Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you create an account through Google OAuth, we collect the following information from your Google profile:

• Name: Your display name as provided by your Google account.
• Email address: Your primary email address associated with your Google account.
• Profile picture: Your Google profile photo URL.

Additionally, when you interact with our platform, you may voluntarily provide:

• Bridge ratings and reviews
• Comments on bridge pages and reports
• Saved bridges and custom collections
• Payment information (processed securely through Stripe; we do not store your credit card details)

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you access our Service, we automatically collect certain information, including:

• Usage data: Pages visited, features used, search queries, and interaction patterns.
• Device information: Browser type, operating system, device type, and screen resolution.
• Log data: IP address, access times, referring URLs, and pages viewed.
• Location data: General geographic location derived from your IP address (city/region level only).

1.3 Public Government Data

BridgeStats aggregates and displays data from the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) and the National Inventory of Dams (NID), both maintained by U.S. federal agencies. This data is public domain information about infrastructure and does not contain any personal information about individuals.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your user account
• Authenticate your identity when you sign in
• Display your ratings, comments, and other user-generated content
• Process premium subscription payments through Stripe
• Provide access to premium features and content
• Analyze usage patterns to improve our Service
• Send important service-related communications (account security, policy changes)
• Respond to your inquiries and support requests
• Detect and prevent fraudulent or abusive activity
• Comply with legal obligations

3. Third-Party Services

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

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies: Session cookies required for authentication and maintaining your signed-in state. These are necessary for the Service to function and cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Set by Google Analytics to collect anonymized usage data, including cookies such as _ga and _ga_*. These help us understand how visitors use our site so we can improve the experience.

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. Blocking essential cookies may prevent you from using certain features of the Service.

5. User-Generated Content

Ratings, comments, and reviews that you post on BridgeStats are publicly visible. Your display name and profile picture may be shown alongside your contributions. Please be mindful of the information you share in public areas of the Service.

We do not claim ownership of your user-generated content, but by posting it on our platform, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display, reproduce, and distribute it in connection with the Service, as further described in our Terms of Service.

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers: With third-party vendors (Google, Stripe) who perform services on our behalf, subject to confidentiality obligations.
• Legal requirements: When required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
• Protection of rights: When necessary to protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, or that of our users or the public.
• Business transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, with notice provided to affected users.
• With your consent: When you have given us explicit permission to share your information for a specific purpose.

7. Data Security

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

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS/SSL
• Secure authentication via Google OAuth (no passwords stored)
• Regular security reviews of our infrastructure
• Access controls limiting employee access to personal data

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Retention and Deletion

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

• Account data: Retained until you request account deletion.
• User-generated content: Retained until you delete it or request account deletion. Anonymized contributions may be retained for the integrity of public discussions.
• Analytics data: Retained by Google Analytics according to their data retention settings (currently 14 months).
• Payment records: Retained as required for tax and accounting compliance (typically 7 years).

9. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected].

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data.
• Portability: Request a machine-readable copy of your data.
• Objection: Object to processing of your personal data for certain purposes.
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: