Data Retention & Compliance

Data Retention & Lifecycle Management

QRForge applies enterprise‑grade data retention policies to ensure security, compliance, and predictable lifecycle behavior for all API‑generated and dashboard‑managed data. This document outlines how long different categories of data are stored, how deletions are processed, and what can be expected from the platform’s archival and purge cycles.

Applies to: API v1 and QRForge Dashboard
Status: Stable retention policy (subject to future Enterprise‑tier extensions)

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QR Code Metadata

Retention: Indefinite, until user deletion.

Includes:

• label
• project_id
• slug
• redirect_url
• analytics_enabled
• created_at, updated_at
• created_via (dashboard, API, import)

Deletion behavior:

• Deleting a QR code triggers a hard delete of its metadata.
• The slug becomes permanently invalid and cannot be reused.

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Raw Scan Logs

Retention: 90 days

Raw scan logs contain:

• Timestamp
• Device + platform metadata
• Country/region (IP‑derived)
• Browser + referrer
• URL parameters (e.g., UTM fields)

Purpose:

• Anti‑fraud intelligence
• Trend‑level analytics
• Real‑time scan monitoring
• Debugging integrations

Deletion behavior:

• Automatically purged after 90 days on a rolling basis.
• After deletion, only aggregated analytics remain.

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Aggregated Analytics

Retention: 24 months

Stored in daily_scan_stats and other aggregate collections, including:

• Total scans per day
• Country/device breakdowns
• Time‑of‑day distributions
• Bounce vs. multi‑scan ratios

Purpose:

• Long‑term trend analysis
• Reporting
• Enterprise planning

Deletion behavior:

• Automatically purged after 24 months (rolling window).

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Project Metadata

Retention: Indefinite
Project definitions persist until manually deleted by the user.

Stored fields include:

• name
• description
• is_default
• has_custom_domain
• Timestamps (created_at, updated_at)
• Ownership (owner_uid)
• Creation source (created_via)

Deletion behavior:

• Hard deletion removes all project metadata.
• Associated QR codes are not auto‑deleted; they must be deleted separately.

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API Logs & Audit Records

API request logs: 30 days
Security/audit logs: 12 months

Tracks:

• API key usage
• Rate limit evaluations
• Internal error traces
• Authentication and ownership checks

Used for:

• Security investigations
• Abuse prevention
• System‑level diagnostics

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User‑Initiated Deletion

Users may request full deletion of:

• QR codes
• Projects
• Personal data (GDPR “right to be forgotten”)

Upon deletion:

• Metadata → Hard deleted immediately
• Raw logs → Removed on next purge cycle
• Aggregates → Removed according to retention windows

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Export Windows

CSV/JSON exports will include:

• Up to 90 days of raw scan events
• Up to 24 months of aggregated analytics

Future Enterprise plans may allow extended or custom retention windows.

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Compliance Notes

QRForge’s retention model supports:

• GDPR (right to erasure, data minimization)
• Long‑term analytics preservation without storing personal identifiers
• Automatic purging of raw, potentially sensitive metadata

QRForge does not store:

• Full IP addresses
• Personal identity data
• User‑specific tracking beyond anonymized event metadata

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Summary Table

Data Category	Retention	Deletion Type	Notes
QR metadata	Indefinite	Hard delete	Slug becomes permanently invalid
Scan logs (raw events)	90 days	Automatic purge	Rolling window
Aggregated analytics	24 months	Automatic purge	Daily aggregates
Project metadata	Indefinite	Hard delete	QR codes not auto‑deleted
API logs	30 days	Automatic purge	Platform logs
Security/audit logs	12 months	Automatic purge	Compliance trail

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If you require custom data retention policies, extended archival windows, or enterprise‑tier data residency options, please contact support.