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Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 9, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to Arena Chasers ("we", "our", "us"). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our NHL arena tracking application.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

  • Account Information: Email address, name, password (encrypted)
  • Profile Information: Favorite team, bio, profile photo
  • Check-in Data: Arena visits, dates, photos, notes
  • Social Data: Friend connections, likes, comments
  • Photos in Check-Ins: Photos are stored on Cloudinary (secure image hosting). When you delete a check-in, all associated photos are automatically deleted. Deleting your account deletes all your photos. See Cloudinary's Privacy Policy.

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

  • Location Data: GPS coordinates when checking in at arenas (only with your permission)
  • Device Information: Browser type, device type, IP address
  • Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent
  • Cookies: Session cookies for authentication
  • OAuth Provider Data: When you sign in with Google or Apple, they provide email address, name, and profile picture. We do NOT request access to your calendar, contacts, or other sensitive data. See Google Privacy Policy and Apple Privacy Policy.

2.3 Push Notification Data

If you enable push notifications on iOS or other platforms:

  • Device Token: A unique identifier provided by Apple (iOS) or Google (Android) to send notifications to your device. This token does not contain personal information and only allows us to send notifications to your specific device.
  • Notification Preferences: Your choices about which types of notifications you want to receive (e.g., goal alerts, friend check-ins, achievements)
  • Platform Information: Which platform you're using (iOS, Android, or web)

How We Use Push Notifications: We send push notifications only for events you've opted into, such as real-time goal alerts when your favorite team scores (15-30 second delay), friend activity notifications when your friends check in at arenas, achievement unlock celebrations, friend requests and social interactions, and game start reminders for teams you follow.

Your Control: You can disable notifications at any time in the app's notification settings page (granular control per notification type) or in iOS Settings → Arena Chasers → Notifications (system-level control).

Third-Party Services: Push notifications are delivered through Apple Push Notification service (APNs) for iOS devices. Apple may process your device token to deliver notifications but does not have access to the notification content. See Apple's Privacy Policy for more information.

2.4 AI-Powered Features

We use Anthropic's Claude AI service to provide intelligent features that enhance your experience:

Features Using AI

  • News Summaries: Automatic summaries of NHL news articles (ROAD_WARRIOR/COMPLETIONIST tiers)
  • Auto-Tagging: Automatic categorization of news by team and topic (ROAD_WARRIOR/COMPLETIONIST tiers)
  • News Q&A: Ask questions about news articles and get AI-generated answers (COMPLETIONIST tier)

Data Shared with Claude AI

  • News article content (title, source URL, and article text)
  • Your questions about news articles (for Q&A features)
  • Generated summaries and automatic tags

Data Retention

  • By Anthropic: Conversation data is retained for 30 days per their service policy
  • By Us: Summaries and tags are stored in our database indefinitely (until you delete)
  • Improvement: Anthropic may use API usage data to improve their service

Your Control Over AI Features

  • LOCAL_FAN users: No AI features enabled (standard news only)
  • ROAD_WARRIOR users: AI summaries and auto-tagging enabled
  • COMPLETIONIST users: Full AI access including Q&A chat
  • Opt-out: Downgrade to LOCAL_FAN tier to disable all AI features

For more information about how Anthropic handles your data, see their Privacy Policy.

2.5 Error Monitoring & Crash Reporting

We use Sentry to monitor application errors and crashes to help us fix bugs faster:

  • Error messages and stack traces
  • Request URLs and methods (cookies and sensitive headers are filtered)
  • Your user ID only (no email or other personal information)

Sentry processes this data in the United States. See their Privacy Policy.

2.6 Podcast & Media Search

We integrate ListenNotes API to provide NHL podcast search and recommendations:

  • Your podcast search queries
  • Episode data and metadata
  • Your IP address (standard HTTP logging)

See ListenNotes' Privacy Policy.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

  • Provide and improve our services
  • Verify arena check-ins using GPS location
  • Display your check-in history and stats
  • Show you on leaderboards and activity feeds
  • Send notifications about friends' activity (if enabled)
  • Analyze usage patterns to improve the app
  • Prevent fraud and abuse
  • Comply with legal obligations

4. Information Sharing

We do NOT sell your personal data. We may share information in these situations:

  • Public Information: Your username, profile photo, and public check-ins are visible to other users based on your privacy settings
  • Friends: Your friends can see your check-ins and activity based on your privacy settings
  • Service Providers: We share information with third-party services:
  • Legal Requirements: If required by law or to protect our rights

5. Data Security & Storage

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

  • Encrypted passwords using industry-standard hashing (bcrypt)
  • HTTPS encryption for data transmission
  • Secure authentication sessions
  • Regular security updates and monitoring
  • Access controls and logging

5.1 Where Your Data is Stored

  • Primary Database: Neon PostgreSQL (managed database service), hosted in US East 1 (AWS)
  • Automated Backups: Daily backups retained for 7 days
  • Encryption in Transit: All data is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS
  • Encryption at Rest: Database encryption managed by Neon
  • Retention After Deletion: Some data may persist in automated backups for up to 30 days. After 30 days, all backups are securely purged.

Neon operates under their own Privacy Policy.

If you have questions about data storage or need to discuss Data Processing Agreements (DPA) for GDPR compliance, contact us at privacy@arenachasers.com.

5.2 Data Retention

  • Active account data: Retained as long as your account is active
  • Deleted account data: Some data persists in backups for 30 days
  • Automated backups: Retained for 7 days, then securely purged
  • Photos: Deleted when you delete a check-in or your account
  • Error logs (Sentry): 30-day retention per Sentry policy
  • Podcast search queries (ListenNotes): Per ListenNotes retention policies

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

6. Your Privacy Rights

You have the following rights:

  • Access: Request a copy of your personal data
  • Correction: Update or correct your information
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your account and data
  • Export: Download your check-in history and data
  • Opt-out: Disable notifications or change privacy settings
  • Withdraw Consent: Revoke location permission at any time

6.1 How to Delete Your Account

  1. Sign in to Arena Chasers
  2. Go to Account Settings → Delete Account
  3. Confirm your password (or verify email if using OAuth)
  4. Click "Permanently Delete My Account"
  5. Receive confirmation email with deletion ID

6.2 What Gets Deleted

When you delete your account, the following data is permanently removed:

  • Your user account and profile
  • All check-in history and locations
  • All photos and media files
  • All friendships and social connections
  • All achievements and badges
  • All news votes, comments, and reactions
  • All trivia answers and streaks
  • All push notification subscriptions
  • All OAuth tokens and linked accounts
  • All tracked teams and preferences

6.3 Backup and Recovery

Timeline: Deletion is processed immediately. However, some data may persist in automated backups for up to 30 days due to our disaster recovery procedures. After 30 days, all backups containing your personal data are securely purged.

Reversibility: Account deletion cannot be reversed. If you change your mind, you'll need to create a new account.

6.4 In-App Purchases & Subscriptions

Apple handles all subscription payments through StoreKit 2. When you subscribe:

  • We receive your subscription status, tier, and renewal information
  • Apple is the data processor and payment handler
  • We do not store your payment method or card details
  • See Apple's Privacy Policy

To exercise these rights, go to your Account Settings or contact us at privacy@arenachasers.com.

7. Location Data

We collect GPS location data ONLY when you check in at an arena. This is used to verify you are within 500 meters of the arena. Location data is stored with your check-in for historical records and to prevent fake check-ins.

You can revoke location permission at any time through your device settings. Without location permission, you will not be able to create new check-ins, but you can still view your history and use other features.

8. 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 data, please contact us and we will delete it.

9. International Users

If you are accessing Arena Chasers from outside the United States, please note that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located. By using our service, you consent to this transfer.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting a notice on our website or sending an email. Your continued use of Arena Chasers after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this privacy policy or want to exercise your rights, contact us at:

Email: privacy@arenachasers.com

Website: arenachasers.com/contact

GDPR Compliance (EU Users)

If you are located in the European Union, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

  • Right to be informed about data processing
  • Right to data portability (download your data in machine-readable format)
  • Right to object to data processing
  • Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

Our lawful basis for processing your data is:

  • Consent: Location data for check-ins
  • Contract: Providing the service you signed up for
  • Legitimate Interest: Improving our service and preventing fraud

California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

  • Right to Know: Request what personal data we collect, how we use it, and who we share it with
  • Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal data (except as permitted by law)
  • Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal data
  • Right to Opt-Out: Opt out of data sharing or "sale" of personal data (we do not sell your data)
  • Right to Limit Use: Limit use of sensitive personal information
  • Non-Discrimination: We will not penalize you for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise California privacy rights, contact us at privacy@arenachasers.com. We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days as required by law.

Shine the Light Request: Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83, California residents may also request information about our disclosure of personal information to third parties for direct marketing purposes.

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