CampfireChat is built around one principle: the people in your group — especially young people — deserve a private, safe space to communicate.
1. Who We Are
CampfireChat ("CampfireChat," "we," "us," or "our") operates CampfireChat.io and the CampfireChat mobile application (together, the "Platform"). The Platform provides private, closed-group communication tools for vetted youth-serving organizations (each a "Campground"), such as scout troops, youth sports teams, clubs, and camps.
All servers and data storage are located in the United States.
Tidewater Consulting Group of Virginia LLC
1820 Templeton Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23454
Privacy Contact: admin@campfirechat.io
2. Our Core Privacy Commitment
We do not run ads. We do not sell data. We do not share participant information with any third party for commercial purposes. Every design decision on CampfireChat begins with protecting the privacy and safety of young people.
CampfireChat is a closed platform. There is no public profile, no public feed, and no ability for outsiders to discover or contact members. Every person on the Platform has been specifically invited by a vetted organization leader, with parental consent required for all youth participants.
3. How the Platform Works
CampfireChat uses a three-tier model:
| Role | Who They Are | How They Join |
|---|---|---|
| Owner / Organizer | An adult leader of a recognized youth organization (e.g., a Scout troop leader) | Applies and is manually vetted by CampfireChat, including verification of credentials such as an organizational membership credential |
| Admin / Leader Members | Other adult leaders within the organization | Explicitly invited by the Campground owner |
| Youth Participants | Members aged 10 and older | Invitation sent to the parent's or guardian's email; parent provides consent and accepts on behalf of the youth |
There is no self-registration path. No one — adult or youth — can join a Campground without an explicit invitation from an authorized organizer.
4. Information We Collect
4.1 Organizers and Adult Leaders
- Full name and email address (used as account identifier)
- Organization name and role
- Verification credentials provided during vetting (e.g., an organizational membership credential) — used solely for identity verification and not shared
- Account credentials (email and securely hashed password)
4.2 Youth Participants
We intentionally collect the minimum information necessary:
- First name and last initial only — no full last name is stored
- The parent's or guardian's email address (used for the invitation and consent process)
- Messages and files posted within the Campground
We do not collect date of birth, home address, phone number, school, or any other personally identifying information about youth participants beyond what is listed above.
4.3 Communications Content
Messages, announcements, and files shared within a Campground are stored to provide the communication service. This content is visible only to members of that specific Campground and is not accessible to the public or to CampfireChat staff except where required to investigate a safety or legal matter.
4.4 Technical and Operational Data
We collect limited technical data to operate, secure, and improve the Platform. This includes: IP addresses (used for security, fraud prevention, and abuse detection); browser type, operating system, and app version; session timestamps; and app error and crash data.
We also collect anonymized usage events — such as application installs, logins, feature interactions (for example, posting a message or sharing a file), and page or screen views — to understand how the Platform is being used and where it can be improved. These events are recorded without any advertising identifiers and are not linked to a member's identity for any commercial purpose.
All analytics and crash reporting described above are processed exclusively on infrastructure we operate and control. No usage data is sent to third-party analytics companies or advertising networks. We do not build behavioral profiles or use this data for advertising.
5. Children's Privacy & Parental Consent
Parents and guardians are in control. Youth participants (ages 10 and older) are added to the Platform only with the explicit consent of a parent or legal guardian. No minor can self-register.
5.1 Consent Process
When an organizer invites a youth participant, the invitation is sent exclusively to the email address of the youth's parent or guardian — not to the youth directly. The parent or guardian must affirmatively accept the invitation and acknowledge this Privacy Policy before the youth receives any access to the Platform.
5.2 Minimum Age
The Platform is designed for youth participants aged 10 years and older. We do not knowingly enroll children under age 10. If we become aware that a participant under age 10 has been added, we will remove their account and notify the Campground organizer.
5.3 Parental Access and Deletion
Parents or guardians may at any time request to review, correct, or remove their child's information. The Campground organizer can remove a youth member's account directly. Alternatively, contact us at admin@campfirechat.io and we will respond within 30 days.
5.4 COPPA Compliance
We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Because we do not collect information directly from children — all enrollment and consent flows through the parent's email and requires explicit parental acceptance — CampfireChat is designed to operate within COPPA's framework.
6. Youth Safety Principles
CampfireChat is designed around established youth protection philosophies used by youth-serving organizations nationwide. These principles are not just guidelines — they are built into the architecture of the Platform.
Two-Deep Leadership: All communication channels require at least two adult leaders to be present. Private one-on-one messaging between an adult and a youth is not permitted by the Platform.
No One-on-One Communication: The Platform does not allow private direct messages between individual users. All communication occurs in group channels visible to the organization's leadership.
No Private Groups: Sub-groups or channels cannot be created in a way that excludes adult oversight. Every communication space within a Campground is visible to all admin members.
6.1 Organizational Visibility
Any admin or leader member of a Campground can see any message or file posted within that Campground. This transparency is intentional and is a core safety feature — there are no hidden conversations within a Campground.
6.2 Organizer Vetting
CampfireChat manually vets every Campground owner before granting access to the Platform. This includes verification of organizational credentials (such as an organizational membership credential). We do not permit self-service Campground creation without completing this verification step.
7. Cookies & Authentication
We use strictly functional cookies only. These are necessary to authenticate users and operate the Platform securely. No advertising, tracking, or analytics cookies are used.
| Cookie Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Auth Token | Verifies your identity on each request while actively using the Platform | 15 minutes (refreshed automatically while your session is active) |
| Refresh Token | Allows the Platform to issue a new auth token without requiring you to log in again | 30 days |
| CSRF Token | Protects against cross-site request forgery attacks | Session |
We do not use third-party cookies. No external ad networks, analytics platforms, or social media trackers have any presence on CampfireChat.io.
8. Mobile Application
The CampfireChat app is available on iOS and Android. It communicates exclusively with our own servers. We do not include any third-party advertising SDKs, behavioral analytics SDKs, or data-sharing libraries in the app.
The only external communication the app performs beyond our servers is with Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) and Google Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) to deliver push notifications, if you choose to grant that permission.
8.1 Device Permissions
| Permission | Purpose | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Push Notifications | To alert you to new messages in your Campground | No — optional. The app works fully without this permission. |
| Photos / Files | To allow you to select and upload photos or documents to share with your group | No — optional. Only requested at the moment you choose to share a file. |
We do not request access to your camera roll in bulk, your contacts, your location, your microphone, or any other device data.
9. Payments & Billing
CampfireChat is currently offered at no charge. No payment information is collected at this time.
If we introduce paid plans in the future, this policy will be updated before any payment processing begins. At that time, we intend to use a third-party payment processor, meaning payment card data will be entered directly with the processor and will never be stored on our servers. We will notify existing users before implementing any billing.
10. How We Use Information
We use the information we collect solely to:
- Operate, secure, and improve the Platform
- Authenticate users and maintain secure sessions
- Deliver messages and files within a Campground
- Send push notifications (if enabled by the user)
- Send transactional emails — account invitations, consent confirmations, and system notices — via our email provider
- Analyze anonymized usage patterns and crash reports, processed on our own infrastructure, to identify bugs and improve the Platform experience
- Investigate and respond to safety, abuse, or legal matters
- Comply with applicable law
We do not use data for advertising, marketing, or automated profiling. Usage analytics are processed entirely on infrastructure we control and are never shared with third-party analytics or advertising services.
11. Sharing & Third Parties
We do not sell, rent, or trade any personal information. We share limited data only with the following service providers, who are contractually prohibited from using your data for any purpose other than providing services to CampfireChat:
| Provider | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Hosting (USA) | Infrastructure and data storage | All Platform data, stored encrypted |
| PurelyMail | Sending invitation, consent, and system emails | Recipient email address and message content only |
| Apple (APNS) | iOS push notifications | Device push token and notification payload |
| Google (FCM) | Android push notifications | Device push token and notification payload |
No data is shared with advertising networks, data brokers, analytics companies, or any third party for commercial purposes.
11.1 Legal Requirements
We may disclose information if required by valid legal process (such as a court order or subpoena) or to protect the immediate safety of our users or the public. We will notify affected users when legally permitted to do so.
11.2 Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of substantially all assets, user data may be transferred. We will provide notice before any such transfer and will require the receiving party to honor commitments at least as protective as this policy. Youth data will be afforded particular care in any such event.
12. Data Retention & Anonymization
12.1 Active Members
Data is retained while a member has an active account within a Campground.
12.2 When a Member Leaves or Is Removed
When a youth participant or adult member leaves or is removed from a Campground, their real name is anonymized in all historical messages and posts. The content of prior communications is retained to preserve the integrity of group records, but it is no longer attributable to an identifiable person. The former member's account credentials are deleted.
12.3 When a Campground Is Closed
When a Campground is closed, all member accounts associated with that Campground are deleted, all messages, posts, and files within that Campground are permanently deleted, and deletion is completed within 30 days of the shutdown request.
12.4 Retention Summary
| Data Type | Retention |
|---|---|
| Active member account data | Retained while the member is active in a Campground |
| Messages and files (after member departure) | Retained but name is anonymized; content remains for group record |
| Messages and files (after Campground closure) | Deleted within 30 days of closure |
| Security and access logs | 90 days |
| Anonymized usage event logs | 12 months rolling |
| Organizer vetting records | Duration of Campground existence plus one year |
13. Your Rights & Choices
13.1 Organizers and Leaders
You may access, update, or close your account at any time through the Platform. Campground owners may also export a full archive of their Campground's data directly through the Platform at any time before closure. To request deletion of your data, contact us at admin@campfirechat.io.
13.2 Youth Participants and Their Parents
Parents or guardians have the right to review, correct, or request removal of their child's information at any time. The Campground organizer can remove a youth member's account directly. Alternatively, contact us at admin@campfirechat.io and we will respond within 30 days.
13.3 California Residents (CCPA)
California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, to request deletion, and to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your rights, contact admin@campfirechat.io.
13.4 Other Jurisdictions
While our servers are located in the United States, we respect the rights of users in other jurisdictions and will honor requests for access, correction, deletion, and portability to the extent practicable.
14. Security
We implement industry-standard security measures appropriate for a platform serving youth:
- Encryption of all data in transit using TLS/HTTPS
- Encryption of data at rest
- Secure, salted, and hashed password storage — we never store plaintext passwords
- Access controls that limit data access to authorized personnel only
- Closed, invitation-only platform architecture that prevents unauthorized access
- Regular security reviews
If you believe there has been unauthorized access to your account or our systems, contact us immediately at admin@campfirechat.io.
15. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes — particularly any changes affecting how youth data is handled — we will notify Campground owners by email before the changes take effect and update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage Campground owners to share material changes with the parents of their youth participants.
16. Contact Us
For questions, concerns, data requests, or reports of potential privacy or safety issues, please contact our designated Privacy Contact:
CampfireChat Privacy Contact
Email: admin@campfirechat.io
Mail: Tidewater Consulting Group of Virginia LLC, 1820 Templeton Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23454
Response time: within 30 days of receipt
This policy was last reviewed on April 22, 2026. CampfireChat is committed to maintaining the trust of the families and organizations we serve.