Declined application records and stipulation documents are retained for 25 months from the decision date in compliance with ECOA and Regulation B. E-signature records are retained for 7 years. Audit logs are retained for 3 years. Session logs are retained for 90 days. Dealer account data is retained for the life of the relationship plus 3 years. Upon expiration all records are permanently deleted and encrypted fields are rendered unreadable.
6. Your Rights
Customers may contact us at legal@smartdriveelite.com to request access to, correction of, or deletion of their personal information subject to our legal retention obligations. If your application was declined you have the right to an adverse action notice and the right to a free copy of your credit report from the consumer reporting agency used.
7. Cookies
The Platform uses session cookies necessary for authentication and security only. We do not use tracking cookies for advertising or marketing. We do not use third-party advertising networks.
8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy at any time. We will notify dealers of material changes by email with at least 30 days notice. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.
9. Contact
Smart Drive Elite LLC · Smithville, MO 64089 · legal@smartdriveelite.com · smartdriveelite.com · USPTO 99764274 · License 2763
Smart Drive Elite LLC · Smithville, MO 64089 · USPTO #99764274 · License #2763