LocalFishTank.com Home

Last updated: June 28, 2026

Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how LocalFishTank ("we", "us") collects, uses, shares, and protects information about you when you use our website and services (the "Service"). By using the Service, you agree to this Policy.

1. Information we collect

Information you provide

  • Account & profile: name, display name, email address, password, profile photo, city, ZIP, state, and bio.
  • Listings: photos, descriptions, species, quantity, price, condition, and location details you choose to share.
  • Messages: messages you send to other users through the platform.
  • Meetups: meeting locations, times, and QR-confirmation events.
  • Payments: when you pay a listing fee, our payment processor (Paddle) collects your billing details. We receive a transaction reference and status — not your full card number.

Information collected automatically

  • IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, language, referrer, and timestamps.
  • Approximate location (derived from your IP and the state on your profile) for the sole purpose of enforcing same-state matching.
  • Usage data: pages viewed, listings opened, search queries, and clicks.
  • Cookies and similar technologies used for authentication and basic analytics.

2. How we use your information

  • To create and maintain your account and authenticate your sessions;
  • To operate the marketplace, including showing you in-state listings and connecting you with other users;
  • To process listing-fee payments through Paddle;
  • To enforce our Terms and detect fraud, abuse, prohibited species, or unsafe behavior;
  • To send you transactional emails (account, meetups, messages, payment receipts);
  • To improve, debug, and secure the Service;
  • To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests.

3. Legal bases (EEA / UK users)

Where applicable, we rely on: (a) performance of a contract with you, (b) our legitimate interests in operating a safe marketplace, (c) your consent where required, and (d) compliance with legal obligations.

4. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We share limited information only as follows:

  • Other users: your display name, profile photo, bio, city, state, reputation stats, and your active Listings are visible to other authenticated users.
  • Service providers: hosting, database, authentication, file storage, email delivery, and analytics vendors that process data on our behalf under contractual confidentiality.
  • Payment processor: Paddle.com Market Limited processes your listing-fee transactions. See Paddle's privacy notice.
  • Legal & safety: when required by law, subpoena, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of LocalFishTank, our users, or the public, including reporting to state wildlife agencies if a Listing violates the law.
  • Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to this Policy.

5. Cookies

We use essential cookies to keep you signed in and to remember your preferences. We may use a small set of first-party analytics cookies to understand aggregate usage. You can control cookies through your browser settings; disabling essential cookies may break sign-in.

6. Data retention

  • Account data: kept while your account is active and for up to 24 months after deletion for fraud and dispute resolution.
  • Listings & messages: kept while your account is active; deleted within 30 days of account closure unless required for an open dispute.
  • Payment records: retained as required by tax and accounting law (typically 7 years).

7. Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • Access, correct, export, or delete your personal information;
  • Object to or restrict certain processing;
  • Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
  • Opt out of marketing emails using the unsubscribe link in any message;
  • Lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.

To exercise these rights, see our Contact page. You can delete your account at any time from your profile settings.

8. Your California rights

California residents have additional rights under the CCPA/CPRA, including the right to know what personal information we collect, to delete it, to correct it, and to opt out of any "sale" or "sharing" (we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising).

9. Children

The Service is not directed to children under 18 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has provided us information, please contact us so we can delete it.

10. Security

We use industry-standard safeguards including encryption in transit (TLS), encrypted storage, hashed passwords, row-level access controls, and least-privilege server credentials. No system is perfectly secure; please use a strong, unique password and notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access.

11. International transfers

The Service is operated in the United States. If you access it from outside the U.S., your information will be transferred to and processed in the U.S., which may have different data-protection laws than your country.

12. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email or in-app notice. The "Last updated" date above will always reflect the current version.

13. Contact

To exercise a privacy right or ask a question, see our Contact page.