Privacy Policy

We collect the following categories of information:

• Account information. Email address, password (hashed), display name, and — if you sign in with Google — your Google account identifier and profile basics.
• Profile content. Bio, avatar, and any information you choose to add to your public writer/reader profile.
• User content. Articles, comments, likes, chat messages, and uploaded images.
• Usage data. Pages visited, referrers, device and browser information, and aggregated analytics events.
• Cookies & local storage. Used to keep you signed in and remember preferences.

• Operate the Service, including authentication, publishing, comments, likes, and notifications.
• Send transactional emails (assignments, password resets, notification digests).
• Improve product quality, debug issues, and prevent abuse.
• Comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information.

The Service includes the following features. This list is maintained alongside the product so it stays accurate as we ship new functionality:

• Accounts & Roles. Email/password and Google sign-in. Users may be readers, writers, photographers, or admins. Roles are assigned by admins.
• Articles & Assignments. Writers receive assignments, draft articles, and publish them. Admins can edit and assign coverage. Article pages display a public count of unique article views.
• Photographer Photo Sharing. Photographers assigned to a match can upload photos to a private, per-match library accessible only to the assigned photographer, assigned writer, and admins. Photos are served via short-lived signed links.
• Article Translation. Registered, signed-in users can translate published articles into supported languages using an AI translation provider. Article text is sent to the provider to generate the translation. Administrators can enable or disable this feature.
• Coverage Sections. Dedicated coverage sections including the 2028 Summer Olympics and Imagine That U (college sports), with associated event, team, athlete, venue, and results pages.
• Comments & Likes. Signed-in users can comment on and like articles. Authors and admins receive notifications about activity on their own work.
• Notifications. In-app notifications surface assignments, comments, and likes. Email notifications may be sent for select events; you can unsubscribe at any time.
• Game Chat. Live, per-game chat rooms for signed-in users while games are in progress.
• Live Scores & Stats. Public game data, standings, and player stats sourced from third-party sports data providers.
• Image Storage. Writers and admins can upload article images. Images are stored on our backend and served publicly when attached to published content.
• Analytics. We collect aggregated, privacy-respecting usage analytics to improve the product.

• Service providers. Hosting, database, email delivery, and analytics vendors who process data on our behalf under contractual safeguards.
• Sports data providers. Public game, team, and player data is sourced from third-party APIs; we do not share your personal data with them.
• AI translation providers. When a signed-in user requests a translation, the article text is sent to our AI translation provider to generate the translated content. No account information is included in these requests.
• Legal. If required by law, subpoena, or to protect the rights, safety, and security of users or the Service.
• Business transfers. In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

Published articles, comments, likes, public profile fields, and uploaded article images are visible to the public and indexable by search engines. Do not include information in public content that you do not want others to see.

• Access, update, or delete your account by contacting us.
• Unsubscribe from email notifications via the link in any email.
• Manage optional cookies anytime via “Cookie preferences” in the site footer. Optional analytics and functional cookies stay off unless you turn them on; ITS does not use advertising cookies. You can also disable cookies in your browser (the Service may not function fully).
• Residents of California, the EEA, or the UK may have additional rights under applicable law (CCPA/CPRA, GDPR).

We retain account and content data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. We may retain limited information to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

We use industry-standard safeguards including encryption in transit, hashed passwords, and row-level access controls. No system is perfectly secure; you use the Service at your own risk.

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.

We update this Policy as the Service evolves. When we add or change features that affect data processing, we revise the feature list above and update the "Last updated" date and version at the top of this page. Material changes will be highlighted on the Service or sent via email where appropriate.

Questions? Email hello@imaginethatsports.org.