Privacy Policy

Our Commitment to Privacy

At Crime Hotspots, we are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect, use, and safeguard your data. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your personal data.

We comply with international privacy standards including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and other applicable data protection laws.

1. What Data We Collect

1.1 Automatically Collected Data

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical information through cookies and analytics:

• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent, click patterns, referring websites
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, screen resolution
• Location Data: General geographic location (country/city level, not precise GPS)
• IP Address: Anonymized for analytics purposes

1.2 Data You Provide

We only collect personal information when you voluntarily provide it:

• Crime Reports: When you submit an anonymous crime tip, we collect only the information you choose to provide (incident details, location, description)
• Newsletter Subscriptions: If you subscribe to our email newsletter via Buttondown, we collect your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email we send.
• Contact Emails: If you email us directly, we receive whatever information you include in your message

1.3 Data We Do NOT Collect

• We do NOT collect personal identifying information without your consent
• We do NOT track precise GPS locations
• We do NOT sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing
• We do NOT require accounts or logins to view crime data
• We do NOT receive or store any payment information — donations via Ko-fi are processed entirely by Ko-fi

2. How We Use Your Data

We use the collected data for the following purposes:

• Website Analytics: To understand how visitors use our platform and improve user experience
• Performance Monitoring: To ensure the website loads quickly and functions properly
• Crime Data Verification: To process and verify crime tips submitted through our reporting form
• Newsletter: To send weekly crime statistics updates to subscribers (only if you opted in via Buttondown)
• Security: To prevent fraud, abuse, and protect against security threats

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

3.1 What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help websites remember your preferences and analyze site usage.

3.2 Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: Required for basic site functionality (cookie consent preference)
• Analytics Cookies: Google Analytics 4 with IP anonymization (only loaded if you accept cookies)

3.3 Cookieless Analytics

We also use Cloudflare Web Analytics, a privacy-focused analytics tool that does not use cookies or collect personal data. This runs automatically to help us understand basic traffic patterns without tracking individual users.

3.4 Your Cookie Choices

When you first visit our site, you can choose to:

• Accept All Cookies: Enables analytics to help us improve the site
• Decline Cookies: We will only use essential cookies required for basic functionality

Your preference is stored for 12 months. You can change your choice at any time by clearing your browser cookies and revisiting our site.

3.5 Managing Cookies

You can also control cookies through your browser settings:

• Chrome: Settings → Privacy and Security → Cookies
• Firefox: Preferences → Privacy & Security → Cookies
• Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data

Note: Blocking all cookies may affect site functionality.

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following trusted third-party services to operate our platform:

5. Data Retention

• Cookie Consent: Stored for 12 months
• Analytics Data: Retained by Google Analytics for 14 months (anonymized)
• Crime Reports: Retained indefinitely for public safety records (submitted data is anonymized)
• Newsletter Subscriptions: Your email is retained by Buttondown until you unsubscribe

6. Your Privacy Rights

Under GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy laws, you have the following rights:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of data we hold about you
• Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal obligations)
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Right to Opt-Out: Decline analytics cookies or unsubscribe from emails at any time
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Object to certain types of data processing

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at: contact@crimehotspots.com

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• HTTPS Encryption: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted
• Content Security Policy: Prevents cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks
• Bot Protection: Cloudflare Turnstile prevents automated abuse
• Access Controls: Limited access to backend data storage
• Regular Updates: We keep our systems and dependencies up to date

While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us immediately at contact@crimehotspots.com.

9. International Data Transfers

Crime Hotspots operates globally. Your data may be processed in countries outside your region, including the United States (Google Analytics, Cloudflare, Buttondown, Ko-fi). We ensure that third-party processors comply with international data protection standards and have appropriate safeguards in place.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please visit our contact page or email us directly: