🔒 Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

• Name and contact details (e.g., email)
• Lodge affiliation and membership status
• Account preferences and mailing list choices
• Uploaded photos or files
• Check-in data: when you unlock an award we store your user ID, the lodge/bonus location ID, time/date, your submitted latitude/longitude, reported GPS accuracy, and computed distance to the lodge
• Location for gameplay: if you enable location on the map or the “Unlock Award” feature, your browser may share your coordinates to check proximity; live location shown on the map is rendered in your browser and is not continuously saved by us
• Basic technical logs (IP address, user agent, error messages) for security and troubleshooting

This data comes from account registration, forms, uploads, and—only with your consent—your browser’s geolocation.

2. How We Use Your Information

• Enable account features and member areas
• Support profiles, forums, and lodge engagement
• Operate geofenced check-ins: verify you are within a lodge’s radius to unlock awards and earn points
• Show achievements and points: display badges/tokens on your profile and compute your total score
• Nearest-lodge checks: when you ask “what’s closest?”, your coordinates may be sent to our server momentarily to compute distance—these lookups are not stored as a check-in
• Prevent abuse (e.g., rate limits on repeated check-ins)
• Communicate events and updates you opt into

We do not sell your data.

3. Who We Share It With

Information is shared only with:

• Washington State Elks Association and authorized internal committees
• The Grand Lodge (for membership administration)
• Service providers:
  • Google Maps Platform to render maps and calculate routes/tiles. Google may receive device and location information subject to Google’s privacy policy when you use map features.
  • Cloudflare for secure content delivery and DDoS protection.
  • Hosting provider (GoDaddy) for storage and server operations.

We do not share member data with advertisers or unrelated third parties.

4. Cookies & Technical Services

• We use essential cookies for login sessions and security.
• We may use local storage in your browser to remember simple preferences (e.g., UI toggles).
• Short-lived server counters (rate limiting) may record how many check-in attempts occur from your account per day to prevent abuse; these expire automatically.
• We do not use third-party ad networks or behavioral tracking cookies.

5. Location Services (Map & Check-Ins)

• Opt-in: Your browser will ask for permission before sharing your location. If you previously granted permission to our site, the map may auto-enable your location until you turn it off.
• Live map dot: Showing “you are here” on the map is processed in your browser; we don’t continuously record it.
• Unlocking an award: When you tap “Unlock Award,” we receive your coordinates and accuracy to confirm you’re inside the lodge radius and create a check-in record.
• Nearest lodge: If you ask for the nearest lodge, your coordinates may be sent to our server solely to compute distance; we don’t save a check-in unless you unlock.
• Controls: You can revoke location permission any time in your browser settings or by toggling the in-page control.

6. Points, Awards & Leaderboards

• Each lodge/bonus location may be assigned a point value. Your total score is the sum of your unlocked awards.
• Your unlocked awards and point total appear on your profile. From time to time we may show leaderboards or recognition to logged-in members.
• If you prefer not to be listed on a leaderboard or want an award removed, contact us at [email protected].
• Admins may assist with manual unlocks or corrections when GPS or network issues occur (recorded like a normal check-in).

7. User-Generated Content

Users are responsible for their own submissions. Inappropriate or unlawful content may be removed.

8. Children’s Privacy

This site is not intended for users under 13. Parents can request removal of submitted data via [email protected].

9. Data Security

We use SSL, Cloudflare protections, and secure hosting. No system is completely immune to breaches.

9.1 Retention

• Check-in records (awards) are kept for your account’s lifetime so your achievements and score persist, unless you ask us to delete them.
• Rate-limit counters automatically expire within about 24 hours.
• Server logs are retained for a limited period for security and troubleshooting, then purged.

9.2 Hosting & Infrastructure

This site is hosted on GoDaddy’s servers in the United States and protected by Cloudflare. Google Maps Platform is used for mapping. Data may be processed in these providers’ locations. We will notify users in the event of a known security issue affecting your data.

10. Copyright & Ownership

All site content belongs to the Washington State Elks Association unless otherwise noted. User content may be reused for Elks promotion.

11. Policy Updates

Changes to this policy will be posted here or emailed to users when significant.

12. Your Rights

You may request access, edits, or deletion of your personal data (including check-in history and awards) via [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity to process requests.

13. Contact

Email: [email protected]

Website: elksonline.org, elksonline.com