The Beach Directory

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 10, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to The Beach Directory (“we,” “our,” or “us”). We are committed to protecting your privacy and the information you share with us while visiting our website. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website thebeachdirectory.com (the “Site”).

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the Site. By accessing or using our Site, you signify that you acknowledge, accept, and agree to our Privacy Policy.

2. Who We Are

Our website address is: https://thebeachdirectory.com.

3. Information We Collect

Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

  • Register for an account
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Fill out a contact form
  • Leave comments on beach listings
  • Participate in surveys or contests
  • Submit beach reviews or photos

This information may include:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Mailing address
  • Beach preferences and interests

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.

An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Media

If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.

Non-Personal Information

We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use, or navigate our Site. This information does not reveal your specific identity but may include:

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Device type
  • Operating system
  • Pages visited
  • Time and date of your visit
  • Time spent on pages
  • Referring website address
  • Geographic location (country or city level only)

Cookies and Similar Technologies

If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.

If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.

If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.

We also use other types of cookies:

  • Essential cookies: Required for the operation of our Site
  • Analytical/performance cookies: Allow us to recognize and count visitors and analyze Site traffic
  • Functionality cookies: Enable us to remember your preferences
  • Targeting cookies: Record your visit to our Site, the pages you visit, and the links you follow

Embedded Content From Other Websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including to:

  • Provide, operate, and maintain our Site
  • Improve and personalize your experience on our Site
  • Understand how visitors use our Site
  • Develop new features and functionality
  • Communicate with you about our services and updates
  • Send newsletters and marketing communications
  • Respond to your comments, questions, and requests
  • Monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities
  • Detect, prevent, and address technical issues
  • Protect the security and integrity of our Site

5. How We Share Your Information

We may share your information in the following situations:

  • With Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party vendors, service providers, and other business partners who perform services on our behalf.
  • Business Transfers: If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information where required to comply with applicable law, governmental requests, a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process.
  • With Your Consent: We may disclose your information for any other purpose with your consent.

If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.

6. How Long We Retain Your Data

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

7. What Rights You Have Over Your Data

If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

8. Where Your Data Is Sent

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.

9. Third-Party Websites

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

10. WordPress Specific Information

As our Site is built on WordPress, we use certain WordPress plugins and features that may collect additional information:

  • WordPress Comments: When visitors leave comments on the Site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
  • WordPress Analytics: We may use WordPress analytics plugins to track site usage.
  • WordPress Contact Forms: Information submitted through contact forms is stored in our WordPress database.

11. Beach Directory Specific Data Collection

As a beach-focused website, we may collect additional information related to:

  • Favorite beach locations
  • Beach visit history and preferences
  • Beach amenities you’re interested in
  • Beach ratings and reviews you submit

This information is used to provide personalized content, recommendations, and beach-related resources.

12. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:

  • The right to access personal information we hold about you
  • The right to request correction of inaccurate information
  • The right to request deletion of your personal information
  • The right to object to processing of your personal information
  • The right to data portability
  • The right to withdraw consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided below.

13. Data Security

We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, please also remember that we cannot guarantee that the internet itself is 100% secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our Site is at your own risk.

14. Children’s Privacy

Our Site is not intended for individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

15. Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “Last Updated” date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

The Beach Directory Email: privacy@thebeachdirectory.com Phone: [Your Phone Number] Address: [Your Business Address]

14. California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have specific rights regarding your personal information under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). For more information about your California privacy rights, please contact us using the information provided above.

15. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to, and maintained on, computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction. If you are located outside the United States and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the information to the United States and process it there.

16. Consent

By using our Site, you consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Site.