Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Go Backs and how our service works.
What is Go Backs?
Go Backs is a free website that aggregates product recalls from four U.S. government agencies (CPSC, FDA, NHTSA, and USDA) into one searchable site. We cover FDA food, drug, and medical device recalls. We use AI to generate plain-language summaries and action steps so you can quickly understand what's been recalled and what to do about it.
Is Go Backs a government website?
No. Go Backs is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by any U.S. government agency. We source our data from official government APIs and link back to the original agency notices.
How often is the data updated?
We sync recall data from all four agencies multiple times per day. New recalls typically appear on our site within a few hours of being published by the agency. We also run a daily full re-sync to catch any updates to existing recalls.
Where does the data come from?
All recall data comes from official government APIs: CPSC (saferproducts.gov), FDA (api.fda.gov), NHTSA (api.nhtsa.gov), and USDA (fsis.usda.gov). We do not create or modify the underlying recall information — we only add AI-generated summaries and categorization on top of the original data.
How does the AI enrichment work?
When a new recall is synced, our AI pipeline reads the official recall text and generates a plain-language summary, specific action steps for consumers, a risk assessment, and product identification details. The AI output is clearly labeled and the original government text is always available on each recall page.
What is the weekly digest?
The weekly digest is a free email newsletter that sends you a summary of the most important recalls from the past week. If you've set your state preferences, recalls affecting your area appear at the top. You can subscribe from the homepage and unsubscribe at any time.
How do product monitors work?
You can register products or brand names you want to track. We check your monitored items against new recalls daily. If a match is found, we'll show it on your dashboard and send you an alert email. You can add monitors from the Check Your Home page or the Monitors page.
How do I unsubscribe from emails?
Every email we send includes an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Click it to instantly unsubscribe. You can also visit the unsubscribe page directly. We honor all unsubscribe requests immediately.
Is my data safe?
We take data privacy seriously. We don't sell your personal information to anyone. We only share data with our email provider (Resend) for sending emails and our error tracking service (Sentry) for fixing bugs. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
What do the risk levels mean?
We normalize risk ratings from all four agencies into four levels: Critical (immediate danger), High (serious risk), Medium (moderate concern), and Low (minor issue). Each agency has its own classification system — we map them to a consistent scale so you can quickly assess severity.
How do I report incorrect information?
If you notice an error on a recall page, please email us at admin@gobacks.info with the recall URL and a description of the issue. We review all reports and correct errors promptly. For the most authoritative information, always refer to the original agency notice linked on each page.
Is Go Backs free?
Yes. Searching, browsing, product monitoring, and the weekly digest are all free. We plan to sustain the service through advertising and affiliate partnerships in the future.
How can I support Go Backs?
Go Backs is built and maintained by one person in their spare time, and the running costs (servers, email delivery, AI enrichment) come out of pocket. If the site has helped you and you'd like to chip in, you can support the project on Ko-fi. Even a one-time tip helps cover infrastructure costs and keeps the service free for everyone.
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