Privacy Policy

Information you provide

Your route data. When you upload a GPX track (or other route file), we store the file and the route geometry derived from it: the path, distance, and elevation profile of your route. This is the raw material for your map: we use it to build the terrain model and the printed route line, and to show you a preview while you design. The raw file may also include timestamps recorded by your device and the file's original name, and we keep those with it.

Order and shipping details. When you place an order, we collect your name, email address, phone number (optional), and shipping address so we can make your map, keep you updated, and ship it to you. If you add an engraving, we keep the engraving text as part of your order.

Saved designs and email updates. If you save a design for later, we collect your email address so we can send you the link to resume it. If you opt in to occasional updates, we keep your email address on our updates list; see the Email section below.

Contact form. If you write to us through the contact form, your name, email address, and message are delivered to our inbox; they are not stored in the shop's database.

Information collected automatically

Like nearly every website, our servers keep standard request logs that include your IP address; we use them to run the site, troubleshoot problems, and prevent abuse. When you save a design for later, we also record the IP address the request came from.

Our analytics record a coarse device class (phone or desktop) and store a random identifier in your browser so repeat visits are counted once. The identifier is not connected to your name or email. If you arrive through a marketing link, we record the link's referral code so we can tell which of our marketing works.

Payments

Payments are processed by Stripe. Your card number is entered directly into Stripe's payment form and never touches our servers; we never see or store it. To calculate sales tax and issue your payment receipt, we share your shipping address and email address with Stripe. Stripe also uses cookies and device signals on the checkout page to help prevent fraud. Stripe's handling of your information is described in Stripe's privacy policy.

How we use your information

We use the information above to make and ship your order, show you a preview while you design, send the email described below, answer your questions, and understand how the site is used so we can improve it. We may also photograph finished pieces for our gallery and marketing materials, never with your name or any other personal details, and you can opt out at any time by emailing us.

Who we share it with

We share personal information only with the service providers that run the shop, and only as needed: Stripe processes payments and sales tax, and our email delivery, hosting, backup, and error-monitoring providers run the service on our behalf. Your information is stored on servers in the United States, and our backups are encrypted. We do not share your route data or personal details with anyone else.

Maps in your browser

The design and share pages draw your route on a map. To do that, we request map tiles from external map services (credited on the map itself). Those services receive the standard information that comes with any web request, such as your IP address and the area of map being loaded. They do not receive your name, your email, or your route file.

Cookies and similar technologies

We use only the cookies and browser storage the site needs to work. We set no advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. The analytics identifier described above lives in your browser's local storage, and Stripe sets its own cookies during checkout to process your payment and prevent fraud.

There is no settled standard for browser "Do Not Track" signals, so the site does not respond to them. Since we do not track you across other sites, there is nothing such a signal would need to turn off. The same goes for Global Privacy Control: we do not sell or share personal information, which is what a GPC signal opts you out of.

Analytics

We run simple, first-party analytics on our own server to understand how the site is used (for example, which pages are visited). Our analytics contain no personal information: no names, no email addresses, no route data, and no tracking across other sites. We do not use third-party analytics services or advertising trackers.

Email

We send transactional email about your order: confirmations, shipping notices, the link to a design you asked us to save, and similar messages. These go to the email address you gave us so we can fulfill and keep you posted on your order.

Optional updates. If you tick the optional box at checkout, or when you ask us to save a design for later, we will also send occasional updates from the Trace & Terrain workshop. This is opt-in: the box is unchecked by default and we do not send these updates without it. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any update email, or by writing to hello@traceterrain.com. Unsubscribing from updates does not stop the transactional email about an order you have placed. To honor unsubscribes and bounce/complaint signals, we keep your email address and the status of your subscription; we do not use it for anything else.

Share pages

Each order includes a share page at a private, unguessable link, which we include in your order email. Most finished maps also carry a small QR code that points to it, so you can show the route behind the map to whoever you hand it to. A share page shows the route's shape, distance, dates, and the design of the piece. It does not show your name, email, or any other personal or payment information. The link is not listed anywhere public; only people you share it with can find it. Keep in mind that a route can reveal where it starts and ends, so share the link with the same care you'd share the route itself.

Importing routes from other services

We have built support for importing routes directly from services such as Garmin, Suunto, and Strava using their sign-in (OAuth) flows. When this feature is available and you use it, the access token the service grants us is held only in memory for the duration of the import and discarded immediately afterward; we do not store your credentials or tokens. These import options are currently disabled.

How long we keep your data

Relief maps are made to order, so we keep your order records after shipping for as long as we need them to handle replacements, reprints, and questions about your order, and to meet bookkeeping and tax obligations. We keep your route files so we can offer replacements and reprints of your exact piece. If you would like your route files or personal information deleted sooner, email us and we will delete what we are not legally required to keep. Deleted data can persist in our encrypted backups for a few months before those backups age out.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS, so information you send us is encrypted in transit. Card details go directly to Stripe and never touch our servers, and our backups are encrypted. No website can promise perfect security, but we keep our setup small and simple.

Children

Our site and products are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13; if you believe a child has given us personal information, email us and we will delete it.

Your rights and choices

You can ask us at any time to show you the personal information we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete it. Email hello@traceterrain.com and we will respond within a few business days. We honor these requests for everyone, wherever you live, including the rights California residents have under California law. Because we do not sell or share personal information, there is no sale to opt out of.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will update this page and the date above. If a change meaningfully affects how we handle your information, we will post a clear notice on this page before it takes effect.

Contact

Questions about this policy, or about your information?

Email: hello@traceterrain.com
Address: Trace & Terrain, 1404 SW Market St #1005, Lees Summit, MO 64063