Privacy Policy

Welcome to BucketUp. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring you understand how we collect, use, and safeguard your information. This Privacy Policy explains our practices regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of your information when you use our basketball community platform.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Personal Information

We collect the following personal information when you create an account and use our services:

• Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, age, date of birth, profile picture
• Location Data: City, state, and GPS coordinates (with your consent) for court discovery and event recommendations. For youth users, location sharing is restricted by default.
• Basketball Profile: Skill level, player archetype, position, grade level (for youth players), gender
• Payment Information: Payment method details processed securely through Stripe (we do not store full payment card information)
• Verification Documents: Coach certificates and verification documents for coach accounts
• Parental Consent Information: For users under 13, we collect parental contact information and consent verification as required by COPPA

1.2 Usage Information

We automatically collect information about how you use our platform:

• Activity Data: Court check-ins, game participation, team memberships, event registrations
• Performance Statistics: Game stats, shooting percentages, win/loss records, achievements
• Communication Data: Messages sent through our platform, team communications, event updates. Note: Messages are stored to facilitate communication. Messages containing harmful content may be automatically quarantined and reviewed by our moderation team.
• Device Information: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system
• Usage Analytics: Pages visited, features used, time spent on platform
• Safety and Moderation Data: Reports of harassment or inappropriate behavior, automated content detection flags, moderation actions taken, and related audit logs

1.3 Content You Create

We collect content you create and share on our platform:

• Team/League Content: Team descriptions, league rules, event details
• User Reviews: Court ratings, team reviews, event feedback
• Communications: Messages, announcements, team updates
• Photos and Media: Team photos, event images, profile pictures
• Highlights Content: If you upload highlight videos, we collect the video file and related metadata (such as title/caption, upload time, and engagement metrics like views/likes).

2. How We Use Your Information

2.1 Core Platform Services

• Account Management: Creating and maintaining your account, verifying your identity
• Court Discovery: Showing nearby courts, real-time availability, check-in functionality
• Team and League Management: Connecting you with teams, managing league participation
• Event Organization: Creating and managing basketball events and tournaments
• Payment Processing: Processing fees for league creation, event registration, and team joining
• Age Verification: Determining age-based restrictions and parental consent requirements

2.2 Communication and Notifications

• Game Reminders: Notifying you about upcoming games, practices, and events
• Team Updates: Sending team announcements, coach communications, league updates
• Event Notifications: Alerting you to nearby events, registration deadlines, schedule changes
• Platform Updates: Important service announcements and feature updates
• Safety Alerts: Notifications about safety concerns or policy violations

2.3 Personalization and Recommendations

• Content Recommendations: Suggesting relevant teams, events, and courts based on your preferences
• Performance Analytics: Providing personalized statistics and performance insights
• Social Features: Connecting you with other players and coaches in your area

2.4 Safety and Moderation

• Content Moderation: Reviewing and moderating user-generated content for safety and compliance
• Report Investigation: Investigating reports of inappropriate behavior or safety concerns
• Account Security: Detecting and preventing fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access
• Youth Protection: Enforcing age-appropriate restrictions and parental consent requirements

2.5 Video Processing and Thumbnails

We may process highlight videos to generate thumbnails and previews (for example, extracting one or more frames) so your content can display properly in feeds and profile pages.

3. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

BucketUp is committed to protecting the privacy of children. In accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA):

• Users Under 13: We require verified parental consent before collecting personal information from users under 13 years of age
• Parental Rights: Parents have the right to review, delete, or refuse further collection of their child's information
• Limited Data Collection: We collect only the minimum information necessary to provide services to users under 13
• Restricted Features: Users under 13 may have access to limited features and functionality
• Location Restrictions: Location sharing is disabled by default for users under 13 and requires explicit parental consent
• Communication Restrictions: Direct messaging may be restricted or monitored for users under 13

If you are a parent and believe we have collected information from your child without consent, please contact us immediately at support@bucketup.org.

4. Youth User Protections

For users under 18 (youth users), we implement additional privacy protections:

• Limited Visibility: Youth profiles are set to "limited" visibility by default, meaning only approved contacts can view full profile information
• Location Sharing: Location sharing is disabled by default for youth users and can only be enabled with explicit consent
• Communication Monitoring: Messages and communications may be subject to additional monitoring and moderation
• Content Restrictions: Youth users may have restricted access to certain features or content
• Parental Oversight: Parents or guardians may request access to their child's account information and activity

5. Location Data

BucketUp collects and uses location data to provide services such as court discovery and event recommendations. Here's how we handle location data:

• Consent Required: We only collect precise location data (GPS coordinates) with your explicit consent
• Default Settings: Location sharing is disabled by default, especially for youth users
• Control: You can enable or disable location sharing at any time through your account settings
• Purpose: Location data is used solely for providing location-based services and is not shared with third parties for advertising purposes
• Retention: We retain location data only as long as necessary to provide services
• Youth Restrictions: For users under 18, location sharing requires additional consent and may be subject to parental approval

6. Information Sharing and Disclosure

6.1 With Your Consent

We may share your information with third parties when you explicitly consent, such as:

• Sharing your profile with team captains or league organizers
• Publishing your game statistics on team or league pages
• Including your name in event participant lists

6.2 Service Providers

We share information with trusted service providers who help us operate our platform:

• Payment Processors: Stripe for secure payment processing
• Authentication Services: Clerk for secure user authentication
• Database Services: Supabase for data storage and management
• Communication Services: Email and SMS providers for notifications
• Analytics Services: Tools to understand platform usage and performance
• Content Moderation Providers (AWS): We may use Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help moderate uploaded images and videos. This may involve analyzing video frames and storing moderation results (e.g., whether content was flagged) in our systems.

All service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

6.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information when required by law or to protect our rights:

• Compliance with legal obligations
• Protection of user safety and platform security
• Enforcement of our Terms of Service
• Response to legal requests from law enforcement
• Protection of minors and vulnerable users

6.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of the business transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control of your information.

7. Messaging and Safety

7.1 Message Data Collection and Processing

BucketUp collects and stores messages sent through our platform to facilitate communication between users:

• Message Data Collected: We collect message content, sender and receiver information, timestamps, message type (direct, team, league, event), and delivery status
• Automated Safety Monitoring: We use automated tools to detect harmful content (threats, sexual content, hate speech, bullying, grooming indicators) in messages to ensure platform safety. Messages containing prohibited content may be automatically quarantined and reviewed by our moderation team
• Human Review: Messages are reviewed by administrators only when reported by users or flagged by automated detection systems. We do not routinely review all messages
• Child Account Restrictions: Users under 13 cannot send messages. Child accounts may receive messages only from users with verified relationships (team members, league participants, event participants, or verified coaches/organizers), and only within that context

7.2 Reporting and Moderation

When you report inappropriate behavior:

• Report Data Collected: We collect information about the report, including the reporter user ID, reported user ID, message ID (if applicable), conversation ID (if applicable), report type, description, timestamps, and context. This data is used for safety, abuse prevention, and legal compliance
• Access to Report Data: Report data is accessible to BucketUp administrators and moderators for review and action. Report data is shared with support staff (support@bucketup.org) for review and action
• Moderation Actions: When moderation actions are taken (warnings, mutes, suspensions, bans), these actions are logged with timestamps, reasons, and administrator information for legal defensibility
• Retention: Reports and moderation logs are retained for 2 years after the report is created, regardless of account deletion status, for safety and compliance purposes. We may retain certain safety and compliance records even after deletion requests, as permitted or required by law

7.3 Parent Portal Controls

For child accounts, parents and guardians can:

• Review Account Data: Access their child's account information and activity through the Parent Portal
• Control Account: Revoke consent, disable the account, or request data deletion
• Data Deletion: Request deletion of their child's personal data. Deletion requests immediately disable the account and begin the deletion process. Some data may be retained in anonymized form for legal or compliance reasons

8. Data Security

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

• Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit and at rest
• Access Controls: Strict access controls and authentication requirements
• Regular Security Audits: Ongoing security assessments and updates
• Secure Payment Processing: PCI-compliant payment handling through Stripe
• Data Backup: Regular backups with disaster recovery procedures
• Youth Data Protection: Additional security measures for youth user data

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to using industry-standard practices.

9. Your Privacy Rights

9.1 Access and Control

You have the right to:

• Access Your Data: View and download your personal information
• Update Information: Correct or update your profile information
• Delete Account: Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Data Portability: Export your data in a machine-readable format
• Opt-Out: Opt out of certain data collection and processing activities

9.2 Privacy Settings

You can control your privacy through our platform settings:

• Profile Visibility: Control who can see your profile and statistics
• Location Sharing: Choose whether to share your location for court discovery
• Notification Preferences: Customize which notifications you receive
• Check-in Privacy: Hide your court check-in status from other users
• Youth Visibility: For youth users, control visibility settings (subject to default restrictions)

9.3 Communication Preferences

You can manage how we communicate with you:

• Opt out of marketing communications
• Choose notification delivery methods (email, SMS, in-app)
• Set quiet hours for notifications
• Unsubscribe from specific notification types

9.4 Parental Rights

Parents of users under 13 have additional rights:

• Review their child's personal information
• Request deletion of their child's information
• Refuse further collection of their child's information
• Revoke consent at any time

10. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:

• Active Accounts: Data is retained while your account is active
• Deactivated Accounts: Data is retained for 30 days after account deactivation
• Legal Requirements: Some data may be retained longer to comply with legal obligations
• Payment Records: Financial transaction records are retained for 7 years for tax purposes
• Standard Messages: Messages are retained while your account is active. If a message is involved in a report or moderation action, it is retained for 2 years after the report is created, regardless of account deletion status
• Quarantined Messages: Messages flagged by automated detection and quarantined are retained for 90 days after quarantine, even if the account is deleted, for safety and legal compliance purposes
• Reports and Moderation Logs: Retained for 2 years after the report is created, regardless of account deletion status, for safety and compliance purposes. We may retain certain safety and compliance records even after deletion requests, as permitted or required by law
• Retention for Moderation Processing: When you upload videos, we may temporarily store copies needed to process moderation and generate thumbnails. We retain moderation results and logs for safety, abuse prevention, and compliance. Where feasible, temporary processing copies are deleted after processing is completed.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on our platform
• Sending email notifications to registered users
• Displaying in-app notifications about policy updates
• Requiring re-acceptance of the updated policy for continued use

Continued use of BucketUp after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the modified Privacy Policy, you must stop using the platform.

This Privacy Policy is effective as of February 2026 and applies to all users of the BucketUp platform.