Privacy Policy
Last updated: January 26, 2025
1. Introduction
PawCost ("we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard information when you use our low-cost pet care directory service.
This Service is intended for users located in the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia only. By using this Service, you confirm that you are located in the United States.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide
When you use our Service, you may voluntarily provide:
- Business listing information (for business owners)
- Reviews and ratings
- Community recommendations
- Report submissions about listing accuracy
- Contact information when submitting forms
2.2 Automatically Collected Information
We automatically collect limited technical information:
- Anonymous session identifiers (stored locally in your browser)
- General usage patterns (pages viewed, features used)
- Device type and browser information
2.3 Location Information
If you choose to share your location:
- Location data is stored only in your browser (localStorage)
- We do not store your precise location on our servers
- You can clear your location data at any time
- Location is used solely to show nearby providers
3. Information We Do NOT Collect
We are committed to minimal data collection. We do NOT:
- Require user accounts or login
- Collect or store your precise GPS coordinates on our servers
- Track you across other websites
- Sell your personal information to third parties
- Collect payment or financial information
- Use invasive tracking technologies
4. How We Use Information
We use collected information to:
- Display relevant pet care providers based on your location
- Process and display reviews and ratings
- Improve our Service and user experience
- Respond to business listing requests
- Investigate reports of inaccurate listings
- Maintain Service security and prevent abuse
5. Cookies and Local Storage
We use browser localStorage to:
- Remember your theme preference (light/dark mode)
- Store your location preference (if provided)
- Track your anonymous session for reviews
- Remember providers you have hidden
This data remains on your device and is not transmitted to our servers except when necessary to provide the Service (e.g., session ID for review submission).
6. Third-Party Services
We may use the following third-party services:
- OpenStreetMap/Nominatim: For geocoding ZIP codes to coordinates (their privacy policy applies)
- Hosting providers: To serve the website (standard server logs may be collected)
We do not currently use advertising networks or sell data to third parties.
7. Data Security
We implement reasonable security measures to protect information:
- HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
- Anonymous session identifiers (no personal accounts)
- Limited data collection by design
- Regular security reviews
However, no internet transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
8. Your Rights (United States)
As a user in the United States, you have the following rights regarding your data:
All Users
- Clear your browser localStorage to remove all local data
- Request removal of content you submitted
- Contact us with privacy concerns via our Contact Page
California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)
- Right to know what personal information we collect
- Right to request deletion of your data
- Right to opt out of sale of personal information (we do not sell data)
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights
- Right to correct inaccurate personal information
Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah Residents
- Right to access your personal data
- Right to delete personal data
- Right to data portability
- Right to opt out of targeted advertising (we do not engage in targeted advertising)
9. Children's Privacy
Our Service is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, our data practices, or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please visit our Contact Page.