Fortner Outdoors Group Privacy Policy
Effective date: September 24, 2026
Fortner Outdoors Group (“FOG,” “we,” or “us”) collects and uses information reasonably necessary to provide its website, community, tournament, membership, purchase, and related services, including services at fishfog.com. This policy explains what we collect, how we use and share it, and how users may contact us about their information. It applies to FOG-operated services that link to this policy.
1. Information We Collect
Depending on the services you use, FOG may collect your name, display name, email address, account identifiers, date of birth for age eligibility, profile details, forum content and reports, private messages where available, tournament and membership information, purchase and fulfillment details, communications with us, moderation and security records, and limited technical information needed to operate and protect our services. We do not intentionally collect information to track people across unrelated services.
2. Data Minimization
We seek to collect and retain only information reasonably necessary for accounts, the forum, tournaments, memberships, purchases, support, security, and related FOG services. Information from one FOG service may be used in another to maintain a consistent account and participant identity.
3. Account Identity
An email address and internal authentication identifier help maintain an account. A forum user who later joins a series or tournament should ordinarily use the same account. Email addresses are not displayed as ordinary public forum identities.
4. Display Names
Users may choose a public display name. A suggested initial name may be based on the part of an email address before the @ symbol. Display names may be required to be unique. Changing a display name does not change the underlying account identity.
5. Date of Birth and Age Requirements
FOG forum accounts require users to be at least 16 years old. We collect a full date of birth at signup to check eligibility and determine whether parental or guardian permission is required. Date of birth is private and is not displayed in profiles or posts or used for unrelated advertising. Users under 16 may not create a forum account.
6. Minors
A user who is 16 or 17 must have a parent’s or legal guardian’s permission before creating a forum account and confirm that permission during signup. FOG may restrict or remove an account if it reasonably determines that the user does not meet the age requirements or lacks the required permission. We do not seek unnecessary parental identification solely for signup. Other age or consent requirements may apply to particular tournament activities.
7. How We Use Information
FOG uses information to create accounts, authenticate users, operate community features, administer tournaments and memberships, process registrations and purchases, fulfill orders, communicate about requested services, provide support, maintain records, prevent fraud, investigate reports, enforce rules, secure systems, and comply with law. We do not intentionally use personal information for unrelated purposes.
8. Public Forum Information
Public profiles, display names, posts, replies, photos, reactions, and contribution history may be visible to anyone, including visitors without accounts. Do not post sensitive information publicly. Email addresses, dates of birth, credentials, and payment details are not displayed as part of ordinary forum participation.
9. Photos and User Content
Users retain ownership of original content subject to permissions in the applicable FOG Terms of Use. Public submissions may be displayed as described in those terms. Do not upload information or images you do not want publicly visible.
10. Private Messages
Private messages are not public forum posts, but they are not guaranteed confidential or end-to-end encrypted. Authorized FOG personnel may access, preserve, or review them when reasonably necessary to investigate reports, enforce rules, address threats or abuse, protect users, operate the service, or comply with lawful process. This does not mean we routinely read private messages.
11. Tournament and Membership Information
We collect information needed for registration, eligibility, membership, results, standings, awards, payments, and event communications. Names, participation status, results, standings, winnings, and event photos may be made public as part of tournament operations. We do not disclose private tournament or membership information for unrelated purposes.
12. Payments
Third-party payment providers may process payments and receive details needed to complete transactions, prevent fraud, issue refunds, and keep required records. FOG does not intend to store full payment card numbers when the processor handles them directly. Provider privacy terms may also apply.
13. Merchandise Fulfillment
When you order merchandise, we may share the recipient name, delivery address, product selection, and relevant order details with providers that produce or deliver the order. We do not share unrelated personal information merely because you made a purchase.
14. Service Providers
Hosting, database, authentication, email, payment, fulfillment, security, mapping, analytics, and other providers may process information needed to deliver services for FOG. They may also be subject to their own privacy terms where they interact directly with you.
15. Sale of Personal Information
FOG does not sell users’ personal information for money. Sharing information with service providers for requested services, transactions, security, and legal compliance is described in this policy. If our practices materially change, we will update this policy and provide any legally required choices.
16. Advertising and Tracking
FOG does not intend to create profiles for unrelated targeted advertising or share personal information with third-party advertisers for that purpose. Sponsorships or ordinary advertisements do not, by themselves, authorize cross-site tracking. Any material change in advertising data practices will be disclosed before implementation.
17. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We may use cookies, local storage, and similar tools for login sessions, security, carts, preferences, fraud prevention, service operation, basic analytics, and troubleshooting. We do not intentionally add unrelated cross-site advertising trackers.
18. Email and Communications
We may send account, security, registration, tournament, membership, order, moderation, private-message, and support communications related to services you use. Promotional communications, if offered, will include controls required by applicable law. Users may not use FOG systems for unauthorized spam or mass solicitation.
19. Security and Incidents
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the information we handle. No system can guarantee absolute security. Protect your credentials and contact us promptly if you believe your account is compromised. We will investigate suspected data incidents and provide any notices required by the Alabama Data Breach Notification Act of 2018 or other applicable law.
20. Data Retention
We retain information as reasonably needed for active accounts, services, tournament history, financial records, security, investigations, disputes, enforcement, and legal obligations. Information removed from active use may remain temporarily in backups or logs. We do not intend to keep personal information indefinitely without a legitimate purpose.
21. Account Deletion
Users may request deletion of a forum account. FOG may delete or deactivate the active profile and access to posting and messaging while retaining information needed for lawful recordkeeping, security, tournament results, accounting, disputes, or fraud prevention. Public posts and replies may remain with historical author attribution where appropriate; a deleted account should not remain an active profile or messaging endpoint. Specific content may be removed separately where appropriate or legally required.
22. Privacy Requests
You may contact FOG to request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information associated with your account. We may verify your identity and may retain information where lawful and reasonably necessary. Additional rights, response periods, and appeal processes will be provided when an applicable privacy law requires them. Alabama’s Personal Data Protection Act is scheduled to take effect May 1, 2027; its obligations apply only to covered entities and processing.
23. Legal, Safety, and Security Disclosures
We may preserve, use, or disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law or valid legal process, protect safety, investigate fraud or abuse, enforce applicable rules and terms, respond to emergencies, or protect FOG’s rights, property, systems, and users.
24. Organizational Changes
If FOG is reorganized, merged, transferred, acquired, or changes control, information connected with its services may transfer as part of that transaction where permitted by law. A successor remains subject to applicable privacy obligations.
25. Third-Party Websites and Services
Our services may link to unrelated websites and services. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies, not this one. Review those policies before sharing information with them.
26. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy as services or legal requirements change. We will post an updated effective date and provide additional notice or seek renewed acceptance when required or appropriate for a material change.
27. Contact
Questions, privacy requests, and account-deletion requests may be submitted to Fortner Outdoors Group through the contact options on fishfog.com. Please identify the account or activity involved so we can direct your request appropriately.