An explanation of customer data retention in Penny Black
What customer data do we store?
Customer data within your order information is imported into Penny Black after a customer checks out. This data comprises the following fields, which are classified as personally identifiable information (PII):
- first name
- last name
- email address
- shipping city
- shipping country
- shipping postcode
- billing city
- billing country
- billing postcode
In addition to these predefined values, additional enriched data may also be included, which can vary by system and configuration.
How long is it kept?
The Penny Black app has an Order Data Retention setting, which is preconfigured to retain data for 45 days:
We will automatically delete detailed order information once it exceeds the specified period. Typically, customer information is only needed for a brief time, as PDFs are generated within minutes. However, if you need to re-generate a PDF for an order that has been on pre-order for an extended period, our default setting accommodates. Feel free to shorten the retention period to further limit the exposure of personally identifiable information.
What's the impact of deleted order data?
Once an order has been "pruned" of its detailed data, you will be unable to rematch it or generate any previews related to that order. On the Activity page, a person icon with a line through it will appear next to the order number, indicating that the personal information has been deleted. You'll also see a message to confirm this if you click on the order number.
What other info remains in the longer term?
We retain essential information like order numbers and totals to generate performance statistics. Additionally, we store a hashed version of the customer email address, which is a one-way encryption method that cannot be reversed. This streamlined data is enough for us to provide long-term insights into your performance metrics.