Privacy Policy
Effective Date: May 15, 2025
Last Updated: October 11, 2026
Welcome to Picklepedia, a reader-funded, ad-free resource built to protect and grow the game of pickleball.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your information when you visit or use picklepedia.org, app.picklepedia.org, and related online services (collectively, “Picklepedia,” “we,” “our,” or “us”).
By using Picklepedia, you agree to this Privacy Policy.
1. Who We Are
Picklepedia operates a website, a members’ app, and digital tools for players, coaches, clubs, and pickleball enthusiasts.
For any questions or requests about your privacy or data:
📧 serve@picklepedia.org
2. Information We Collect
a. Account and Profile Information
- Name and email address
- Google account name, email, and user ID (if you sign in with Google)
- Profile photo (if uploaded)
- Pickleball skill level, goals, and location (city/region, if provided)
- Your answers to onboarding and coaching questions
- Notification and email preferences
b. Activity and Content You Create
- Articles and reports you read, reading time, and saved articles
- Quiz answers, scores, and your Pickleball IQ score
- Coaching reflections, session plans, commitments, and coaching letters
- Community posts, replies, chat messages, and direct messages
- Reviews, star ratings, feedback, and contact form messages
- Challenge, drill, and activity progress, and Pickleballs (points) earned
c. Membership and Payment Information
- Membership tier (Bronze, Silver, or Gold), billing period, and status
- Donation and payment amounts, dates, and history
- Discount or offer codes used
- Licence details for coaches and clubs
Card details are entered directly with our payment processor. Picklepedia never sees or stores your full card number.
d. Technical and Usage Data
- Browser type, device information, and IP address (including approximate country, for example to show prices in your currency)
- Pages viewed, buttons clicked, time on site, and referral links
- Session recordings and heatmaps of how pages are used
- Cookie data (see Section 7)
We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal data such as health records, government IDs, or financial account numbers.
3. How We Use Your Information
- Provide, operate, and improve Picklepedia’s website, app, and tools
- Authenticate you and manage your account and membership
- Process payments, manage subscriptions, and send receipts
- Personalise your experience, including reading lists, quizzes, IQ scores, and coaching plans
- Generate AI-powered coaching letters, plans, quizzes, and video analysis (see Section 6)
- Show community features such as leaderboards, member photos, and the community map (see Section 5d)
- Send service messages, reminders, and optional newsletters
- Understand usage, test page designs, and measure what works
- Maintain security and prevent fraud and abuse
- Comply with legal, tax, and accounting requirements
We never sell your personal data.
4. Google Sign-In (OAuth Login)
When you use Google Sign-In, Picklepedia receives only your name, your email address, and your Google user ID.
This data is used only for authentication and account management. We do not access your Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, contacts, or any other Google data.
Your Google account data is stored securely and kept only as long as necessary. It is never sold or shared with advertisers, and it can be deleted on request.
We comply with the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.
5. Memberships, Donations, and Payments
a. Payment Processing
All payments are processed securely by Stripe, including card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Stripe handles your payment details under its own privacy policy. Picklepedia does not store or have access to your full card information.
b. Recurring Memberships
Memberships (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) are billed monthly or annually and renew automatically until you cancel. You can manage or cancel your membership at any time from your Profile page.
c. Record Retention
We keep payment records only as long as needed to provide receipts and support, maintain accurate accounting and tax records, and detect and prevent fraud.
d. Public Profiles and Where Your Photo Appears
Picklepedia is a community. When you create an app account, your first name or display name, profile photo, and (if provided) skill level and city/region may be shown to other members and website visitors in places such as:
- The “recent members” strip on article sign-up gates
- Website sections such as What’s Hot, New Articles, reading lists, and leaderboards
- Leaderboards, Pickleball IQ scores, and achievement popups
- The community map (city/region only, never your exact address)
- Community posts, replies, and chat
- Member and donor badges, and “recent supporter” notices
Reviews and testimonials are only shown publicly, with your name and photo, if you tick the box giving us permission.
Photos in these places are usually small thumbnails. Your email address, payment details, and private coaching content are never shown publicly.
Your privacy options:
- Choose “Support anonymously” when you join or donate, to keep your name and photo off supporter displays
- Update or remove your profile photo at any time from your Profile
- Ask us to make your profile private or anonymised, or to remove it, by emailing serve@picklepedia.org
6. AI-Powered Features
Some features use artificial intelligence and are linked to our article content, including coaching letters and plans, article coaching, quizzes. To provide them, the relevant content (for example your reflections, answers, skill level, or uploaded videos) is sent to AI service providers for processing.
These providers process the data only to return results to us, and not to advertise to you. AI-generated content is for general guidance only and is not professional, medical, or fitness advice.
7. Cookies, Analytics, and Tracking
We use cookies and similar technologies to:
- Keep you logged in and remember your preferences
- Recognise you across picklepedia.org and app.picklepedia.org, for example so we don’t ask existing members to sign up or donate again (these cookies may hold your email address and membership status)
- Run page design tests and measure what works
- Analyse traffic and performance
We use analytics, session recording, and advertising measurement tools to understand how pages are used and to measure the results of our own promotions. These tools collect data such as pages visited, clicks, device type, and approximate region.
You can manage or disable cookies in your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some features, such as staying logged in.
8. Third-Party Services
We work with trusted service providers who help us run Picklepedia. They fall into these categories:
| Category | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| Payment processor (Stripe) | Payments and subscriptions | Name, email, payment and membership details |
| Hosting, database and storage providers | Running the website and app, storing files and videos | Account data, uploaded files, technical data |
| Sign-in provider (Google) | Logging in with Google | Name, email, Google user ID |
| AI service providers | Coaching letters, plans, quizzes, video analysis and narration | Only the content needed for the feature (e.g. reflections, answers, uploaded videos) |
| Analytics and session recording tools | Understanding how pages are used and measuring our own promotions | Usage, click and device data |
| Email and messaging providers | Account emails, newsletters, chat and notifications | Name, email, messages |
| Mapping providers | Community map and court search | City/region |
Each provider uses the data only to perform its service for us and must protect it under its own privacy terms. A list of our current providers is available on request at serve@picklepedia.org.
9. Coaches and Clubs
If you connect with a coach or club through Picklepedia, that coach may see the progress, content, and activity you share with them inside the app. Coaches and clubs that hold a Picklepedia licence handle their own students’ information under their own responsibility.
10. Data Retention and Security
We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purposes above, or as required by law. Security measures include:
- SSL/TLS encryption for all transmitted data
- Secure hosting environments
- Access restricted to authorised personnel
- Regular security reviews
While we take strong precautions, no online system is 100% secure.
11. Your Rights
You may:
- Request access to your personal information
- Ask for corrections or deletion
- Withdraw consent for marketing emails (every email includes an unsubscribe link)
- Request that payment data be anonymised, except where we must keep it by law
- Request that your public profile be made private or removed
- Cancel your membership at any time
To make a request, email serve@picklepedia.org.
California (CCPA/CPRA): We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising beyond measuring our own promotions. You have the right to know, delete, correct, and opt out.
EU/UK (GDPR): You may exercise rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, and objection, and you may complain to your local data protection authority.
12. Children’s Privacy
Picklepedia is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from them. If we discover such information, we will delete it promptly.
13. International Data Transfers
Our systems and providers may operate in the United States and other countries. By using Picklepedia, you consent to your data being transferred to and processed in countries whose data protection laws may differ from yours. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will change the “Last Updated” date above and, for significant changes, notify members by email or in the app.