Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide

• Account data: Name, email address, and password when you create an account with email/password sign-up
• Google account data: Name, email, and profile picture when you sign in with Google
• Community content: Photos, captions, fish species tags, and votes you submit to the community feed

Information collected automatically

• Location data: State selection and optional geographic coordinates used to look up tide stations and weather (this data is not stored permanently)
• Session cookies: Authentication cookies to keep you signed in
• Usage data: Pages visited, features used, and timestamps for basic analytics and troubleshooting

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve the Platform
• Authenticate your identity and manage your account
• Display your community posts and profile to other users
• Provide tide, weather, and fishing regulation data based on your selected location
• Enforce our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines
• Respond to your requests or communications

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may process your data:

• Google OAuth: For social sign-in. Google receives your authentication request. See Google's Privacy Policy.
• Cloud storage: Uploaded photos are stored in secure cloud infrastructure
• NOAA: Tide data is fetched from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (a U.S. government service)

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for marketing purposes.

4. Cookies

We use essential cookies only — specifically, session cookies required for authentication. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. These cookies are strictly necessary for the Platform to function and cannot be opted out of while using the service.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. Community posts and associated images are retained until you delete them or your account is terminated. You may delete individual posts at any time through the community feed.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Portability: Request your data in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided at the bottom of this page. We will respond to requests within 30 days.

7. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, and secure cloud infrastructure. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Children's Privacy

Bait & Bite is not directed at children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us through the information provided on the Platform.