How fishinglicenseinfo.org/ Handles Personal Data — U.S. Privacy Patchwork
This Privacy Policy sets out what personal data we collect, why, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and your rights under U.S. state privacy laws — the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), the Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA), the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA), the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA), the Oregon Consumer Privacy Act (OCPA) and other state laws — plus the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
fishinglicenseinfo.org/ is an editorial guide. We do not hold, process or store any fishing-license record, license number, state-agency customer account, payment record, or any data the state agency holds about you. License records are held by the state fish and wildlife agency and its authorized vendor. For access to your license record, contact the agency directly.
What is in this notice
1. Scope and Controller
This Privacy Policy applies to fishinglicenseinfo.org/. The "business" / "controller" is fishinglicenseinfo.org/ Editorial, contactable at info@fishinglicenseinfo.org. This notice does not apply to any state fish and wildlife agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries, AFWA, any tribal authority, or any authorized retail vendor we link to. Each of those is its own controller with its own privacy notice.
2. Personal Information We Collect
| Category | Examples | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | IP address, device ID, browser user agent | Automatic when you visit |
| Internet / network activity | Pages viewed, time on page, referrer, internal searches | Automatic |
| Contact data | Email address, name (if provided), message content | You — only if you email us |
| Cookies / similar tech | See Cookie Policy | Automatic; managed by the cookie banner |
| Approximate location | City and state inferred from IP | Automatic |
| Inferences | Which state’s guide you visit (to tailor content) | Derived |
We do not collect your name, postal address, Social Security number, driver’s license number, fishing-license number, payment-card data, bank account data, biometric data, precise geolocation, or any other state-agency identifier. If you accidentally include any such data in an email to us, we delete it on receipt and ask you to take the agency-specific question to the agency itself.
3. Why We Collect It
- To operate the site — serve pages, remember cookie preferences, protect against abuse
- To understand which guides are useful — aggregated, anonymous analytics
- To respond to you when you email us a correction or inquiry
- To display non-personalized or personalized advertising depending on your consent
- To detect and prevent fraud, scraping and attacks
- To comply with legal obligations — lawful subpoenas, court orders and government information requests
5. “Sale” and “Sharing” Disclosure
However, the broad definitions of “sale” under California’s CCPA/CPRA and “sharing” under the CPRA (for cross-context behavioral advertising) can cover the disclosure of cookie-based identifiers and IP addresses to third-party advertising partners (e.g., Google AdSense) when you have not opted out. To the extent any of our cookie-based advertising falls within those definitions, you can opt out via:
- The Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser signal — we honor it as a “Do Not Sell or Share” request
- The “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link in our footer (if displayed for your state)
- The cookie banner — reject advertising cookies
- Google’s own opt-out: adssettings.google.com
6. How Long We Keep It
| Category | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Web server & security logs | 30 days |
| Aggregated GA4 analytics | 14 months |
| Email correspondence | 24 months from last interaction |
| Cookie consent records | 12 months from your choice |
| Rights-request audit trail | 3 years (state AG enforcement window) |
7. Your Rights Under State Privacy Laws
| State | Law | Key rights |
|---|---|---|
| California | CCPA (Cal. Civ. Code §1798.100 et seq.) as amended by CPRA | Know, access, delete, correct, opt-out of sale/share, limit sensitive PI, non-discrimination; private right of action for certain breaches |
| Virginia | VCDPA | Access, correct, delete, portability, opt-out of targeted advertising, sale, and certain profiling |
| Colorado | CPA | Access, correct, delete, portability, opt-out of targeted advertising, sale and certain profiling; universal opt-out signal recognition required |
| Connecticut | CTDPA | Access, correct, delete, portability, opt-out; GPC recognition required from 1 Jan 2025 |
| Utah | UCPA | Access, delete, portability, opt-out of targeted advertising and sale |
| Texas | TDPSA | Access, correct, delete, portability, opt-out |
| Oregon | OCPA | Access, correct, delete, portability, opt-out; “list of specific third parties” disclosure |
| Other states | Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Montana, Delaware, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maryland, Minnesota, Kentucky, Rhode Island, and a growing list | Similar core rights; effective dates and thresholds vary |
Where your state of residence is not listed, you may still email us and we will give the same core rights as a matter of policy.
8. How to Exercise Your Rights
Email info@fishinglicenseinfo.org with the subject “Privacy rights request” and the right you are exercising. We respond within 45 days (extendable by 45 days when necessary, with notification) as required by most U.S. state laws. We may need to verify your identity using information already in our records.
You can also designate an authorized agent. For California rights requests via an authorized agent, we require written authorization signed by you.
9. Children — COPPA
The site is not directed at children under 13. Under the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and its implementing rule (16 CFR Part 312), we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. We design the site for general audiences. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information to us, email us with the subject “COPPA / child data” and we will delete it.
For minors aged 13–15, California’s CPRA requires opt-in consent before “selling” or “sharing” their personal information, which we do not do regardless.
10. Security
We use technical and organizational measures appropriate to the limited categories of personal information we process — TLS/HTTPS in transit, encryption at rest where applicable, access controls, vendor due diligence, and a breach-response procedure aligned with state breach-notification statutes (e.g., Cal. Civ. Code §1798.82) and the FTC’s data-security guidance.
11. Changes to This Notice
We update this notice when our practices change or when U.S. law changes. The “Last reviewed” date at the top reflects the current version. Material changes are flagged on the site for 30 days.
12. Contact
For any privacy question or rights request: info@fishinglicenseinfo.org
You may also complain to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at reportfraud.ftc.gov, your state Attorney General, or (in California) the California Privacy Protection Agency at cppa.ca.gov.
Exercise a Privacy Right
Email us with the subject “Privacy rights request”. We respond within 45 days.
📧 info@fishinglicenseinfo.org