Privacy Policy
Effective Date: July 2, 2025 Last Updated: July 2, 2025
Introduction
Contested, Inc. ("Contested," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website, mobile applications, and related services (collectively, the "Services").
This Policy is designed to comply with U.S. federal and state privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA), and others. It also aligns with the requirements of the European Union and United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
By accessing or using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the practices described in this Policy. If you do not agree with this Policy, please do not access or use our Services.
Privacy Summary (The Basics)
What data do we collect?
We collect identifiers (like your name and email), commercial and usage data, location data, payment data, and profile inferences. We only collect sensitive data (like a government ID for eligibility) when you voluntarily provide it for a specific purpose.
Why do we use your data?
We use your data to operate and improve the Services, process transactions, personalize your experience, for marketing (with your consent where required), and to comply with legal obligations like NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) rules.
Who do we share data with?
We share data with our service providers (like cloud hosting), with business partners when you join a campaign, for legal and safety reasons, or with your consent. We do not sell your personal information for money. We may "share" identifiers with advertising networks for targeted ads, which you can opt-out of.
What are your rights?
Depending on your location, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict the use of your data. You also have the right to opt-out of targeted advertising and the "sharing" of your data.
How can you contact us?
You can reach our Privacy Team at privacy@contested.com or via the other methods listed in the "How to Contact Us" section below.
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Table of Contents
Information We Collect
How We Use Your Personal Data
How We Share and Disclose Data
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Your Privacy Rights and Choices
Data Security and Retention
International Data Transfers
Children's Privacy
Changes to This Privacy Policy
How to Contact Us
1. Information We Collect
We collect personal data from various sources to provide and improve our Services. The categories of information we collect are:
Identifiers: Such as your real name, email address, postal address, telephone number, account username, IP address, and device identifiers.
Source: Directly from you or automatically from your device.
Commercial & Usage Data: Information about your transaction history, participation in marketing campaigns, services you considered, and how you interact with our Services (e.g., pages viewed, links clicked, time spent).
Source: Automatically from your device or from our business partners.
Location Data: We may infer your general location (e.g., city, country) from your IP address. If you grant permission in our app, we may collect precise geolocation data from your mobile device.
Source: Automatically from your device.
Payment Data: When you make a transaction, we collect information needed to process the payment, such as the cardholder's name, the last four digits of the payment card, and the billing address. Our third-party payment processor handles the full payment card details.
Source: Directly from you and our payment processor.
Profile & Inferences: We may generate inferences about your preferences, interests, and characteristics based on your activity on the Services to create a profile for personalizing your experience (e.g., suggesting relevant campaigns).
Source: Generated by us.
Sensitive Personal Information (Optional): We only collect sensitive data when necessary and with your explicit consent. This may include government-issued identification for athlete eligibility verification or tax identification numbers (e.g., SSN/EIN) for payment and tax reporting purposes. You are not required to provide this data, but it may be necessary to access certain features.
Source: Directly from you.
2. How We Use Your Personal Data
We use your personal data for specific purposes and only where we have a valid legal basis to do so.
Purpose of Use
Examples
Legal Basis (under GDPR)
To Provide and Operate the Services
Creating and managing your account, processing transactions, facilitating matches between athletes and brands, and fulfilling contractual obligations for campaigns.
Performance of a Contract
To Improve and Secure the Services
Analyzing usage to understand user needs, troubleshooting issues, preventing fraud, and ensuring the security of our platform and users.
Legitimate Interests
To Personalize Your Experience
Customizing content, recommending campaigns, running analytics to understand our user base, and developing new features.
Legitimate Interests or Consent (where required)
For Marketing and Advertising
Sending you promotional communications about our Services or those of our partners, and displaying interest-based advertisements.
Legitimate Interests or Consent (where required)
To Comply with Legal Obligations
Verifying athlete eligibility under NIL rules, fulfilling tax reporting requirements, responding to lawful requests from law enforcement, and complying with other applicable laws.
Legal Obligation
To Protect Rights and Safety
Responding to user inquiries and disputes, enforcing our terms of service, and protecting the rights, property, or safety of our company, users, or the public.
Legitimate Interests or Legal Obligation
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You may opt-out of receiving marketing emails at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in the email or by contacting us at privacy@contested.com.
3. How We Share and Disclose Data
We do not sell your personal information for monetary compensation. We may disclose your data in the following circumstances:
Service Providers: We share data with third-party vendors and suppliers who perform services on our behalf, such as cloud hosting, data analytics, payment processing, and customer support. These providers are contractually bound to use the data solely for the purposes we specify and to implement appropriate security measures.
Business Partners & Campaigns: When you choose to participate in a specific sponsorship or campaign, we share the necessary information with the relevant athlete or business to facilitate that engagement.
Legal and Safety Disclosures: We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that it is necessary to comply with a law, regulation, or legal process; to protect the safety of any person; to address fraud, security, or technical issues; or to protect our rights or property.
Corporate Transactions: In the event of a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such deal and outline your choices.
With Your Consent: We may share your information for other purposes if you have explicitly directed us to or consented to the sharing.
Targeted Advertising & "Sharing" under CCPA/CPRA: We may "share" (as defined by the CCPA/CPRA) certain identifiers like cookie IDs and IP addresses with third-party advertising networks to provide you with cross-context behavioral advertising. You have the right to opt-out of this sharing, as described in Section 5.
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We and our third-party partners use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information automatically, operate the Services, and for advertising purposes.
Types of Cookies We Use:
Strictly Necessary: Essential for you to browse the website and use its features.
Functional: Allow us to remember choices you make (like your username or language).
Analytics: Help us understand how our Services are being used to improve them.
Advertising: Used to deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you and your interests.
Your Choices: You can manage your preferences for non-essential cookies through the cookie consent banner on our website. You can also configure your browser settings to reject or delete cookies.
Global Privacy Control (GPC): We honor GPC signals and other legally recognized opt-out preference signals as a valid request to opt-out of the "sharing" of your data for targeted advertising.
5. Your Privacy Rights and Choices
Depending on your jurisdiction, you have specific rights regarding your personal information. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.
Your Rights May Include:
Right to Access/Know: The right to request what personal information we have collected about you, including the categories of data, sources, and purposes.
Right to Correction (Rectification): The right to request that we correct inaccurate personal information we hold about you.
Right to Deletion (Erasure): The right to request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing: The right to direct us not to "sell" or "share" your personal information for targeted advertising. You can exercise this right via the "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link on our website footer.
Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information (California residents): The right to limit our use and disclosure of your sensitive personal information to that which is necessary to perform the services expected.
Right to Data Portability: The right to receive a copy of your data in a portable, machine-readable format.
Right to Object to Processing (GDPR): The right to object to our processing of your personal data based on our legitimate interests.
Right to Withdraw Consent (GDPR): The right to withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on it as our legal basis for processing.
Right to Appeal: If we deny your request, you may have the right to appeal our decision by contacting us.
How to Exercise Your Rights: To exercise any of your privacy rights, please submit a request by:
Emailing us at privacy@contested.com
Submitting a request through our online portal at www.contested.com/privacy-request
Calling our U.S.-based toll-free number at +1 (888) 535-5435
We will need to verify your identity before processing your request and will respond within the timeframes required by law (typically 30-45 days, with a possible extension).
6. Data Security and Retention
Security: We implement and maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. These measures include encryption, access controls, and regular security assessments. However, no system is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information. We will notify you of any data breach as required by law.
Retention: We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Generally, this means we keep data for the duration of your account with us plus a subsequent period to resolve disputes or comply with legal obligations (e.g., 7 years for tax and transactional records).
7. International Data Transfers
We are based in the United States, and your information will be processed in the U.S. If we transfer personal data from the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, or Switzerland to other countries, we will ensure that the transfer is lawful and that your data is protected by relying on approved transfer mechanisms such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, the UK Addendum, or the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, along with any necessary supplementary measures.
8. Children's Privacy
The Services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected such information, we will delete it promptly.
For users between the ages of 13 and 16, we comply with applicable laws regarding the collection and processing of their data. In California, we will not "sell" or "share" the personal information of users we know are under 16 without affirmative authorization (opt-in consent).
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the new policy on this page, revising the "Last Updated" date, and, where appropriate, by other means such as email or an in-app notification. Your continued use of the Services after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Policy.
10. How to Contact Us
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us.
Contested, Inc. Attn: Privacy Team 2446 W Madison Ave, Suite 1 PMB 1064 Chicago, IL 60612, USA
Email: privacy@contested.com Toll-Free Number: +1 (888) 535-5435
For users in the EU and UK: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. However, we encourage you to contact us first so we can address your concerns.