Privacy Policy
HamFM collects only what it needs to run a gear marketplace, never sells your information, and shows no ads. This policy explains what we keep, who sees it, and how to get a copy or delete it. Brickhouse Technologies LLC is responsible for your information; reach us at [email protected].
What we collect
| What | Why | Who can see it |
|---|---|---|
| Email address, password (stored only as a secure hash), two-step verification settings | Signing in and sending you account and sale emails | Only you. Staff never see your password. |
| Profile: display name, callsign, license class, grid square, city, region, country, QRZ or website link, club | Showing buyers and sellers who they're dealing with | Public, except location: you choose how precisely it's shown |
| Listings and photos | Selling your gear | Public while listed. Photo location data is removed when you upload. |
| Messages | Talking with other members about a sale | You and the other member. A moderator reads a conversation only when it's reported, and every such read is logged. |
| Sales and feedback | Building reputation | The two people in the sale; published feedback is public |
| Watchlist, blocks, email preferences | Features you use | Only you |
| Reports you file | Keeping the marketplace safe | Moderators; you see the status |
| Records of what you agreed to and when | Showing which terms and rules you accepted | You and HamFM |
We don't store your IP address in our database, and we don't collect your exact location. Your street address is never shown, and listings show only an approximate area.
Automatic checks on listings
New listing text (title, description, make, model, category) and listing photos may be checked by an automated content-review service from a third-party provider before they're published, for things like explicit images, hate speech, and scams. A person reviews anything it flags, and moderators can overrule it. Private messages, profiles, email addresses, and account details are never sent to it. The provider uses this information only to perform the check for us and does not use it to train its models.
Who else handles your information
We share your information with third-party service providers only as needed to run HamFM and provide its services to you. They handle it only to provide their service to us. The kinds of providers we use:
| Type of provider | What they do |
|---|---|
| Hosting and data storage (in the United States) | Our database, sign-in, photo storage, and web servers |
| Email delivery | Sending account and sale emails |
| Security and content delivery | Delivering the site securely, and the "are you human?" check on sign-up and sign-in |
| Automated content review | Automatic checks on listing text and photos, described above |
| Business email | Our own inbox, if you email us |
We don't sell or rent your information, and we don't share it for advertising. We may disclose information if the law requires it, to protect members from fraud or harm, or to a new owner if HamFM is sold (in which case this policy keeps applying until you're told otherwise).
Cookies
HamFM uses only the cookies it needs: one to keep you signed in securely, and our security provider's, for security and the human check. No advertising or tracking cookies, and no behavioral analytics.
How long we keep things
We keep your information while your account is open and delete what we no longer need on a schedule. One exception applies to every row: nothing tied to an open report or an unsettled sale is deleted until it's closed.
| What | How long we keep it |
|---|---|
| Conversations and messages | 2 years after the last message |
| Photos of sold, expired, or withdrawn listings | 90 days after the listing ends |
| Descriptions of ended listings | 2 years after the listing ends; the title stays with the sale record |
| Closed reports and their outcomes | 3 years after closing |
| Completed sales and feedback | While the reviewed member's account exists |
| Moderator notes about a member or listing | 3 years after the last moderator action |
| Automatic-check results | Up to 1 year after a moderator reviews them or the listing ends |
| Records of what you accepted | While your account exists, plus 3 years |
| Security records of account and staff actions | 3 years |
| Server logs | 30 days |
| Copies of your data you download | 7 days |
| Email delivery records | 90 days |
Your choices and rights
- Get a copy: Account → Privacy & your data → Make a copy of my data gives you a file of everything we hold about you.
- Correct it: edit your profile and listings at any time.
- Delete your account: Account → Privacy & your data → Delete my account. We remove your profile, photos, and listings and your sign-in. To keep the marketplace fair for others, we keep a small record: messages you sent (in the other member's conversation, shown as from "a former HamFM member"), completed sales, feedback you gave, reports, and our logs, for the periods above.
- Email: turn off non-essential emails in your account settings. Account and safety emails can't be turned off while you have an account.
Depending on where you live (for example, California or other U.S. states with privacy laws), you may have more rights, such as knowing what we collect or appealing a decision we make about your request. Write to [email protected] and we'll respond within 30 days. We won't treat you differently for using these rights.
Security
Information travels over encrypted connections, staff accounts require two-step verification, and moderator access to private information is logged. No system is perfect; if a breach affects you, we'll tell you as the law requires.
Children
HamFM isn't for anyone under 18, and we don't knowingly collect information from children. If you think a child has an account, tell us and we'll delete it.
Changes and contact
We'll post any change here and, for a material change, email you before it takes effect. Questions: [email protected] · Brickhouse Technologies LLC, PO Box 50246, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250.