Privacy Policy

Introduction

LocalGems ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at getlocalgems.com and use our services to generate personalized travel guides.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. By using LocalGems, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Information We Collect

Personal Information

When you use LocalGems, we may collect the following information:

• Account Information: Email address, name, and profile information when you create an account or sign in through our authentication provider (Clerk)
• Travel Preferences: Destination cities, travel dates, dietary restrictions, interests, and other preferences you provide to generate personalized guides
• Contact Information: Email address and name when you contact us or submit feedback
• Payment Information: When you make a donation or purchase, payment is processed securely by Stripe. We do not store your full credit card details

Automatically Collected Information

When you access our website, we automatically collect certain information:

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent on pages, and interaction patterns
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type, and screen resolution
• Log Data: IP address, access times, and referring website addresses

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on LocalGems. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us:

• Essential Cookies: Enable core functionality like user authentication and session management
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences for a better experience
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website to improve our services
• Functionality Cookies: Store your guide history and voting preferences

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our services.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Generate personalized travel guides based on your preferences
• Send you your completed travel guides via email
• Process donations and payments
• Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• Improve our services and develop new features
• Analyze usage patterns to enhance user experience
• Send occasional updates about new features or destinations (with your consent)
• Detect and prevent fraud or abuse of our services

Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers: We work with trusted third-party services including Clerk (authentication), Stripe (payments), Resend (email delivery), and Cloudflare (hosting and analytics)
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law or to protect our rights, safety, or property
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger or acquisition, your information may be transferred to the new entity

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes encryption in transit (HTTPS), secure authentication through Clerk, and PCI-compliant payment processing through Stripe.

However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and fulfill the purposes described in this policy. Generated travel guides are stored so you can access them from your dashboard. You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate personal data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data
• Portability: Request transfer of your data to another service
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected].

Children's Privacy

LocalGems is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately.

Third-Party Links

Our travel guides may contain links to third-party websites, including restaurants, attractions, and other businesses. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: