Data Retention & GDPR Erasure

These limits apply to internal operational records — not to your core business data (jobs, invoices, customers). Core business data is kept until you explicitly delete it.

Kontraktr™ doesn't run an automatic nightly cleanup by default — you trigger it when it makes sense for your shop. Admins only.

1. 1Go to Settings → Data & Privacy.
2. 2The page shows how many records are currently eligible for cleanup based on the retention policy above.
3. 3Click Run Cleanup. The action deletes eligible activity logs and notifications and logs the event in your audit trail.
4. 4A confirmation shows how many records were deleted per type.

Under GDPR and similar privacy laws (CCPA, UK GDPR), individuals can request that you permanently delete all personal data you hold about them. Kontraktr™ gives you a one-click tool to honour that request completely.

The erasure removes everything linked to that customer in a single cascading operation. Here's exactly what gets deleted:

1. 1

   Verify the request

   Confirm the requester is actually the customer (or their authorised representative). Check their email against the record in Kontrol™. For GDPR purposes, you must respond within 30 days of a valid request.

2. 2

   Export what you need first

   Download the customer's invoice PDFs and any job records your accountant or lawyer needs. Once you run erasure, those records are gone. Most shops keep invoice PDFs for 7 years for tax purposes — store them in your own secure file system.

3. 3

   Open Settings → Data & Privacy

   You must be logged in as an Admin. Managers and other roles cannot perform erasures.

4. 4

   Find the customer and click "Erase Customer Data"

   Search for the customer by name or email. A confirmation dialog will appear showing exactly what will be deleted.

5. 5

   Type the confirmation phrase: "DELETE ALL DATA"

   This exact phrase is required to prevent accidental erasure. Copy-paste works fine.

6. 6

   Confirm and wait

   The operation takes a few seconds for large accounts. You'll see a summary of exactly how many records were deleted in each category.

7. 7

   Send the customer a deletion confirmation

   GDPR requires you to notify the requester that erasure is complete. Use the email template below.

GDPR Article 17(3) requires you to inform the data subject that their erasure request has been fulfilled. Here's a plain-language template you can copy.

Two types of records persist after a customer erasure. Both are intentional.

Under GDPR, you (the shop owner) are the data controller — you decide what customer data to collect and why. Kontraktr™ is the data processor — it stores and processes that data on your behalf. The Data Processing Agreement at /public/dpa formalises this relationship.

As controller, you must:

• Respond to erasure requests within 30 calendar days of receipt (GDPR Article 12)
• Maintain your own record that the erasure was performed and when (keep the confirmation email you send to the customer)
• Inform the customer if you cannot fulfill the request within 30 days and give a reason
• Keep financial records (invoices, tax documents) for the period required by your local jurisdiction — typically 5–7 years — even after customer data is erased. Export these before running erasure.
• Have a posted Privacy Policy that discloses what data you collect and how individuals can request erasure. Link it from your customer portal.