Privacy Policy

Camping Alert (“Camping Alert,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) provides a website and notification service that monitors public campground reservation systems and alerts users when campsites become available. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.

This policy applies to camping-alert.com and the Camping Alert notification service (together, the “Service”). By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information as described here.

Information We Collect

Account information

When you create an account, we collect your email address and a password (stored encrypted, never in plain text), or, if you sign up with Google, your name, email address, and Google account identifier as provided by Google’s sign-in service.

Phone number

If you choose to enable SMS alerts, we collect and verify your phone number through our SMS provider, Twilio. Phone verification uses a one-time code sent by text message. We do not require a phone number to use the Service — SMS is optional and available on paid plans.

Alert and camping preferences

We collect the information you provide to set up alerts: campgrounds or areas you’re watching, date ranges, notification preferences, and any saved trip plans (including our Annual Planning feature). We also keep a history of alerts sent to you and whether they were acted on, so you can review your notification history in your account.

Payment information

If you subscribe to a paid plan, payment is handled by our third-party payment processor. We do not collect or store your full credit card number on our own servers — that information goes directly to our payment processor, which is subject to its own privacy and security practices. We retain records of your subscription status, billing history, and plan tier.

Usage and device information

Like most websites, our servers automatically log some technical information when you visit — your IP address, browser type, device type, and pages visited. If you request a password reset, your IP address is included in the reset email as a security measure.

Location information

If you use our map-based or “near me” search features and choose to share your device’s location, we use that location to find nearby campgrounds. We do not store precise location history beyond what’s needed to complete that search, and sharing your location is always optional.

How We Use Your Information

• To provide the Service — monitoring campgrounds and sending you alerts by email and/or SMS when a match is found
• To create and maintain your account, including authentication and password resets
• To process payments and manage your subscription
• To send transactional emails: welcome emails, alert notifications, digest summaries, billing receipts, and account-related notices
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access (for example, rate-limiting registration attempts)
• To understand aggregate usage of the Service so we can improve it
• To communicate with you if you contact us for support

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use your data to serve you third-party advertising.

Cookies and Analytics

We use a small number of functional cookies that are necessary for the Service to work — for example, to keep you logged in and to remember your session. These cookies don’t require consent under most privacy laws because they’re strictly necessary for the site to function.

We use Plausible Analytics, a privacy-friendly analytics service, to understand how visitors use our site. Plausible is cookieless — it does not use cookies or any persistent identifiers to track you across visits or sites, and it does not collect personally identifiable information. Analytics data is aggregated and cannot be used to identify an individual visitor. Because Plausible doesn’t use cookies to track individuals, using it doesn’t require a cookie consent banner under most privacy frameworks.

How We Share Your Information

We share information with the following categories of service providers, each of which processes it only to help us provide the Service:

• Payment processing — to process subscription payments and manage billing.
• Twilio — to verify phone numbers and deliver SMS alerts.
• Email delivery (Mailgun) — to send transactional emails and alerts.
• Google — if you choose to sign in with Google, to authenticate your account.
• Plausible Analytics — to measure aggregate site usage, without collecting personal data.
• Hosting and infrastructure providers — to run our servers and store data securely.

We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect our rights or the safety of our users, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (in which case we’ll notify you before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy).

We do not share your information with data brokers or advertising networks.

Data Retention

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we delete or anonymize your personal information within a reasonable time, except where we’re required to retain certain records (for example, billing history) for legal, tax, or accounting purposes. Alert and notification history is retained for up to 12 months after an alert expires or is deleted, to help us improve match accuracy and resolve support questions.

Your Rights and Choices

• Access and correction. You can view and update most of your account information directly from your Account page.
• Deletion. You can request that we delete your account and associated personal information by contacting us at the address below.
• Email preferences. Every alert and digest email includes an unsubscribe or notification-preferences link. You can also manage notification channels (email/SMS) from your Account settings.
• SMS opt-out. Reply STOP to any text message to stop receiving SMS alerts, or disable SMS from your Account settings.
• Marketing communications. If you’ve subscribed to our newsletter, every email includes an unsubscribe link.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to know what data we hold about you, request a copy of it, or object to certain processing. Contact us to exercise any of these rights.

Children’s Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we’ll delete it.

Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your information, including encrypted password storage and hashed verification tokens. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, so while we work to protect your information, we can’t guarantee absolute security.

International Users

Camping Alert is based in the United States and the Service is focused on U.S. public campgrounds. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we’ll update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you by email.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or want to exercise any of your privacy rights, contact us at support@camping-alert.com.