Privacy Policy

1. Overview

BracketFury ("we," "us," "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use the BracketFury platform. Please read it carefully.

By using BracketFury, you consent to the data practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our Platform.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

Data Type	Examples	Why We Collect It
Account Information	Username, email, password (hashed)	To create and secure your account
Profile Information	First name, last name (optional)	To personalize your experience
Bracket Data	Your picks, scores, group memberships	To run the bracket competition
Purchase Information	Shipping address, order details	To fulfill store orders
Communications	Support emails, feedback	To respond to your inquiries

Information Collected Automatically

When you use our Platform, we may automatically collect:

• Device and browser information (type, operating system, browser version)
• IP address and approximate location (country/state level only)
• Pages visited and features used
• Date and time of access
• Referring website or source

We do not collect precise GPS location data.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account
• Run bracket competitions and calculate scores
• Send tournament reminders and bracket updates (if you opted in)
• Process store purchases and ship orders
• Respond to support requests and inquiries
• Improve the Platform through usage analytics
• Detect and prevent fraud or abuse
• Comply with legal obligations

We will never use your personal information to send unsolicited marketing emails unless you have explicitly opted in.

4. Sharing Your Information

We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party service providers who assist in operating the Platform. These include payment processors (Stripe), email delivery services, and hosting providers. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and may only use it to provide services to us.

Sponsors (Public Groups Only)

If you win a prize in a sponsored public bracket, we may share your username with the Sponsor for prize fulfillment purposes only. The Sponsor will contact you through BracketFury — we do not share your email or personal details without your explicit consent.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., court orders, government requests).

5. Public Groups and Visibility

When you participate in a public bracket group, your username only is visible to other participants. Your real name, email address, location, and any other personal information are never displayed publicly.

In private groups, your username is visible only to members of that group.

Your bracket picks in private groups are visible only to members of that group. In public groups, your picks and score are visible to all participants.

6. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to maintain your login session, remember your preferences, and analyze Platform usage. The cookies we use include:

• Session cookies — keep you logged in during your visit
• Preference cookies — remember your settings and filters
• Analytics cookies — help us understand how the Platform is used (anonymized data only)

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features, including staying logged in.

7. Advertising and Minors

Because BracketFury is accessible to users as young as 13, we take specific steps to protect younger users from inappropriate advertising:

• We do not share, sell, or license personal data of users under 18 to advertisers for targeting purposes
• We do not build advertising profiles on users under 18
• All advertising shown on BracketFury is contextual only — based on the page content, not your personal data or browsing history
• We prohibit all advertising for alcohol, tobacco, gambling, adult content, firearms, and any product restricted to users 18 and older
• All advertisers and sponsors are required to sign our Advertiser Agreement confirming their content is appropriate for users aged 13 and older

If you believe an advertisement on BracketFury is inappropriate or violates these standards, please report it to support@bracketfury.com.

8. Data Security

We take data security seriously. We implement the following measures to protect your information:

• Passwords are hashed using industry-standard algorithms — we never store plain-text passwords
• All data is transmitted over HTTPS encrypted connections
• Access to user data is restricted to authorized personnel only
• Regular security audits and monitoring for suspicious activity
• Automatic daily backups of all user data

While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but will notify affected users promptly in the event of a data breach.

9. Children's Privacy

BracketFury is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, we will delete that information promptly.

Users between 13 and 17 may use the Platform with parental or guardian consent. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has created an account, please contact us at [email protected].

10. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access — You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction — You may update or correct inaccurate information in your account settings
• Deletion — You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time
• Opt-out of emails — You may unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us
• Data portability — You may request an export of your bracket data in a machine-readable format

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• The right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
• The right to delete personal information held by us
• The right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (note: we do not sell personal information)
• The right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To submit a California privacy request, contact us at [email protected].

12. Data Retention

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 90 days, except where we are required to retain it by law.

Bracket data (scores, picks, group history) may be retained in anonymized form for historical record-keeping even after account deletion.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email or by posting a prominent notice on the Platform. The date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last updated.

Your continued use of BracketFury after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

BracketFury Privacy Team
Email: