Privacy Policy

This policy explains what information Finding Beer ("we", "us") collects, how we use and share it, and the choices you have. It covers the website at finding.beer and the Finding Beer app for iPhone. Together we call them the "Service". Finding Beer is operated from North Carolina, United States.

The short version: the website is supported by ads from Google, and Google uses cookies to show and measure them. The app has no ads and no third-party tracking. It collects only what it needs to find breweries near you and keep your account. We do not sell your personal information for money.

Information we collect on the website

You do not need an account to use finding.beer, and the site does not ask for your name or email address. We collect:

• Usage and device data. When you visit, we and our providers automatically receive standard information such as your IP address, browser and device type, operating system, referring page, pages viewed, and the date and time of your visit.
• Cookies and similar technologies. Google Analytics and Google AdSense set cookies and use similar technologies on the site. We describe them below.
• Information you send us. If you email us or submit the account deletion form, we receive your email address and anything else you include.

Information we collect in the app

• Location. With your permission, the app uses your device's location to find and map breweries near you. Your coordinates are sent to our servers to look up nearby breweries, and to Google when the map or place search needs them. We do not store your location history or link it to your account. You can turn off location access at any time in iOS Settings, and you can still search for places by name.
• Account information. An account is optional. If you create one, we collect your name and email address, and a username and password if you sign up with email. Passwords are stored only as a secure hash. If you use Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google, we receive your name and email address from that provider (with Apple, this may be a private relay address), plus an identifier for your account with that provider.
• Saved breweries. If you are signed in, we store the breweries you mark as had, liked or visited so they sync to your account.
• Device and app data. Each time the app starts, it sends us an identifier that Apple assigns to our apps on your device (the "identifier for vendor", which is not the advertising identifier), the app version, your IP address and, if you are signed in, your account email. We use this to keep the Service running, understand which app versions are in use, and prevent abuse.

The app does not contain advertising, does not use the advertising identifier (IDFA), and does not track you across other companies' apps or websites.

How we use information

• To provide the Service, including showing breweries near you and keeping your account and saved breweries.
• To show advertising on the website, which pays for the Service.
• To understand how the Service is used, and to fix and improve it.
• To keep the Service secure and prevent fraud and abuse, including invalid ad traffic.
• To respond to your messages and requests, and to send account messages such as password resets.
• To comply with the law and enforce our terms.

Advertising on the website

The website shows ads served by Google AdSense. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and to other websites. Google's advertising cookies let Google and its partners show you ads based on your visits to this site and other sites on the internet. Google and its partners may also use cookies and similar technologies to measure ads, limit how often you see them, and detect fraud.

Learn more in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services and How Google uses cookies in advertising.

Your choices:

• You can turn off personalized ads from Google in Google's Ads Settings.
• You can opt out of personalized advertising from many other vendors at aboutads.info and, in Europe, youronlinechoices.eu.
• You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. You will still see ads, but they will be less relevant.

If you choose not to receive personalized ads, you may still see non-personalized ads. These are based on things like the page you are reading and your general location (such as your city), not on a profile of you.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics on the website to understand how visitors find and use the site, such as which pages are popular and where traffic comes from. Google Analytics uses cookies and collects usage and device data on our behalf. You can learn more at How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services, and you can opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Consent and privacy choices

If you visit from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, Google's consent message asks for your choice before advertising or analytics cookies are used. Until you choose, Google Analytics runs without cookies, and only non-personalized ads are shown. Where required by law in other regions, including some US states, the message gives you the choices that apply to you. You can change your choice at any time with the "Privacy choices" link in the footer of every page, where it is shown to you.

How we share information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share information only as follows:

• Google. On the website, Google receives information through AdSense and Analytics, as described above. In the app, Google Maps and Google Places receive your location and device information when they display maps, search for places or load place photos. If you use Sign in with Google, Google handles that sign-in. Google's use of this information is governed by the Google Privacy Policy.
• Apple. If you use Sign in with Apple, Apple handles that sign-in. Apple also provides us with aggregated App Store and app performance data under the Apple Privacy Policy.
• Service providers. We use companies that host the website, our servers, database and images, send our email, and receive form submissions. They process information only to provide those services to us.
• Legal and safety reasons. We may disclose information if we believe the law requires it, or to protect the rights, property or safety of Finding Beer, our users or others.
• Business transfers. If Finding Beer is involved in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, and this policy will continue to apply to it.

Under some US state laws, letting advertising partners use cookies for personalized ads may count as "selling" or "sharing" personal information, or as "targeted advertising". The choices described above let you opt out of that, and you can also contact us.

How long we keep information

• We keep account information and saved breweries until you ask us to erase them, as described below.
• We keep app start records and server logs only as long as needed to run and secure the Service.
• Google keeps the advertising and analytics data it collects under its own policies.

Deleting your account

If you signed up with an email address and password, you can delete your account in the app from the More tab. This deactivates it right away: you are signed out and the account can no longer be used. To have your account information and saved breweries permanently erased, or to delete an account you created with Sign in with Apple or Google, submit the account deletion form or email us at support@finding.beer. If you signed in with Apple or Google, you can also stop sharing your account with Finding Beer in your Apple ID or Google Account settings.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• access the personal information we hold about you, and get a copy of it;
• correct information that is wrong;
• delete your information;
• object to or restrict certain uses of your information;
• opt out of targeted advertising, and of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information;
• withdraw consent you have given, without affecting anything that happened before; and
• complain to your local data protection authority.

To make a request, email support@finding.beer. We may need to confirm your identity before we act on it. We will not treat you differently for using these rights.

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, we rely on these legal bases: to provide the Service you ask for, including your account (contract); your consent, for advertising and analytics cookies; and our legitimate interests in running, securing and improving the Service.

International transfers

We are based in the United States, and our servers and most of our providers are located there. Your information may be processed in the United States and other countries whose data protection laws differ from those where you live. Where the law requires it, we and our providers rely on appropriate safeguards for these transfers.

Security

We use reasonable measures to protect your information. These include encrypted connections, hashed passwords, and storing your app sign-in token in the iOS Keychain. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children

Finding Beer is about beer and is intended for adults of legal drinking age. It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13, or under 16 in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

Links to other sites

The Service links to brewery websites, social media, maps and other services we do not operate. Their privacy practices are their own, so please review their policies.

Changes to this policy

We will update this policy when our practices change. When we do, we will post the new version on this page and update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we will also give notice on the website or in the app.

Contact us

Questions or requests about this policy or your information can be sent to support@finding.beer.