Privacy Policy

This privacy statement covers all the websites owned and operated by Black Pug Software. If users have questions or concerns regarding this statement, you should address your comments to support@blackpugsoftware.com.

Black Pug Software is committed to respecting and protecting the personal privacy of its customers and those who visit our websites. It is our policy to acquire personal information from users only by overt means, only when it is in the interest of the user to provide it, and to utilize this information only for the purpose it was provided. Black Pug Software sites collect only the personal information that is required by the Scouting America local councils to perform the tasks the sites were designed for, such as to reserve and rent Scouting America camping facilities, to register for and attend Scouting America functions, and to process those reservations and registrations.

The information that follows explains the kinds of information collected, how it is used, the conditions under which it is made available to third parties, how information is maintained, and our compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

This privacy policy applies only to the websites owned and operated by Black Pug Software. This privacy policy does not apply to the Scouting America or any of their councils’ or units’ websites.


What information does Black Pug Software collect and use?

Black Pug Software websites function to provide Boy Scout councils with the ability to offer services to Scouting America customers, such as online reservation booking of their camping facilities to their units and the public, and to provide Scouting America councils with the ability to process and administer those services. To that end Black Pug Software websites collect information entered by the individual councils about their council properties, their camping facilities, and their member units and the members of those units. Black Pug Software websites collect and store name, address, phone number, and email address on entered unit members, unit leaders, and persons listed as contacts on reservations. Our websites also collect credit card information, including name, card number, CID, and expiration date for those customers making reservations who choose to pay by credit card, as well as bank account information, including name, bank routing number, and bank account number for those customers making reservations who choose to pay by electronic check. This credit card and electronic check information is never stored on permanent storage media such as disk drives, and is only stored in memory for as long as is needed to complete the credit card or electronic check transaction, after which it is deleted.

In some situations the user may be asked to voluntarily provide feedback on the site. The questions relate to ease of use, any problems encountered in using the site, site performance (speed), and the general look and feel of the site. Personally identifiable information is not asked for or collected through this process. This information will be used to assist in rectifying problems with the system and improving its usability and performance.

Black Pug Software websites also collect anonymous data that is not typically indicative of and cannot be traced to an individual without the cooperation of their Internet Service Provider. This data includes information about the user’s remote IP address, referral data (which page "linked" to the present request), and the browser software's user-agent string. This information is accepted passively from the HTTP headers that are sent from the user when requesting any file from the server. Other anonymous data entered by the user may be collected in a common repository, including terms entered into the search engine, ZIP codes entered into the council locator, etc.

The anonymous information collected is used to monitor the usage of this website and the interests of those who use it. Data such as the volume of traffic to the server, the number of visitors a certain section of the site receives each month, or the most popular search terms are analyzed to derive general statistics about the website's reach and the audience's usage patterns.

Black Pug Software websites do use cookies. In the back-end password protected system where members of the council staff log in with specific userids and passwords to perform administrative functions, the cookies are used to hold the login credentials (userid and password) and other details pertaining to their work in the system (such as last search query, etc.). In the front-end customer facing system where units and the general public interact with the system without requiring userids and passwords, two types of cookies are used; “persistent” and “session.” Persistent cookies are used to assist in website navigation, for example by saving a user’s calendar filtering selections. No personally identifiable information is stored in the persistent cookies. Session cookies are used to store the customer’s First Name, Last Name, and Email Address, along with other non-personally identifiable information (such as Scouting America Council number and registration number), to assist with completing the registration process. This “session cookie” may be completely destroyed by the customer by closing their browser. The session cookie is changed automatically during the customer session for security purposes and is not written to the customer’s hard drive.

Personally identifiable data is collected only by means of form interfaces on Black Pug Software websites, into which the system user must enter the personal information requested. No cookies or any other tracking technologies (other than stated above) are used for the purpose of coordinating information that a user may opt to enter in various interfaces on the sites.


What organization is collecting the information?

Information entered by users of this system is retrieved directly by Black Pug Software, PO Box 125, Worthington, OH 43085.


With whom does Black Pug Software share the information that is collected?

Black Pug Software only permits access to personal information from authorized and authenticated employees and Scouting America council administrators, as well as authorized and authenticated volunteers of the Scouting America council. The personal information collected is not shared with other third parties. Reports, statistics, and other analyses of aggregate anonymous information may be shared within Black Pug Software or with the Scouting America organization.

Black Pug Software never sells or shares its customer data or mailing lists with third parties.

Exception: Black Pug Software reserves the right to use all information at its disposal and to share this information with ISPs and other third parties as necessary to investigate any incident of misuse or abuse of its site, server, or information systems.


How does the Black Pug Software maintain the information it collects?

The security of your personal information is important to us.

All communications between your browser and our system is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL). You will notice the “Locked” icon appear your browser to signify this secure connection.

In addition, Black Pug Software maintains PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance for its technology infrastructure and data storage and handling processes. This PCI compliance is certified each year by Trustwave, Inc. This ensures Black Pug Software is protecting customer data following industry guidelines, both during data transmission and once we receive the data.


How does the Black Pug Software comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998?

This site does not accept information entered by persons under the age of 18 years old and as such the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998 does not apply.


Policy Modifications

We may modify this privacy policy and will post those changes here. If the privacy policy changes in the future, we will not use any personal information you or an administrator have submitted to us under the current Privacy Policy in a manner that is materially inconsistent with this Privacy Policy, without your consent.


© 2010 - 2024 Black Pug Software all rights reserved.
Modified January 2023