Privacy Policy

Secret Swimming Holes (“we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect when you use our website, how we use it, and the choices you have. We do not sell your personal information.

1. Information we collect

Information you provide

• If you contact us, we receive what you send — such as your name, email address, subject, message, and any location details you include.
• If you subscribe for a swimming-hole guide or updates, we receive your email address, the town or guide associated with the signup, the source page, and the time you gave consent.
• We do not require an account to browse the directory.

Information collected automatically

• Like most websites, our host or infrastructure may log technical data such as IP address, browser type, device type, referring page, and approximate access time.
• To limit automated form abuse, we temporarily store a rotating one-way identifier derived from the submitting IP address. We do not store the raw IP address in our forms database.
• We may use privacy-friendly analytics that collect aggregated usage data to measure traffic and improve the Site. See Section 4 for cookies.

2. How we use your information

• Respond to questions, corrections, and new-location submissions you send us.
• Deliver requested swimming-hole guides, subscription confirmations, and occasional trip updates.
• Operate, maintain, and improve the Site and directory content.
• Protect the Site against abuse, spam, and security threats.
• Comply with applicable law or enforce our Terms of Service.

3. How we share your information

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may share limited data only when:

• Service providers help us run the Site (for example, hosting or email delivery) under confidentiality obligations.
• We believe disclosure is required by law, court order, or to protect rights, safety, or security.
• You give us clear permission to share something you submitted (for example, publishing a credited photo).

4. Cookies and similar technologies

The Site may use essential cookies or local storage needed for basic functionality, analytics cookies to understand aggregated traffic, and advertising cookies when we show display ads.

The newsletter popup uses session storage to remember that it was shown during your current browser session. If you subscribe, local storage remembers that choice so we do not keep showing the form.

Display advertising on this Site is managed by Mediavine. We do not run Google AdSense or other competing programmatic ad networks alongside Mediavine. See the Mediavine Programmatic Advertising section below for cookies, data collected for personalized ads, partner disclosures, and opt-out links. You can also read our Cookie Policy.

You can also control or disable cookies in your browser settings. Blocking advertising cookies may reduce ad personalization but will not remove all ads.

Mediavine Programmatic Advertising (Ver 1.1)

The Website works with Mediavine to manage third-party interest-based advertising appearing on the Website. Mediavine serves content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use first and third-party cookies. A cookie is a small text file which is sent to your computer or mobile device (referred to in this policy as a “device”) by the web server so that a website can remember some information about your browsing activity on the Website.

First party cookies are created by the website that you are visiting. A third-party cookie is frequently used in behavioral advertising and analytics and is created by a domain other than the website you are visiting. Third-party cookies, tags, pixels, beacons and other similar technologies (collectively, “Tags”) may be placed on the Website to monitor interaction with advertising content and to target and optimize advertising. Each internet browser has functionality so that you can block both first and third-party cookies and clear your browser’s cache. The “help” feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to receive notification of new cookies, how to disable existing cookies and how to clear your browser’s cache. For more information about cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information at All About Cookies.

Without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website content and features. Please note that rejecting cookies does not mean that you will no longer see ads when you visit our Site. In the event you opt-out, you will still see non-personalized advertisements on the Website.

The Website collects the following data using a cookie when serving personalized ads:

• IP Address
• Operating System type
• Operating System version
• Device Type
• Language of the website
• Web browser type
• Email (in hashed form)

Mediavine Partners (companies listed below with whom Mediavine shares data) may also use this data to link to other end user information the partner has independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements. Mediavine Partners may also separately collect data about end users from other sources, such as advertising IDs or pixels, and link that data to data collected from Mediavine publishers in order to provide interest-based advertising across your online experience, including devices, browsers and apps. This data includes usage data, cookie information, device information, information about interactions between users and advertisements and websites, geolocation data, traffic data, and information about a visitor’s referral source to a particular website. Mediavine Partners may also create unique IDs to create audience segments, which are used to provide targeted advertising.

If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices to opt-in or opt-out of this data collection, please visit National Advertising Initiative opt out page. You may also visit Digital Advertising Alliance website and Network Advertising Initiative website to learn more information about interest-based advertising. You may download the AppChoices app at Digital Advertising Alliance’s AppChoices app to opt out in connection with mobile apps, or use the platform controls on your mobile device to opt out.

For specific information about Mediavine Partners, the data each collects and their data collection and privacy policies, please visit Mediavine Partners.

5. Data retention

We keep contact messages and related correspondence only as long as needed to handle your inquiry, maintain records of corrections, or meet legal obligations, then delete or anonymize them when practical.

We keep active subscriber details until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them. Short-lived abuse-prevention identifiers expire automatically. Form records are stored in restricted, non-public database storage provided through our hosting account.

6. Data security

We use reasonable administrative and technical measures to protect information we hold. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict certain processing of your personal information. To make a request, email [email protected] with “Privacy request” in the subject line. You may withdraw newsletter consent at any time by replying to a subscription email or contacting us. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.

8. Children’s privacy

The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has contacted us with personal data, please let us know so we can delete it.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version is always on this page with the date shown in the header. Continued use of the Site after changes means you accept the updated policy.

10. Contact us

Privacy questions or requests? Email [email protected] or use our contact form.