Privacy Policy
Last updated September 21, 2026
This explains what The Bait Shop, run by Hated Gaming, collects about you and what we do with it. The short version: we collect very little, we don't show your identity on the site, we don't sell your data, and we don't run ads or trackers.
What we collect
- Your email address. You give it to sign in with a link. We use it only to send you that link and to run your account. It is never shown on the site.
- Your reports. The text, the lake, the optional spot and fish you name, and the time. Your account is linked to each report so we can stop spam and remove bad posts, but the site never shows who wrote a report.
- Your favorites. The lakes and rivers you save, linked to your account so they show up on your Favorites page and in your weekly email if you turn that on.
- Markers you add. If you add a boat launch, pier, parking spot or hazard to a lake, we store its name, its kind, and its position rounded to about 100 meters. It is a public place, not your location. Your account is linked to it so we can stop abuse, but it is never shown.
- Your activity as a member. Later this includes votes you cast and flags you raise, so we can stop abuse.
- Basic technical data. Our hosts keep server logs with things like your IP address, browser type and the pages requested. We use them to keep the site running and secure.
What we do not collect
- Your location. If you tap "Sort by near me", your phone works out the distance to each lake inside your browser. Your location is not sent to us or saved. We also never ask for or store GPS coordinates in reports.
- Your name, phone number, photos, or payment details.
- Advertising or tracking data. We use no analytics or ad cookies today.
Why we use it
To let you sign in, to show reports, to protect the site from spam and abuse, to enforce our Terms, and to keep the site working and secure. We don't use your data for advertising, and we don't sell it or share it for others to advertise to you.
Who else handles it
These companies process data for us so the site can run:
- Supabase, which hosts our database and sign-in. Our database is in Canada (Central).
- Vercel, which hosts the website and keeps server logs. Its servers are mainly in the United States.
- OpenFreeMap, which supplies the map pictures. When you open the map page, your browser loads map tiles directly from OpenFreeMap, so it sees your IP address and the area you are looking at. It is based on OpenStreetMap data.
We will update this page before adding any other service that handles personal information, such as email delivery or bot protection. We may also share information if the law requires it, or to protect people from harm.
Bot protection
To keep out spam bots, the sign-in and posting forms use Cloudflare Turnstile. It runs a quick check in your browser and sends Cloudflare technical information such as your IP address, browser details and how the page was used. We use the result only to decide whether a person is behind the request.
Weekly email
If you turn on the weekly report in your account, we use your email address to send it, through our email provider Resend. It is a short text email with an unsubscribe link, and you can stop it any time. We don't use your address for anything else.
Saved on your phone
So the site works with weak signal, your browser keeps copies of lake pages you have viewed and any report you started or wrote offline. These stay on your device. Reports waiting to send are sent to us when you are back online. Signing out clears the saved pages.
Cookies
We only use the cookies needed to keep you signed in. See the Cookie Notice for details.
How long we keep it
Reports leave public view when they expire, but we keep them in our database, without your name on them publicly, to run the site and prevent abuse. We keep your account until you ask us to delete it. Server logs are kept for a short time by our hosts.
Your choices and rights
You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you, correct it, or have it deleted, and you can ask us to stop using it in ways you don't want. Email doustd@gmail.com from the address on your account and we will answer within 45 days. We will not treat you differently for asking.
Depending on where you live, such as Minnesota, California and some other states, you have specific privacy rights under state law. If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we handle your data because it is needed to run your account and for our legitimate interest in running and protecting the site. Data may be processed outside your country, including in the United States. You can also complain to your local data protection authority.
Children
The site is not for children under 13. We don't knowingly collect information from them. If you think a child under 13 has signed up, email us and we will delete the account.
Security
We use HTTPS, and we keep access to the database locked down so the public can only read reports that are meant to be public. No system is perfectly secure, so we can't promise absolute safety.
Changes
If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will change the date above and say so on the site.