Fast Reunions, Protected Information: How mChip.org Shares Contact Details

A microchip registry has two jobs that can pull against each other. It has to get a found pet home as quickly as possible. It also has to protect the personal information you trust it with. Your phone number and address shouldn't go to anyone who happens to type in a chip number.

Continue reading to find out how mChip does both.

Why privacy matters

Data miners are notorious for using bots to automatically scrape websites for valuable information. Without proper privacy safeguards, these bad actors would be able to scrape a microchip registry to lookup every conceivable microchip ID, and collect the personally-identifying information (PII) associated with every match. In an age when identity theft is common and more and more of your life is digital, protecting your PII is paramount.

By default: you hear about it, the finder doesn't see your details

When someone finds your pet and submits a Found Report for its microchip, we always notify you by email and text message. The notification includes the finder's contact information, so you can reach out to them right away.

What we don't do by default is share your contact information with the finder. Most of the time your pet isn't lost at all. Microchip numbers get looked up for lots of reasons, and we don't want your personal information handed to whoever enters your pet's chip number.

When your pet is missing: contact information goes both ways

If your pet goes missing, report it missing from your mChip.org account. While that report is open, contact information is shared in both directions:

• You get the finder's contact information, just as you always do.
• The finder gets your contact information, so they can call or email you directly instead of waiting to hear from you.

When you've told us your pet is lost, speed matters more than anything else. Letting the finder reach you directly removes a step and can get your pet home sooner.

Rescues and shelters are special

Legitimate animal rescues and shelters are not random people on the Internet. If a rescue or shelter has your pet and we can verify that they are legitimate, we make it easier for your information to be shared even if you haven't reported your pet as missing. This not only speeds up recovery, but in many cases it's a necessity. Many shelters have strict rules that a microchipped pet can't be released to anyone except the owner on the microchip registration—which means they need your information in order to release your pet to you.

How your information is shared

When a finder is given your contact information by email, it is never shared in the text of the email itself. Emails live on email servers that we have no control over; emails can end up living on these servers forever with no way to delete them, and there's no telling who will be able to see them in the future. Instead, the email contains a link to a secure website where your contact information is temporarily and privately available. Only someone who possesses that unique link can view it, and the link expires when your pet is no longer missing.

When the report is closed: back to one-way sharing

Once the Found Report is closed, two-way sharing stops. Your contact information is no longer shown to finders, and everything goes back to the default: you're notified about any new Found Report, and your details stay private.

If a finder can't reach you

Sometimes a reunion doesn't go smoothly. Maybe your phone is off, your email is out of date, or you haven't reported your pet missing yet. If a finder can't reach you for any reason, they can contact mChip.org support at [email protected]. We'll treat it as a special case and work to get your pet back to you.

Keep your details current

All of this depends on us having accurate contact information for you. If you've moved or changed your phone number, update your account so we can reach you the moment someone finds your pet.