Privacy Policy

Effective date: August 13, 2026 · Version 1.0
Operated by TownVines, Perry County, Indiana · admin@townvines.com

1. Our Approach

TownVines is a community platform for Perry County, Indiana. We collect the least information we need to run it, we tell you plainly what we do with it, and we do not sell your personal information.

2. Information We Collect

Information you give us:

• Member account — name, email address, username, password
• Business listing — business name, contact name, phone, email, category, and any details, photos or logo you send
• Vine Helper application — legal name, address, phone, email, emergency contact, services, experience, licensing, references, availability, electronic signature
• Classified, trade or harvest listing — listing content, photos, contact preferences
• Reviews and comments — your name or username, rating, review text
• News tips and suggestions — your name, contact details, and what you send
• Contact and newsletter — your email address and message

Collected automatically: our hosting and analytics tools may record IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, referring page, and time of visit. We use cookies for essential functions such as staying logged in, and may use them for basic analytics. You can block cookies in your browser, though some features may stop working.

What we do not collect: we do not ask for and do not want your Social Security number, financial account numbers, or payment card details through our forms. Never send them to us. Where payment is required it is handled by a third-party processor and we do not store card details.

3. Why We Use It

To create and operate your account; publish your listing, profile or advertisement; review applications and verify information you supply; send service messages about your listing, application or account; send the newsletter if you subscribed; respond to questions and reports; moderate content and enforce our Terms; keep the Platform secure and detect fraud; and understand which local content serves the community.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with data brokers, and we do not use it for third-party targeted advertising.

4. What Is Public and What Is Private

Public — visible to anyone on the internet:

• your business listing: business name, contact name, phone, email, category, description, hours, address, website, social links, logo and photos you provide
• your Vine Helper profile: your TownVines username only, plus services, general service area, availability and rates
• reviews and comments you post, under the name or username you use
• classified, trade and harvest listings you post

Private — used internally, never published:

• your legal name, home address, and telephone number (for Vine Helpers)
• your emergency contact details
• your email address, unless you choose to publish it on a business listing
• your verification documents and reference details
• your password

Business listings are intentionally public. A directory only works if people can find and contact the business. Do not submit anything you do not want published, and consider using a business address rather than a home address.

5. Who We Share It With

Service providers who help us operate — our website host, email delivery service, workflow automation platform, and cloud storage. They process data on our behalf and may not use it for their own purposes.

When you make it public — anything you publish as a listing, profile, review or comment.

When you ask us to — for example, connecting you with a business or helper.

When the law requires it — in response to a valid legal request, subpoena or court order, or to protect the rights, property or safety of TownVines, our community, or the public.

If the Platform changes hands — if TownVines is sold or merged, information may transfer. We will notify you.

6. How Long We Keep It

• Member accounts — while active, then 12 months after closure
• Business listings — while published, plus 24 months
• Helper applications, approved — while the profile is active, plus 24 months
• Helper applications, declined — 12 months
• Emergency contact details — while the helper profile is active only
• Newsletter subscribers — until you unsubscribe
• Contact messages and news tips — 24 months
• Website logs — typically 12 months

7. How We Protect It

We use encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls, and reputable service providers. Private application information is restricted to review by the platform operator. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please use a strong, unique password.

If a breach occurs. Indiana law (IC 24-4.9) requires us to notify affected Indiana residents and the Indiana Attorney General without unreasonable delay and within 45 days of discovering a breach of unencrypted personal information. We maintain a written response plan and will follow it.

8. Your Choices and Rights

You may, at any time: see what we hold about you; correct anything inaccurate; delete your account, listing or profile; withdraw a listing or profile from publication; unsubscribe from the newsletter; or object to a particular use of your information.

Email admin@townvines.com. We will respond within 45 days, and will tell you if we need a reasonable extension.

A note on Indiana law. The Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act, effective 1 January 2026, applies to organisations handling data on 100,000 or more Indiana residents — well above TownVines’ size. We are not currently subject to it, but we have chosen to offer these rights and this response timeline voluntarily, because they are the right standard regardless of whether the law compels us.

Do Not Track. Browsers send Do Not Track signals inconsistently and there is no agreed standard, so we do not respond to them. We do not permit third-party behavioural tracking on the Platform.

9. Children

The Platform is intended for adults. You must be 18 or older to hold an account, apply as a Vine Helper, or post a listing.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has given us information, email admin@townvines.com and we will delete it promptly.

We publish school and youth community news. Photographs of identifiable minors are only published with parental permission, and we ask anyone submitting such photographs to confirm they have it.

10. Photographs and Images

Photographs you submit may be resized, converted and optimised for display. We remove embedded location (GPS) data from uploaded images before publishing, because a photograph taken at home can otherwise reveal a home address. Do not submit photographs of identifiable people without their permission.

11. Third-Party Links

The Platform links to business websites, social media pages, government resources and news sources. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. Read their policies before providing information to them.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy. The effective date above will change, and material changes will be announced on the Platform. Prior versions are available on request.

13. Contact

TownVines · Perry County, Indiana · admin@townvines.com

We read every message, and a real person replies.

Connecting Communities. Supporting Local. Growing Together.