Privacy Policy | PlayGuitar.com

Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 24, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how PlayGuitar.com ("we," "us," "our"), owned and operated by Jonathan Boettcher in British Columbia, Canada, collects, uses, and protects information in connection with the Guitar Teacher Directory at playguitar.com/teachers/.

What Information We Collect

Teacher Business Information (Collected Automatically)

We collect publicly available business information about guitar teachers from the following sources:

  • Google Maps: Business name, address, phone number, website URL, reviews, and ratings
  • Public websites: We use automated web crawling to gather additional details from teachers' publicly accessible websites, such as services offered, pricing, teaching methods, and biographical information

This information is already public. We organize and present it in a way that helps students find guitar teachers.

Information You Provide to Us

If you interact with the Directory, we may collect information you voluntarily provide:

  • Claim forms: When a teacher claims their listing, we collect their name, email address, and phone number to verify their identity
  • Lead magnets and email signups: If you sign up for any of our email lists or download resources, we collect your name and email address
  • Featured Listing subscriptions: When you purchase a Featured Listing, Stripe collects your payment information (see "Payment Data" below)
  • Contact form submissions: Name, email address, and message content

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Directory, we automatically collect:

  • Analytics data: We use Google Analytics to track page views, traffic sources, device types, and general geographic location. This data is aggregated and does not personally identify you.
  • Cookies: We use cookies for basic site functionality, such as remembering your preferences and keeping you logged in if you have an account. See "Cookies" below for details.

How We Use Your Information

  • Teacher listings: To create, display, and maintain teacher profiles in the Directory
  • Claim verification: To verify that listing claim requests come from the actual business owner
  • Email communication: To send you emails related to your account, listing, or subscription. Email addresses collected via claim forms or lead magnets are added to our email lists hosted on AWeber.
  • Payments: To process Featured Listing subscriptions through Stripe
  • Site improvement: To understand how people use the Directory and make it better

Payment Data

All payment processing is handled by Stripe. We do not store your credit card number, expiration date, or CVC on our servers. Stripe handles all payment data in compliance with PCI-DSS standards. We only receive confirmation of successful payments and basic transaction details (amount, date, subscription status).

Email Lists

We use AWeber to manage our email lists. When you provide your email address through a claim form, lead magnet, or signup form, it is added to the relevant AWeber email list.

  • You can unsubscribe from any email list at any time by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any email
  • We will never sell your email address to third parties

Cookies

We use cookies for:

  • Essential functionality: Keeping you logged in, remembering preferences
  • Analytics: Google Analytics uses cookies to track site usage in an aggregated, non-personally-identifiable way

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some features of the site may not work properly.

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may collect data:

Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only in the following circumstances:

  • With the third-party services listed above, as necessary to operate the Directory
  • If required by law, court order, or governmental authority
  • To protect the rights, property, or safety of PlayGuitar.com, our users, or the public

Data Retention

  • Teacher listing data: We retain listing data indefinitely, as it is compiled from publicly available sources. Teachers can request removal at any time.
  • Account and claim data: We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal data within 30 days.
  • Payment records: Transaction records are retained as required for tax and accounting purposes.
  • Analytics data: Aggregated analytics data is retained indefinitely. Google Analytics data retention follows Google's standard policies.

Your Rights

All Users

Regardless of where you're located, you can:

  • Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Request correction of inaccurate data
  • Request removal of your listing or personal data
  • Unsubscribe from email communications at any time

Teachers

If you're a teacher listed in our Directory, you can:

  • Claim your listing to update and control your information
  • Request correction of any inaccurate information
  • Request complete removal of your listing at any time

EU Users (GDPR)

If you are in the European Union, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including:

  • The right to access your personal data
  • The right to rectification of inaccurate data
  • The right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
  • The right to restrict processing
  • The right to data portability
  • The right to object to processing

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at jonathan@playguitar.com. We will respond within 30 days.

California Users (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including:

  • The right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
  • The right to request deletion of your personal information
  • The right to opt out of the sale of your personal information (we do not sell personal information)
  • The right to non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights

Children's Privacy

The Directory is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us so we can remove it.

Security

We take reasonable measures to protect data stored on our systems. However, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your data rights, or need to request listing removal, please contact us: