Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 15, 2026

Rule the Sand ("we," "us," "our") operates rulethesand.com, a directory of beach volleyball courts, groups, and events. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

Information We Collect

Account information. If you sign in, we use Clerk to manage authentication. If you sign in with Google or Facebook, we receive your name, email address, and profile photo from that provider. We do not receive or store your social media password.

Information you submit. If you submit a group's chat link, report a correction, claim a listing, or contact us, we collect what you provide: name, email, phone, or social handle, and the content of your submission.

Location information. If you allow device location access, the app may use your device's location to frame the map, calculate distances, and show nearby courts, groups, and events. Device location may be precise.

If device location is unavailable or you deny access, the app may instead use an approximate location based on your public IP address. This fallback does not use GPS and is less precise than device location. It identifies only a general area and may be inaccurate, particularly when you use a VPN, mobile network, or corporate network.

To provide this fallback, the app makes a request to ipwho.is. That service receives your device's public IP address and uses it to return an approximate location. We use the returned location to show relevant nearby content by default. We do not use it for advertising.

Automatically collected information. We log IP addresses for rate-limiting and abuse prevention on public submission forms. We do not use this data for advertising or sell it to third parties.

Cookies. Clerk sets session cookies to keep you signed in. We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies.

How We Use Information

• To operate and improve the directory (courts, groups, schedules, corrections)
• To show courts, groups, and events near your device location or approximate IP-derived area
• To moderate public submissions before they go live
• To maintain your account and session if you sign in
• To respond to correction requests, claims, or support inquiries
• To send you email if you've opted in (e.g., organizer notifications), always with an unsubscribe option

Third-Party Services

We use the following processors, each with their own privacy practices:

• Clerk (authentication)
• Google and Facebook (optional sign-in, only if you choose to use them)
• Cloudflare (hosting, database, and content delivery)
• Resend (transactional and outreach email)
• ipwho.is (approximate IP-based location when device location is unavailable; the service receives your public IP address to estimate your general area)

Data Retention and Deletion

We retain account and submission data as long as your account is active or as needed to operate the directory. You may request deletion of your account and associated personal data at any time by contacting us at privacy@rulethesand.com. We will delete or anonymize your data within a reasonable timeframe, except where retention is required by law.

If you signed in with Google or Facebook, deleting your Rule the Sand account does not affect your Google or Facebook account; you can separately revoke Rule the Sand's access from your Google or Facebook account settings.

Location Choices

Before the app uses the IP-based approximate-location fallback for the first time, it asks whether you want to allow it. You can change your choice at any time in Settings/Profile using "Use approximate location when GPS is off."

When this setting is off, the app does not call ipwho.is and opens the map in a global view instead. This setting is separate from your device's location permission. You can manage GPS access through your device settings.

Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, export, or delete your personal data, and to object to certain processing. To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@rulethesand.com.

Children's Privacy

Rule the Sand is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

International Users

Rule the Sand is used by visitors and organizations outside the United States, including in the European Union. Where applicable data protection law (such as GDPR) grants you additional rights, those rights apply to your data as described above.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date above when we do.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data: privacy@rulethesand.com