Evidence-handling and deletion policy

Purpose and access

Evidence is collected only to confirm a genuine connection between the reviewer and the system. It is stored privately and is not displayed with the public review. Access is limited to authorized moderation personnel and service providers needed to operate secure storage.

What to submit

Submit the least-sensitive evidence that can establish the experience—for example, a cropped estimate, proposal, invoice, model label, or installation photo. Remove account numbers, signatures, exact street addresses, payment details, access codes, and unrelated people before uploading.

Retention schedule

• Pending submissions: evidence is retained while the review awaits and undergoes verification.
• Approved reviews: the verification file is deleted when the review is approved and published.
• Rejected reviews: the verification file is deleted when the review is rejected.
• Permanent deletion: deleting a review also removes any associated verification file that has not already been deleted.
• Exceptional preservation: information may be retained longer only when reasonably required by law, a valid legal request, a security investigation, or a documented dispute.

What remains after deletion

The published review record may retain a verification status showing that evidence was inspected, but the evidence itself is not available from the public review. Deletion from active storage may not instantly remove encrypted disaster-recovery copies maintained for a limited backup cycle.

Public review media

Optional photos and video are separate from private verification evidence. They remain nonpublic while a review is pending, become public only if the review is approved, and are removed from active storage if the review is rejected, unpublished, or permanently deleted. Reviewers should remove location metadata and identifying details before uploading. Previously delivered copies may remain briefly in browser or network caches, and encrypted disaster-recovery copies may remain for a limited backup cycle.

Requests and incidents

To request deletion before moderation, email reviews@wildfiresystemreview.com from the address used in the submission. If we learn that evidence was accessed improperly, we will investigate and provide any notice required by applicable law.