Radgarden Privacy Policy

The short version

We built Radgarden on a simple promise: you are not the product. So here's the whole thing in plain language, before the detailed version below.

• ✦ We collect the least we can.
• ✦ We never sell or rent your personal information, and never share it for anyone else's marketing.
• ✦ We run no advertising and use no ad trackers.
• ✦ Our website analytics tool is privacy-first and doesn't use tracking cookies.
• ✦ We choose Canadian providers wherever we can.
• ✦ Your exact address is never shown publicly on Radgarden.
• ✦ You can see, correct, or delete your information anytime by emailing us.

The rest of this page is the detailed version.

1. Who we are

Radgarden is operated by Radgarden Community Network ("Radgarden," "we," "us," "our"), based in Alberta, Canada. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why, how we protect it, and the choices you have.

We follow Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) andAlberta's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), and we've written this policy to respect privacy laws in the other places our members may live, including the United States (see Section 11) and Quebec (see Section 10).

By using our website or joining Radgarden, you agree to this policy.

2. What we collect

We practice data minimization — we only ask for what we actually need.

When you join the waitlist or sign up for updates:

• ✦ Your email address
• ✦ Your postal code (so we know when there are enough people to launch Radgarden in your area)

When you become a member (once memberships open):

• ✦ The above, plus basic account details you provide (such as a display name and password)
• ✦ Payment information, once memberships open (see Section 8).
• ✦ Content you choose to post, like listings for produce, tools, or space you want to share, and messages you send other members
• ✦ Approximate location derived from your postal code or the area you set, used to connect you with nearby members

Automatically, when you visit our website:

• ✦ Privacy-respecting, aggregate analytics through Fathom (see Section 6). This does not include tracking cookies, cross-site tracking, or selling your data. Fathom is only used on our public-facing marketing site, so we can see how it's performing.

We do not collect or ask for sensitive information such as government ID numbers, and we never buy personal information about you from third-party data brokers.

3. How we collect it

We collect personal information directly from you — when you fill in a form, join the waitlist, create an account, post a listing, message another member, or contact us. The only automatic collection is the privacy-first website analytics described in Section 6.

We collect it by fair and lawful means, only what we need, and with your consent.

4. Why we collect it

We use your information to:

• ✦ Tell you when Radgarden is launching or opening in your area
• ✦ Create and manage your membership account
• ✦ Connect you with growers, sharers, and space near you
• ✦ Process your membership payment (once memberships open)
• ✦ Send you service messages and, with your consent, updates, growing tips, and workshop invitations
• ✦ Understand, in aggregate, how our website is used so we can improve it
• ✦ Keep Radgarden safe, and respond to your questions

We will not use your information for automated advertising, profiling for ad targeting, or any purpose we haven't described here without asking you first.

5. Consent

We collect, use, and disclose your personal information only with your consent, except where the law allows or requires otherwise.

When you sign up, you give express consent (an unchecked box you tick) to receive Radgarden emails. You can withdraw consent at any time — unsubscribe from any email, or email us — and we'll stop, though some service messages tied to an active account (like a payment receipt) may still be sent while your account is open.

6. Website analytics

We use Fathom Analytics, a privacy-first, Canadian-founded analytics service, to understand how our website is used — things like which pages are popular and where visitors come from, all in aggregate.

Fathom is cookieless. It doesn't track you across other websites, does not collect or sell personal information, and does not build advertising profiles. This is why you won't see an intrusive cookie banner on our site — we're not doing the things that would require one. We do not use Google Analytics or any advertising analytics.

7. Cookies

We keep cookies to the bare minimum:

• ✦ Essential cookies only — needed to keep you logged in and keep the site working once member accounts are live.

We do not use advertising cookies, cross-site tracking cookies, social media pixels, or third-party marketing trackers.

8. Our service providers (and where your data lives)

We use a small number of trusted service providers to run Radgarden. We share with them only what they need to do their job, they're bound to protect it, and none of them are permitted to use your information for their own purposes.

We deliberately chose Canadian hosting and a Canadian email platform so your information stays in Canada and outside the reach of the US CLOUD Act.

We are still looking for a payment processing solution that lets us keep that same promise, but this policy will be updated to cover where your payment information is stored before any payment feature goes live.

9. We don't sell or share your data

We do not sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal information to anyone, and we never show you third-party advertising.

We will only disclose your personal information:

• ✦ To the service providers listed above, to operate Radgarden
• ✦ If required by law — a valid court order, subpoena, or legal obligation
• ✦ To protect the safety of our members or the public, or to enforce our Terms
• ✦ In the event of a merger, sale, or reorganization of Radgarden, in which case your information would remain protected under a policy at least as protective as this one, and we'd notify you

A note on sharing between members: Radgarden is a connector, not a vendor. When you post a listing or message another member, you're choosing to share that information with them directly. Please share thoughtfully — and remember, your exact address is never shown publicly (see Section 12).

10. Email and anti-spam (CASL)

We comply with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL):

• ✦ We only send commercial email to people who have given us express consent
• ✦ Every email identifies us and includes a working unsubscribe link
• ✦ We keep your email address confidential and never sell or rent our list

Quebec members (Law 25): If you live in Quebec, you have additional rights under Quebec'sAct respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector ("Law 25"), including rights to access, correction, and de-indexing, and the right to be informed when your information is used to make an automated decision (we don't do this). Contact us to exercise these rights.

11. US residents (California and other states)

We've written this policy to respect US state privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA) and similar laws in other states, for members in the United States.

Because of how we operate, several of these rights are effortless for us to honour — we simply don't do the things they're designed to protect against:

• ✦ We do not "sell" or "share" your personal information as those terms are defined under California law. You have nothing to opt out of, because we never do it in the first place.
• ✦ We do not use your data for targeted advertising.

You also have the right to:

• ✦ Know what personal information we have about you
• ✦ Access a copy of it
• ✦ Correct inaccurate information
• ✦ Delete your personal information
• ✦ Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights

To exercise any of these, email us (Section 14). We'll verify your request and respond within the timeframe the law requires.

12. Your location, and how we protect it

Location is at the heart of how Radgarden works — and one of the things we're most careful with.

• ✦ We use your postal code to tell you when Radgarden is active in your area, and (once the platform is live) your approximate location to connect you with nearby members.
• ✦ Your exact address is never displayed publicly. Listings and your profile show only an approximate area, and precise details are only ever revealed when you choose to share them directly with another member you've connected with.

13. How long we keep your information

• ✦ Waitlist / email subscribers: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your information.
• ✦ Member accounts: for as long as your account is active, and for a reasonable period (up to 12 months) after to handle any follow-up, then securely deleted or anonymized.
• ✦ Payment records: kept as long as tax and accounting law requires.

You can ask us to delete your information at any time (see Section 14).

14. Your rights and how to reach us

You can access, correct, update, or delete your personal information, or withdraw consent, at any time. Just contact us:

We'll respond promptly, and always within the timeframes required by law. If you're ever unsatisfied with how we've handled your information, you have the right to complain to theOffice of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, or your local regulator.

15. Children

Radgarden is intended for people 16 and older. We don't knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child under 16 has given us their information, contact us and we'll delete it.

16. Keeping your information safe

We protect your information with reasonable physical, organizational, and technical safeguards — including access controls, encryption in transit, and limiting who can see your data to those who need it to do their job. No system is perfectly secure, and email in particular can never be guaranteed private, but we take protecting your information seriously and chose our providers with that in mind.

17. A note on other countries

This policy covers members in Canada and the United States. We don't currently operate in or market to the European Union or United Kingdom, so this policy doesn't address the GDPR. If that changes, we'll update this policy before we expand.

18. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Radgarden grows or the law changes. If we make a meaningful change, we'll update the date at the top and, where appropriate, let you know by email. Using Radgarden after an update means you accept the current version.