Privacy Policy

Where The Goats Are (“we,” “our,” or “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at www.wherethegoatsare.com (the “Site”).

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

When you use certain features of the Site, you may provide personal information directly:

• Listing Claims: If you submit a claim to verify ownership of a studio listing, we collect your name, email address, phone number (optional), role at the studio, proof of ownership details, and any message you include
• Communication: If you contact us via email, we collect the information you choose to share in your message

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Site, certain information is collected automatically through Google Analytics (GA4):

• Pages viewed and time spent on each page
• Device type, browser, and operating system
• Approximate geographic location (country/city level, derived from IP address)
• Referring website or search engine
• Anonymized interaction data such as search queries, studio views, and clicks

Location Information

The Site offers a “Use my location” feature that uses your browser's geolocation API. This feature requires your explicit permission—your location is never accessed without your consent. If granted, your latitude and longitude are used solely to show nearby goat yoga studios and are not stored.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate and maintain the Site, including displaying studio listings
• Process and verify listing ownership claims
• Communicate with you about your claim or inquiry
• Send internal notifications to our team about new submissions
• Analyze usage patterns to improve the Site's content and functionality
• Process payments for premium or sponsored listing features (when applicable)
• Comply with legal obligations

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may collect information when you use the Site:

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use the Site. Google Analytics collects data about your interactions using cookies. IP addresses are anonymized and cookies expire after 13 months. Analytics tracking is disabled by default until you accept our cookie consent banner. You can learn more about Google's privacy practices at policies.google.com/privacy. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Vercel

Our Site is hosted on Vercel's infrastructure. Vercel may collect IP addresses, request metadata, and other technical data as part of content delivery and security. Vercel's privacy policy is available at vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy.

Convex

We use Convex as our backend database provider. Claim submission data is stored securely in Convex's infrastructure. Convex's privacy policy is available at convex.dev/privacy.

Mapbox

We use Mapbox to display interactive maps showing studio locations. Mapbox may receive your IP address when loading map tiles. Mapbox's privacy policy is available at mapbox.com/privacy.

Zoho (Email)

Email communications, including listing claim notifications, are sent through Zoho's email service. Personal information submitted in forms may be transmitted via email to our team. Zoho's privacy policy is available at zoho.com/privacy.html.

Stripe (Payments — Coming Soon)

When premium listing payment features become available, payment processing will be handled by Stripe. We will not store your credit card number, CVC, or other sensitive payment details on our servers. Stripe may collect and process payment information in accordance with their privacy policy at stripe.com/privacy. We will only receive tokenized transaction confirmations and limited billing information (such as the last four digits of your card) from Stripe.

4. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers: With third-party services that help us operate the Site (as described above)
• Legal Requirements: If required by law, court order, or governmental regulation
• Safety: To protect the rights, property, or safety of our users or the public
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy:

• Listing claims: Retained for 2 years after resolution. Rejected claims are deleted after 90 days unless required for legal compliance.
• Analytics data: Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months, after which it is automatically deleted.
• Email communications: Retained for 1 year from the date of the last communication.
• Payment records: When payment features become available, transaction records will be retained for 7 years as required for accounting and legal compliance.

6. Your Rights & Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Data Portability: You may request your data in a portable, machine-readable format
• Opt-out of Analytics: You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the browser add-on linked above, or by declining cookies via our cookie consent banner
• Opt-out of Sale/Sharing: We do not sell your personal information. If you wish to opt out of any future data sharing, see our California Privacy Notice below

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@wherethegoatsare.com. We will acknowledge receipt of your request within 10 business days and respond within 30 days (or up to 45 days if additional time is needed, in which case we will notify you of the extension).

8. Other State Privacy Rights

If you are a resident of the following states, you have additional privacy rights:

Colorado Privacy Act (CPA)

Colorado residents have the right to opt out of targeted advertising and data sales, the right to access and correct personal data, and the right to data portability. We honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser signal as a valid opt-out mechanism for Colorado residents.

Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA)

Virginia residents have the right to access, correct, delete, and obtain a copy of their personal data. You also have the right to opt out of targeted advertising, data sales, and profiling. To exercise these rights, contact us at hello@wherethegoatsare.com.

Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA)

Connecticut residents have the right to access, correct, delete, and port personal data, and to opt out of targeted advertising and data sales. We honor the GPC signal as a valid opt-out mechanism. Connecticut residents may also designate an authorized agent to exercise rights on their behalf.

9. Children's Privacy

The Site is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. While goat yoga events may be attended by families with children, the Site itself does not facilitate event registration or collect information from event attendees. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at hello@wherethegoatsare.com and we will take steps to delete such information promptly.

9. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify affected individuals and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

10. Do Not Track & Global Privacy Control

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature. At this time, we do not respond to DNT signals. However, we do honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser signal. If your browser sends a GPC signal, we will treat it as a request to opt out of data sharing and will disable analytics tracking. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings or decline cookies via our consent banner.

11. International Users

The Site is operated for users in the United States. If you are accessing the Site from outside the US, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using the Site, you consent to this transfer. We take appropriate steps to ensure your information receives an adequate level of protection.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The most current version will always be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at hello@wherethegoatsare.com.