Legal
Privacy Policy
Effective January 1, 2026. This policy explains what we collect, why, and your choices.
Owner review before launch
This is a good-faith working draft written to reflect actual site practices. It is not legal advice. Have an attorney review before you go live, especially if you serve customers outside the U.S., collect information from minors, or add new integrations.
1. Who we are
Carolina Preparedness ("we," "us," or "our") provides preparedness, survival, safety, and firearms training in North Carolina and operates the website at carolinapreparedness.com and related subdomains (the "Site"). Questions? Contact us at info@carolinapreparedness.com.
2. Information we collect
We collect only what we need to run classes and communicate with you:
- Account and profile: name, email, phone number, and (when you create one) password credentials managed by our authentication provider.
- Registration details: student names, ages/age groups where applicable, contact information, class selections, notes you provide, and policy acknowledgments.
- Payment information: processed directly by Stripe. We do not receive or store full card numbers, CVV codes, or bank credentials. We retain the transaction ID, amount, and status.
- Communications: emails you send us, newsletter sign-ups, contact-form messages, and our responses.
- Site usage: pages viewed, referring URL, approximate location (country/region/city derived from IP), browser, operating system, and device type. We use this to understand traffic and improve the Site.
- Cookies and similar technologies: essential cookies to keep you signed in and remember cart/registration state, plus limited analytics identifiers.
3. How we use your information
- Provide, schedule, and deliver classes and services.
- Process payments, issue receipts, refunds, and certificates.
- Send transactional messages (confirmations, reminders, class updates, waitlist offers).
- Send marketing emails and newsletters when you opt in — you can unsubscribe at any time.
- Respond to questions and provide customer support.
- Operate, secure, and improve the Site and detect fraud or abuse.
- Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms.
4. Legal bases
Where required by law, we rely on your consent (newsletter, non-essential cookies), performance of a contract (registrations and class delivery), our legitimate interests (site security, product improvement), and legal obligations (tax and records).
5. Sharing your information
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with:
- Service providers that help us operate the Site and business, including our hosting and database provider, payment processor (Stripe), email delivery (Amazon SES), and analytics/mapping services. Each is bound by contract to protect your data.
- Instructors and staff for the classes you register for (attendee list, contact info, notes relevant to safety).
- Legal and safety disclosures when we reasonably believe disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect people, property, or rights.
- Business transfers if we merge, sell, or reorganize the business.
6. Data retention
We keep registration and transaction records for as long as needed to run the business and meet legal, accounting, and tax obligations (typically up to 7 years). Marketing lists are retained until you unsubscribe. Site analytics data is retained on a rolling basis.
7. Security
We use industry-standard measures — encrypted connections (HTTPS), managed hosting with row-level access controls, hashed credentials, and vendor security programs — to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8. Your choices and rights
- Access, correct, or delete your account information by emailing us.
- Opt out of marketing emails via the unsubscribe link in any newsletter or by contacting us.
- Disable non-essential cookies through your browser.
- Residents of California, Virginia, Colorado, and other states with consumer-privacy laws, and residents of the EEA/UK, may have additional rights (e.g., portability, restriction, appeal). Contact us to exercise them; we will verify your identity before responding.
9. Children
The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. Youth and family classes require enrollment by a parent or legal guardian, who provides any information about the participating minor.
10. Third-party links
The Site may link to third-party sites we do not control. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. We will post the new effective date at the top and, for material changes, provide additional notice (such as a banner or email).
12. Contact us
Carolina Preparedness — info@carolinapreparedness.com.