Hey everyone - Gabriela here from SerpApi 😄

I’ve been in the web-scraping world for a while now, and if there is one thing I've learned, it's that data privacy is a spectrum. For most standard projects, robust proxy rotation and secure connections are enough. But for Enterprise teams working on legal discovery, sensitive competitive intelligence, or high-compliance research, "enough" isn't acceptable. You need absolute invisibility.

That is why I’m excited to talk about ZeroTrace Mode.

In this article, you’ll learn:

  • What ZeroTrace is (and how it differs from standard requests)
  • Why privacy is essential in modern web data collection
  • How SerpApi protects your data behind the scenes
  • How to enable ZeroTrace Mode

Let’s break it down.

What is ZeroTrace Mode? (The TL;DR)

Standard SerpApi requests are already highly secure, utilizing rotating proxies to shield your IP. However, ZeroTrace is a specialized feature for Enterprise plans that takes this a step further by ensuring your data collection leaves no persistent footprint—either on the target web or in our retention logs.

When you pass the zero_trace=true parameter:

  1. Strict Non-Retention: We process the search and return the results, but we minimize log retention to the absolute functional minimum required to deliver that response.
  2. Enhanced Anonymity: It ensures that the target site sees a generic, unidentifiable request that cannot be linked back to your organization’s infrastructure.

Think of it this way: Standard mode is like driving a car with tinted windows. ZeroTrace is like taking a car that vanishes as soon as you step out of it.

Why ZeroTrace Matters for Sensitive Data Collection

In today’s web ecosystem, privacy isn’t just a bonus feature—for many industries, it’s a requirement. Here is why Enterprise teams are switching this mode on.

1. Advanced Protection Against Competitor Monitoring

While standard proxies hide your location, sophisticated competitors often analyze scraping patterns to deduce strategy. If you are researching a competitor's pricing model or patent filings, you don't want them to know you are looking.

  • With ZeroTrace: Your digital signature is scrubbed so thoroughly that even if a competitor is analyzing their traffic logs, they cannot correlate the activity back to a specific entity or research campaign.

2. Ensuring Compliance With Global Privacy Laws

For public companies and regulated industries, data hygiene is critical.

  • Confidential Processing: ZeroTrace treats Personal Data as Confidential Information by default.
  • Risk Reduction: By minimizing data retention and exposure, you reduce the risk of accidental retention, unintentional tracking, or violating strict internal DPAs (Data Processing Agreements).

Why You Should Not Build Your Own Scraper (The DIY Risk)

One of the biggest questions we get is: "Can't we just scrape this ourselves?"

When you manage your own scraping infrastructure, you expose yourself to risks that managed services like SerpApi automatically handle. This is distinct from ZeroTrace, but it helps explain why a managed infrastructure is safer than a DIY solution.

Defending Against Browser & Network Fingerprinting

Fingerprinting is the process by which trackers collect small pieces of technical data—such as browser type, screen size, OS, and battery level—to create a unique profile of the visitor.

  • The DIY Risk: Running a scraper from your own servers often leaks cloud server metadata, internal service URLs, or identifiable browser fingerprints.
  • The SerpApi Solution: Your servers never touch the target site. We handle the handshake, meaning the target site only sees our hardened infrastructure, never yours.

Preventing Operational Leaks

  • Real IP Exposure: A single misconfiguration in a DIY scraper can leak your HQ’s real IP address.
  • Metadata Leaks: DIY headers often accidentally reveal "Developer Desktops" or internal project names.

How SerpApi Protects Your Activity (General Security)

Whether you are using standard requests or ZeroTrace, your data is supported by SerpApi's core security philosophy. These are the measures that run in the background for all users to keep the platform safe.

1. Strong Encryption

SerpApi encrypts 100% of web traffic using modern protocols such as HTTPS, QUIC, X25519, and AES-128-GCM.

  • Plain-English explanation: Encryption scrambles your data so that nobody between you and SerpApi—such as internet providers or Wi-Fi hosts—can see what you searched for.

2. Zero-Trust Architecture

We follow a zero-trust model, meaning every system is treated as if it could be exposed to the public internet.

  • Plain-English explanation: We lock every door inside the building, not just the front entrance. Even if an attacker touched one part of the network, they couldn't move laterally to customer data.

3. Compliance & Confidentiality

SerpApi follows GDPR, SOC-II, and ISO-related requirements. Our Confidentiality Agreement limits strictly when customer info is shared.

  • Plain-English explanation: Your information stays your information. We do not sell your search history, and we do not share it with third parties.

How to Enable ZeroTrace Mode

Activating ZeroTrace Mode requires only one parameter added to your request.

Note: Because ZeroTrace touches deep security, privacy, and infrastructure guarantees, it is available only on our Enterprise plans.

Here’s the GET example:

https://serpapi.com/search.json?q=coffee&zero_trace=true

And the cURL example:

curl --get https://serpapi.com/search \
 -d q="coffee" \
 -d zero_trace="true" \
 -d api_key="YOUR_API_KEY"

You can enable ZeroTrace for the specific queries you want to protect and omit the parameter for general, less sensitive queries.

Conclusion

ZeroTrace Mode isn’t just another toggle in your API request—it’s a fundamentally different way of approaching web data collection for high-stakes environments. It gives you the freedom to gather insights without exposing your strategy or your identity.

Combined with SerpApi’s encrypted transport, zero-trust architecture, and strict confidentiality controls, ZeroTrace provides one of the strongest privacy layers available in the scraping ecosystem today.

If you need more information about how to add this feature to your Enterprise plan, feel free to contact us via email at contact@serpapi.com