Privacy Policy

This policy describes information handling by community-websites.com across our community websites, reader accounts, Community Websites iOS app, related applications, and publishing, directory and advertising services. It is a notice of our practices, not a substitute for consent when consent is required.

Information we receive

• Account and profile information: verified email, name, profile photo, optional linked sign-in provider identifiers, community memberships, ZIP code or public location, preferences and authentication records. Providers may supply an email, name or photo depending on your permissions; Apple may supply a relay email.
• Content and activity: posts, replies, comments, photos, polls and votes, saved posts, followed communities, reports, appeals, event submissions, directory information, news tips and support communications.
• Technical and usage information: IP address, browser/device information, session and cookie identifiers, pages and articles viewed, feed impressions and interactions, searches, ad clicks, referral/UTM parameters and approximate location derived from location information you supply or network data.
• Communications and payments: email or push-delivery information, preferences, business contact details, order/subscription history, invoices and payment status. Payment processors such as Stripe handle payment-card entry; we receive transaction and billing information rather than storing full card numbers in our application.

iOS location, photos and device storage

Location access is optional and requested when you choose a location feature. The iOS community picker rounds the device location and compares it with community locations on your device; that picker does not send the coordinate to our servers. The home-area setup can use Apple’s geocoding service to identify a ZIP code. The ZIP code is sent to our service to find a community and is saved with your account when you save a home area. You can instead enter a ZIP code or search for a community. Manage location permission in iOS Settings.

Photos you select for a community-post draft can be stored locally until you choose Publish. Publishing uploads the selected image and post information for processing and publication; an upload can occur before a failed submission reports an error. Local storage also supports drafts, selected communities, notification preferences and people you have blocked on that device. Closing a composer can retain an unfinished draft. Local draft storage is not a guaranteed backup, and clearing browser or app data can remove it.

Why we use it

We use information to authenticate you, manage memberships across communities, publish and share your contributions, personalize and rank feeds, show nearby content and events, process purchases, provide support, measure readership and advertising, deliver requested communications, detect abuse and enforce community rules. Identity, subscription and consent records can be linked across participating community services so preferences and account access remain consistent.

Public content and automated sponsor replies

Your public name, profile presentation, public location and submitted content may be visible to other users, search engines and people outside your community. Public posts can appear in article previews and shared links without sign-in. Avoid posting private contact details or information you do not want made public. We do not publish your account email as part of the normal public profile. Information you voluntarily put in a post remains public.

AI may analyze public Recommendations posts and sponsor business/listing information to suggest relevant active sponsors. Team replies disclose that the businesses are sponsors. This matching does not give advertisers access to your private account email or private moderation reports merely because they are recommended. If you contact a sponsor or open its site, that business handles information you provide under its own practices.

AI, safety and moderation

We send relevant submitted text, images, discussion context and appeal explanations to AI service providers, including model providers reached through Vercel AI Gateway. AI also assists with editorial research, event discovery, ad design, content production and responses to customer inquiries. For customer support and advertising requests, processing can include the message history, supplied contact details and relevant account, order or business information needed to address the request. Automated assistants may help prepare or send responses and follow-ups subject to communication preferences and applicable consent requirements. The report-review model does not need your account email; advertiser eligibility is checked separately against our advertiser system. Do not include sensitive personal information in submissions or appeals unless necessary for the request.

Automated moderation processes reports, checks current advertiser eligibility, classifies violations, issues notices, hides or removes content, records strikes and can impose a community participation ban after more than five confirmed removals within 90 days. Report counts alone do not establish a violation. Decisions, evidence, report identities, appeals and delivery records are retained for accountability and abuse prevention. These records are restricted to authorized systems and staff; reporter identities are not disclosed to the reported author. You may appeal at the Moderation page on the community where you posted or request human review by contacting us.

Typing-time profanity checks in supported web editors run locally in your browser. Draft text may be retained in session storage and selected draft photos in local browser storage, including supported embedded app views, to avoid losing work. Submitting content sends it to our servers, where additional checks apply. Automated systems can make mistakes.

Providers and disclosures

We use providers for hosting and delivery (including Vercel), database/authentication/storage (including Supabase), AI, payment processing (including Stripe), email delivery (including Amazon SES or Resend), SMS delivery and phone verification (including Twilio), Apple location and push-notification services, analytics (including Google Analytics and Vercel Analytics) and advertising measurement (including Meta and OpenAI advertising tools where configured). Providers receive the information needed for their function and may process it in the United States or other countries. Their contracts, settings and privacy policies govern their processing; we do not promise that every provider has the same retention period.

We may disclose information to respond to lawful requests, protect rights and safety, investigate abuse, or complete a business transfer with appropriate safeguards. Advertisers ordinarily receive performance information rather than private account records. Public content, information you directly submit to a business, and disclosures you authorize are separate. Directory call, email, website, map and booking links hand the destination to the corresponding service; the business or service receives information you choose to provide. Advertising attribution can use referral identifiers and order or conversion information to measure which promotion led to a visit or purchase.

Cookies, tracking and choices

Essential cookies and local storage support sign-in, security, community selection and preferences. Analytics and advertising tools can collect identifiers and interaction data for measurement and attribution. Transfers to advertising providers can qualify as “sharing” or “sale” under some privacy laws even when no money is exchanged. We do not sell a customer email list for money.

Use the privacy-choice control on this page to disable optional analytics and advertising tracking for this website in this browser. Our tracking controls also honor supported Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals. These choices do not disable essential account/security functions or delete past records. The choice is stored for the current website. Use “Your privacy choices” in a community website’s footer or help links to set it for that website. Set it separately on other browsers or embedded app views you use; a choice made in Safari is not automatically copied into the iOS app. You may also clear or restrict cookies through your browser. App and server operational records needed to deliver content, authenticate accounts, secure the service or fulfill transactions are separate from this optional tracking choice. Third-party sites you visit have their own controls.

Email, SMS and push

Signup notices explain community news, event and sponsor-email enrollment. Use the unsubscribe link in promotional email or your account preferences. Newsletter unsubscribe is separate from deleting an account or a moderation ban. Necessary authentication, security, transaction and moderation notices may still be sent. Promotional SMS requires the applicable consent; providing a phone number alone is not blanket permission. Reply STOP to opted-in SMS programs. In the iOS app, manage push permission and available news, discussion, poll and community-alert categories in Account or iOS Settings; switching communities changes the community used for app notifications. Browser push permissions are managed separately.

Retention and deletion

Retention depends on purpose: account records support active accounts; transaction records support accounting and disputes; security and moderation records support appeals and abuse prevention. The 90-day strike window is a counting rule, not a promise to erase every moderation record after 90 days. Minimal ban identifiers and supporting decision records may remain while needed to enforce a continuing ban or address legal claims. We review deletion requests against these purposes and applicable law. Backups and third-party copies may not disappear immediately.

Request account deletion, a copy of your information, correction or other applicable privacy rights at email@community-websites.com. Instructions are available at Delete your account. The current iOS Account → Delete my account link opens instructions for emailing a deletion request; selecting the link alone does not delete an account. Newsletter unsubscribe, account deletion and cancellation of a paid business subscription are separate actions. Public discussions may be anonymized rather than erased to preserve other participants’ replies; request removal of specific contributions if desired. We may retain records required by law or necessary for legitimate security, fraud-prevention or dispute purposes.

Your rights and children

Depending on your location and applicable law, rights may include access, correction, deletion, portability, restrictions on processing, opting out of sale/sharing or targeted advertising, and appealing a denied privacy request. Contact us with your request and community/account email. We may verify identity or an authorized agent’s authority without asking for unnecessary information. We will not unlawfully discriminate for exercising privacy rights. Privacy-request appeals can be sent to the same contact with “Privacy appeal” in the subject. Applicable rights and deadlines depend on the law that covers the request.

Reader accounts are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted information, contact us so we can investigate and delete it as required. Community account users under the age of majority should have a parent or guardian’s permission. Advertising purchases require an adult. Family-friendly moderation is not a guarantee that every page is appropriate for every age.

Security, changes and contact

We use access controls and encryption in transit, but no system is perfectly secure. This policy may be updated as our services change. We will provide notice of material changes and obtain any additional consent when required by applicable law. Contact community-websites.com at email@community-websites.com or (813) 437-1676.