Privacy policy

Effective October 4, 2026

Badge Trail is operated by Emily Pitt. It helps adult troop leaders organize scout rosters, badge records, meeting plans, and related resources. This policy explains how information is handled when you visit badge-trail.com or use the service. Contact mlepitt@gmail.com with privacy questions.

Information we use

• Account information: your sign-in identifier, name, email address, profile information made available through sign-in, and account activity.
• Troop information: council, service unit, troop number, leader invitations, access status, and information you enter into your troop.
• Scout records: names, grades or levels, optional photos, earned badge records, award dates, purchase and presentation status, and meeting plans or notes you enter.
• Payment records: payment order and capture identifiers, payment status, and annual access dates. PayPal handles checkout and payment method details; Badge Trail does not store your card number.
• Service activity: recent account activity and support access records. Hosting and authentication providers may also process IP addresses, browser details, cookies, and operational logs to deliver and secure the service.
• Support and resources: information you send when asking for help, submitting a resource, or requesting an import.

Google sign-in

If you choose Google sign-in, Clerk handles authentication using your Google account identifier, email address, and basic profile information such as your name and profile image. We use this information to identify your account, display your identity, and control access to your troops. Google sign-in does not give Badge Trail access to your Gmail messages, Google Drive files, contacts, calendar, or Google Photos library.

Google account information is used to provide sign-in and account features. It is not sold, used for advertising, or used to train AI models. You may revoke the Google connection in your Google account’s third-party connections settings. Revoking access does not itself delete your Badge Trail account or troop records; use Account settings or contact us to request deletion.

Why information is used

We use information to run your account, show and update troop records, let invited leaders collaborate, generate reports and downloads, verify payments, manage annual access, respond to support requests, protect the service, and apply the inactivity and deletion rules described below.

Private records and shared resources

Scout records and photos are private troop information. The troop owner and accepted invited leaders can access the same troop records. Inviting a leader grants access to that troop, so invite only people authorized to handle its records. Routine administrator troubleshooting access to another troop is permission based and recorded in a support audit.

Resources submitted for the shared badge catalog may be reviewed and published for other users. Do not include scout names, faces, contact details, or other private troop information in resources intended for public sharing. Community reporting and troop-credit tools described on the homepage are planned features; they are not yet available. If introduced, public credit will be explained before a contributor chooses to share a troop name or number.

Service providers and disclosure

Cloudflare provides website hosting, database storage, and file storage. Clerk provides account authentication and account management. Google provides optional Google sign-in. Resend delivers leader invitation emails, receiving the invited email address and invitation content, including the troop number, council, inviter, and invitation link. Scout names, photos, and badge records are not included in these emails. PayPal processes payments and eligible payment options offered at checkout. These providers process information needed to perform their roles and also have their own privacy policies.

Badge Trail does not sell personal information or provide it to advertising networks. Information may be disclosed when necessary to operate the service, respond to an authorized support request, investigate abuse or a security issue, or comply with applicable legal obligations. External resource links take you to other websites whose information practices are governed by their own policies.

Scout photos and children’s information

Badge Trail accounts are for adults age 18 or older. Scouts do not need their own accounts. An adult leader entering information about a child is responsible for having the authority and parent or guardian permission required to use that information and any photo. Photos are optional. Enter only information needed for troop organization; do not enter medical records, government identifiers, or other sensitive information unrelated to the service.

A parent or guardian who has a question about a child’s record can contact the troop leader or mlepitt@gmail.com. We may need to verify the request and the person’s authority before providing access or changing records.

Cookies and security

Authentication uses cookies or similar browser storage to maintain sign-in and support account security. Blocking this storage may prevent sign-in from working. The service uses HTTPS, account access checks, private photo storage, and encrypted storage of the operator’s saved PayPal secret. These measures reduce risk but cannot guarantee that every incident will be prevented. Keep your sign-in secure and review who has access to your troop.

Retention, downloads, and deletion

Records are retained while your troop uses the service. Data downloads are disabled by default. You can request temporary download permission for your sign-in email; approved permission expires automatically on the date provided. Download permission applies only to retained records in units you already have access to and can remain available after annual access expires while editing is locked. Expired annual troop records are eligible for automatic deletion once access has been expired for at least 12 months and the owner and accepted leaders have not been active during the relevant period. Inactive accounts without remaining protected troop access may also be deleted after 12 months. Active paid access and designated complimentary owner or tester access are protected from this inactivity cleanup.

Account owners can request deletion in Account settings. Invited leaders do not have these account-owner controls and can contact us with account requests. Deleting your account removes the troops you own, their scout records and photos, associated app payment records, pending setups, and your authentication account. It also removes your memberships in other troops; those other owners’ troop records remain. This affects invited leaders who use a troop you own. Request temporary download access before deletion if you need a copy of your records.

Deleting app records does not delete PayPal’s independent transaction records or information other providers must retain under their own policies. Copies already downloaded or publicly shared by other people are outside Badge Trail’s control. Contact us about a published resource that needs removal or correction.

Your choices and policy updates

You can edit troop records, choose whether to upload photos, request temporary download access to retained records, and manage leader invitations. Account owners can delete their account. For access, correction, or deletion requests that you cannot complete in the app, email mlepitt@gmail.com. This policy will be updated as the service changes, with a revised effective date.

Abandoned signups with no paid access or saved troop data are removed nightly at midnight Eastern. Complimentary accounts, invited leaders, and accounts with payment records are protected.