Privacy Policy

We collect information in the following ways:

• Donations: When you make a donation, we collect your first name, last name, email address, and an optional message. Payment card details are processed directly by Stripe and are never stored on our servers.
• Pledges: When you make a pledge-per-mile commitment, we collect your email address, display name (optional), pledge amount, and pledge interval. Your email is hashed for secure storage and used to look up your pledge status.
• IP Geolocation: When you submit a pledge, we automatically collect your approximate geographic location (city and country) via your IP address. This is used to display pledger locations on an aggregate map. We also use IP-based geolocation on the trail map to show your approximate distance from Paul.
• GPS Tracker Data: Paul's real-time location is collected via his phone's GPS and displayed publicly on the trail map.
• Analytics: We collect anonymous, aggregate analytics data including page views, browser type, and device information. This data does not personally identify you.
• Cookies & Local Storage: We use essential cookies for site functionality. We also store your approximate location in your browser's localStorage to power the distance tracker feature. This data never leaves your device unless you submit a pledge.

Your information is used to:

• Process and acknowledge donations via Stripe
• Display donor names and messages on the public Donor Wall (unless you opt for anonymity)
• Track and display your pledge-per-mile commitment
• Display pledger names on the public Pledger Wall (unless you opt for anonymity)
• Show aggregate pledger locations on the trail map
• Send transactional emails: pledge confirmations, challenge notifications, and challenge results
• Calculate and display your distance from Paul on the trail
• Improve website functionality and content through anonymous analytics

We never sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

Your data is stored securely using the following services:

• Upstash Redis (cloud database): Stores donation records, pledge records, pledger locations, and GPS tracking data. Hosted on encrypted infrastructure.
• Stripe: Processes and stores payment information under PCI DSS compliance. We do not store card numbers, CVVs, or other payment credentials.
• Vercel: Hosts the website. Server logs are retained per Vercel's standard policy.

Retention periods:

• Donation records: Retained indefinitely for fundraising transparency
• Pledge records: Retained for the duration of the PCT hike and 12 months after completion
• GPS location history: Automatically deleted after 90 days
• Email addresses: Retained until you request deletion
• Browser localStorage data: Stored on your device until you clear it

We send transactional emails only — never marketing spam. You may receive:

• Pledge confirmation when you register a pledge
• Challenge notifications when Paul starts a trail challenge
• Challenge results when a challenge ends (including any boost applied to your pledge)

Emails are sent via Resend, a third-party email delivery service. You can opt out of challenge notifications by contacting us at paul@yeschapter.com. Pledge confirmation emails cannot be opted out of as they serve as your receipt.

This website integrates with the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:

• Stripe — Payment processing (PCI DSS Level 1 compliant)
• Upstash — Cloud database (encrypted at rest and in transit)
• Vercel — Website hosting and serverless functions
• OpenStreetMap / OpenTopoMap — Trail map tiles
• Resend — Transactional email delivery
• ip-api.com — IP-based geolocation (city/country only)
• YouTube — Embedded video content and caption extraction
• Anthropic (Claude AI) — Blog post generation from video transcripts (no user data is sent to this service)

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these services.

You have the right to:

• Request access to the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction or deletion of your personal data
• Request that your donation or pledge be displayed as “Anonymous”
• Opt out of challenge notification emails
• Request deletion of your pledge record entirely
• Clear your browser's localStorage to remove locally stored location data

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at paul@yeschapter.com. We will respond to data requests within 30 days.

Note: Pledge lookups are available via email address without a password. If you are concerned about unauthorized access to your pledge information, contact us to discuss additional security measures.

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your personal information:

• All data transmission is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS
• Payment data is handled exclusively by Stripe (PCI DSS compliant)
• Email addresses are stored as SHA-256 hashes for pledge lookups
• GPS tracker updates require authentication via a secret token
• The admin panel is protected by a separate authentication token

However, no method of internet transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

This website is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at paul@yeschapter.com and we will promptly delete the information.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date. Continued use of the website after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us at paul@yeschapter.com.