Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 17, 2025

Who We Are

Missing People in America LLC
Website: https://www.missingpeopleinamerica.org

At MissingPeopleInAmerica.org, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is handled in a safe and responsible manner.

What Personal Data We Collect and Why We Collect It

1. Comments
When visitors leave comments on our site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help detect spam.

An anonymized string created from your email address (also known as a hash) may be sent to the Gravatar service to check if you are using it. The Gravatar service’s privacy policy is available here. After approval of your comment, your profile picture will be visible to the public in the context of your comment.

2. Media
If you upload images to the website, avoid including images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors to the website may download and extract location data from these images.

3. Cookies
If you leave a comment on our site, you may opt to save your name, email address, and website in cookies for your convenience. These cookies will last for one year.

When you visit our login page, a temporary cookie will be set to check if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

When you log in, several cookies will be set to save your login details and screen display preferences. Login cookies last for two days, and screen option cookies last for one year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out, the login cookies will be removed.

If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie contains no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you edited. It expires after one day.

4. Embedded Content from Other Websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content behaves the same as if the visitor has visited the other website. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, especially if you have an account and are logged in to the website.

Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. However, we may share your information with:

Third-party service providers who assist in operating the site or delivering services to you.
Law enforcement agencies or other organizations involved in missing persons cases to help in their investigations, when necessary.

If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.

How Long We Retain Your Data

Comments: If you leave a comment, both the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This allows us to automatically recognize and approve any follow-up comments without needing them to be held in a moderation queue.
User Registration: For users who register on our website, we store the personal information provided in their profile. All users can view, edit, or delete their personal information at any time, except for the username.

What Rights You Have Over Your Data

If you have an account on this site or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you’ve provided. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include data we are required to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

Where Your Data Is Sent

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.

Information We Collect

Personal Information: When you register on our website, we collect your name and email address.
Missing Person Data: We collect information about missing persons from legal missing person reports, which may include the missing person’s name, physical description, last known location, and other relevant details.
Forum Data: If you participate in our forums, we collect any information you choose to share, such as your username and posts.
Map Data: When you mark locations on our maps, we collect the location information you provide.

How We Use Your Information

Personal Information: We use your personal information to create and manage your account.
Missing Person Data: We use missing person data to populate our missing person database and alert the public.
Forum Data: We use forum data to facilitate discussions and community interaction.
Map Data: We use map data to provide mapping functionality and assist users in tracking missing persons.

Information Sharing

We may share your information with third-party service providers that help us operate our website or provide services to you. We may also share missing person data with law enforcement agencies or other organizations involved in missing persons cases.

Your Choices

You can update or delete your account information at any time by logging into your account settings.
You can opt-out of receiving promotional emails by following the unsubscribe instructions in those emails.

Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page, with the “Last Updated” date indicated at the top. By continuing to use the website after any changes are posted, you agree to those changes.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or need further clarification, please contact us at help@missingpeopleinamerica.org.

By using our website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.