Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Pickle Pals ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and services.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the site.

2. Information We Collect

Personal Information You Provide

We collect information that you voluntarily provide when you:

• Register for an account (name, email address, password)
• Complete your profile (phone number, skill rating, profile photo)
• Register for tournaments
• Contact us through our contact form
• Sign in using Google OAuth

Information Automatically Collected

When you access our service, we may automatically collect:

• Device information (browser type, operating system)
• Log data (IP address, access times, pages viewed)
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies

Tournament and Game Data

We collect data related to your pickleball activities:

• Tournament registrations and participation history
• Match scores and results
• Skill ratings and standings
• Partner and opponent history

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide our services: Create and manage your account, facilitate tournament registration and matchmaking
• Communicate with you: Send tournament invitations, updates, and important notices
• Improve our services: Analyze usage patterns to enhance user experience
• Maintain security: Protect against unauthorized access and ensure platform integrity
• Display leaderboards: Show public rankings based on tournament performance
• Respond to inquiries: Address your questions and support requests

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following situations:

With Other Users

• Your name, skill rating, and profile photo are visible to other tournament participants
• Match results and standings are displayed publicly within tournaments
• Leaderboard rankings show player names and statistics

With Tournament Organizers

• Organizers can view participant information for tournaments they manage
• Contact information may be shared to facilitate tournament coordination

We Do NOT

• Sell your personal information to third parties
• Share your email address publicly
• Use your data for targeted advertising

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of passwords using industry-standard hashing algorithms
• HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Access controls limiting who can view personal data

However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Keep you signed in to your account
• Remember your preferences
• Understand how you use our service
• Protect against fraudulent activity

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some functionality of our service.

7. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• Google OAuth: For optional sign-in functionality. Google's privacy policy applies to information collected through their service.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party services. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

8. Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to:

• Access: View the personal information we hold about you through your profile page
• Update: Correct or update your information at any time through your profile settings
• Delete: Request deletion of your account by contacting us
• Withdraw consent: Opt out of non-essential communications
• Data portability: Request a copy of your data in a portable format

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information provided below.

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services. We may retain certain information for longer periods as required by law or for legitimate business purposes, such as:

• Tournament records and match history (for historical rankings)
• Communication records (for support and dispute resolution)
• Security logs (for fraud prevention)

10. Children's Privacy

Our service is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete such information.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Continued use of our service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us: