Privacy Policy

Overview

Open Play Finder ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use the Open Play Finder website and application (collectively, the "Platform") at openplayfinder.com.

By creating an account or using the Platform, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Platform.

The short version: We collect information to help you find courts and connect with other players. We do not sell your personal information to third parties. Location data is used to show you nearby courts and players — never sold or shared for unrelated purposes.

Information We Collect

We collect information you provide to us directly, information collected automatically through your use of the Platform, and information from third-party services.

Category	Examples	How collected
Account information	Name, email address, username, password, profile photo, skill level, playing preferences	You provide it at registration or in settings
Location data	Precise GPS location, general region, home court preference	Device permissions you grant; location you set in profile
Community content	Court reviews, tips, photos, check-ins, event listings, messages	You submit it through the Platform
Payment information	Transaction amounts; billing details processed by Stripe	When you pay for or collect fees from events
Usage data	Pages viewed, features used, search queries, check-in history, session duration	Automatically via cookies and analytics tools
Device information	IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers	Automatically when you access the Platform
Communications	Messages you send through the Platform; support tickets	You provide it through messaging features or support contact

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To operate the Platform — provide court discovery, check-ins, matchmaking, event tools, and other core features
To personalize your experience — show courts and players near you, recommend events based on your skill level and preferences
To facilitate community features — display your reviews, tips, and check-ins; enable player connections and messaging
To process transactions — handle event registrations and organizer payouts through our payment processor
To send communications — notify you of nearby open play opportunities, player requests, event updates, and Platform announcements (you can opt out of marketing emails at any time)
To improve the Platform — analyze usage patterns, troubleshoot issues, and develop new features
To deliver advertising — serve relevant ads from pickleball brands, local businesses, and sponsors based on your general location and Platform activity (see Advertising section)
To maintain safety and integrity — detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms of Use
To comply with legal obligations — respond to lawful requests from authorities or enforce our legal rights

Location Data

Location is central to what Open Play Finder does — it is how we show you courts nearby, surface available players, and display crowd levels in real time. Here is how we handle it:

Precise location (GPS). With your permission, we access your device's precise location to show you courts and players near you. This access is only active while you are using the app (foreground access) unless you explicitly grant background access, which we will always ask for separately.

General location. We infer a general city or region from your IP address to improve search results and serve relevant local content even when precise location access is not granted.

Location in check-ins. When you check in at a court, your approximate location is shared with other users to show that the court is active. Your exact GPS coordinates are never displayed publicly — only a proximity association with the court.

Location is not sold. We do not sell your precise location data to data brokers, advertisers, or any third parties.

You can revoke location permissions at any time in your device settings. Doing so will limit certain features but will not affect your ability to use the Platform's core browsing features.

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in the following circumstances:

With other users (by design). Your public profile, reviews, tips, photos, and check-in activity are visible to other Platform users. Player matchmaking features may display your skill level, preferred courts, and availability. You control what appears in your profile through your account settings.

With service providers. We work with trusted third-party vendors to operate the Platform, including cloud hosting, analytics, email delivery, customer support, and payment processing. These vendors are contractually obligated to use your data only for the services they provide to us.

With advertising partners. We may share aggregated or contextual signals (such as general location, sport category, and Platform activity) with advertising partners to serve relevant ads. We do not share your name, email address, or precise location data with advertisers. See the Advertising section for more details.

For legal reasons. We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, or investigate fraud.

In a business transfer. If Open Play Finder is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email or a prominent notice on the Platform before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Advertising

Open Play Finder is free to use and is supported in part by advertising from pickleball brands, local businesses, coaches, tournaments, and other advertisers relevant to the pickleball community.

Ads may appear on court listings, in search results, or elsewhere on the Platform. Advertising is based on contextual signals such as your general location, the type of content you are viewing, and broad Platform activity — not on sensitive personal data.

What we do not do:

We do not use your precise GPS location for ad targeting
We do not sell your personal information to advertisers
We do not allow third-party ad tracking across unaffiliated websites or apps
We do not serve ads based on health, financial, or other sensitive data categories

Sponsored court listings and featured placements are clearly labeled as such. Advertiser relationships do not influence the accuracy or ranking of organic court data.

Public Content & Community Features

Open Play Finder is a community platform. Content you contribute — including court reviews, tips, photos, event listings, and check-in activity — is public by default and visible to all users of the Platform, including visitors who are not logged in.

Messaging. Messages sent between players through the Platform are private between the participants. We do not use the content of private messages for advertising purposes.

Think before you post. Once you share content publicly, it may be cached, indexed, or copied by third parties. Removing content from the Platform does not guarantee its removal from all external sources.

Your account display name and profile photo are visible in connection with your public content. You may use a username rather than your real name; however, profile information you provide should be accurate and not misleading to other users.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Platform. We also retain information as necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal profile information within 30 days. Community contributions such as court reviews and court data may be retained in anonymized or aggregate form to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the Platform's court database.

Usage logs and analytics data are retained for up to 24 months. Payment records required for tax and accounting purposes are retained for up to 7 years as required by law.

Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These include encrypted data transmission (TLS/HTTPS), secure cloud infrastructure, and access controls limiting who within our organization can access personal data.

No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

If you believe your account has been compromised, please contact us immediately at security@openplayfinder.com.

Your Rights & Choices

You have meaningful control over your data on Open Play Finder:

Access & portability

Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, in a portable format.

Correction

Update or correct inaccurate personal information through your account settings or by contacting us.

Deletion

Request deletion of your account and personal data. See Data Retention above for details on what may be retained.

Opt-out of marketing

Unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time via the unsubscribe link or your notification settings.

Location controls

Revoke location permissions through your device settings at any time.

Privacy settings

Control who can see your profile, check-in history, and contact you through in-app privacy settings.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@openplayfinder.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Children's Privacy

Open Play Finder is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are between 13 and 17, you may only use the Platform with verifiable parental or guardian consent.

If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take prompt steps to delete that information. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@openplayfinder.com.

California Privacy Rights

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

Right to know — you may request details about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, and how it has been used and shared
Right to delete — you may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions
Right to correct — you may request correction of inaccurate personal information
Right to opt out of sale/sharing — we do not sell personal information; however, you may request to opt out of any sharing for cross-context behavioral advertising
Right to non-discrimination — we will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights

To submit a California privacy request, email us at privacy@openplayfinder.com with "California Privacy Request" in the subject line. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.

California users may also designate an authorized agent to submit requests on their behalf.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the Platform's features, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you by email or in-app notice.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Platform after any changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.