Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

International Parks ("we", "us", or "our") operates the website at internationalparks.org. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your data.

Information We Collect

When you create an account, we collect the following information:

• Email address (used for account authentication and communication)
• Username (publicly displayed with your reviews and comments)

When you use our platform, we may also collect:

• Park reviews and ratings you submit
• Comments you post on park pages
• Wishlist and saved park data
• Profile preferences and settings
• Tag votes and feature votes

How We Store Your Data

Your account data and user-generated content are stored securely using Supabase, a managed PostgreSQL database platform with encryption at rest and in transit. We take reasonable measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction.

Cookies

We use only strictly necessary cookies required for the site to function. We do not use any analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies.

• sb-access-token — httpOnly authentication cookie containing your session token. Cannot be accessed by client-side JavaScript. Expires after 24 hours (30 days if "Remember Me" is selected).
• sb-refresh-token — httpOnly cookie used to refresh your session without requiring you to log in again. Same expiration as above.
• sb-user-id — Session cookie containing your anonymized user identifier, used to personalize your experience while logged in.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary for providing the service you requested (account authentication), they are exempt from cookie consent requirements under GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive. We do not set any cookies for users who are not logged in.

How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide and maintain your account
• Display your reviews, ratings, and comments on the platform
• Improve our website and user experience through aggregated analytics
• Communicate with you about your account when necessary

Data Sharing

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We do not engage in any form of data brokering. Your data may be shared only in the following limited circumstances:

• Public content — Reviews, ratings, comments, and your username are publicly visible on the platform as part of its community features.
• Service providers — We use Supabase for database hosting and EmailJS for contact form delivery. These providers process data on our behalf and are bound by their own privacy policies and data processing agreements.
• Legal requirements — We may disclose information if required by law or in response to a valid legal request.

Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time by contacting us at internationalparksbusiness@gmail.com. Upon receiving your request, we will delete your account and personal data within 30 days. Note that publicly posted reviews and comments may be anonymized rather than deleted to preserve the integrity of community content.

Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

GDPR & Your Rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and similar data protection laws. This section describes those rights and how we comply with our obligations.

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data only when we have a lawful basis to do so. The legal bases we rely on include:

• Contract — Processing necessary to provide the service you requested when you created an account (e.g., storing your profile, displaying your reviews and comments, maintaining your wishlist).
• Consent — When you voluntarily create an account and submit content to the platform, you consent to the processing described in this policy. You may withdraw consent at any time (see "Withdrawal of Consent" below).
• Legitimate interest — Processing necessary for our legitimate interests, such as maintaining site security, preventing abuse, and improving the platform, provided these interests do not override your fundamental rights.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide you with our services. Specifically:

• Account data (email, username, settings) — Retained for the lifetime of your account. Deleted within 30 days of an account deletion request.
• User-generated content (reviews, comments, ratings) — Retained for the lifetime of your account. Upon deletion, content is anonymized (author attribution removed) rather than deleted, to preserve community data integrity.
• Authentication cookies — Expire after 24 hours (or 30 days with "Remember Me") and are cleared on logout.
• Server logs — Request logs with IP addresses are retained by our hosting provider (Vercel) for up to 30 days and then automatically purged.

Your Rights Under GDPR

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access — You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — You may request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data. You can also update your username and profile settings directly through your account.
• Right to erasure — You may request that we delete your personal data. See "Account Deletion" above for details on how this is handled.
• Right to restrict processing — You may request that we limit the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as when you contest the accuracy of the data or object to our processing.
• Right to data portability — You may request a copy of your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format (JSON), and have the right to transmit that data to another service.
• Right to object — You may object to processing based on legitimate interests. We will cease processing unless we demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@internationalparks.org. We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request.

International Data Transfers

Our database is hosted by Supabase on infrastructure located in the United States. If you are accessing our service from the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, your personal data will be transferred to and processed in the United States. We rely on the following safeguards for these transfers:

• EU-US Data Privacy Framework — Our infrastructure providers participate in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which has been recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection.
• Standard Contractual Clauses — Where the Data Privacy Framework does not apply, our service providers use Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission to ensure appropriate safeguards for international transfers.

Withdrawal of Consent

Where we rely on consent as the legal basis for processing, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. You can do this by:

• Deleting your account by contacting us (see "Account Deletion" above)
• Emailing privacy@internationalparks.org with your request

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

Supervisory Authority

If you are located in the EEA or UK and believe that our processing of your personal data violates data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority. A list of EU data protection authorities can be found on the European Data Protection Board website. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern directly.

Data Protection Contact

International Parks is a small, independently operated website and is not required to appoint a Data Protection Officer under Article 37 of the GDPR. For any data protection inquiries, requests, or concerns, please contact us at privacy@internationalparks.org. We aim to respond to all data protection requests within 30 days.

Terms of Service

By accessing or using internationalparks.org, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the site.

User Accounts

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must provide accurate information when creating an account and keep your account information up to date.

User-Generated Content

By submitting reviews, ratings, comments, or other content to the platform, you:

• Grant International Parks a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to display, distribute, and use your content on the platform.
• Affirm that your content is your own original work or that you have the right to submit it.
• Agree that your content does not violate any third-party rights, including copyright, trademark, or privacy rights.

Content Guidelines

All user-generated content must adhere to the following guidelines. You may not post content that:

• Is abusive, harassing, threatening, or discriminatory
• Contains spam, advertising, or promotional material
• Is intentionally false or misleading
• Contains malware, viruses, or harmful code
• Violates any applicable laws or regulations
• Infringes on the intellectual property rights of others

Right to Remove Content

We reserve the right to remove, edit, or disable any user-generated content at our sole discretion, without notice, for any reason, including but not limited to content that violates these Terms of Service or our content guidelines. We may also suspend or terminate accounts that repeatedly violate these terms.

Intellectual Property

The International Parks website, including its design, logos, original content, and software, is the property of International Parks and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from our content without explicit written permission.

Disclaimer of Warranties

The site and all content are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any park information, ratings, reviews, or other content on the platform. Trail conditions, park access, and safety information may change without notice — always verify details with official park authorities before visiting.

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, International Parks and its operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the site. This includes, but is not limited to, damages for loss of data, loss of profits, or personal injury resulting from reliance on information provided on the platform. Our total liability for any claim shall not exceed the amount you have paid to use the service, if any.

Governing Law

These Terms of Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States. Any disputes arising under these terms shall be resolved in accordance with applicable law.

Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Your continued use of the site following any changes constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or Terms of Service, or if you wish to exercise your rights regarding your personal data, please contact us at internationalparksbusiness@gmail.com.