Effective October 23, 2026.
This policy explains what The Chicago Route (“the Route,” “we”) collects, how we use it, and the choices you have. Short version: we only collect what we need to run the Route, we never sell your personal information, and we never show your real name, email or phone number publicly.
What we collect
- Account info: first and last name, display name, email, mobile number and password (stored scrambled, never in plain text). If you sign in with Google, we get your name and email from Google.
- Profile info you choose to add: bio, home neighborhood, favorite foods, favorite spot, social handles and profile photo.
- What you post: reviews, ratings, photos, tips, stories (photos and videos), and “Helpful” votes.
- Check-ins: which spot you checked in at and when. To confirm you’re there, your browser shares your location once, with your permission. We compare it to the spot’s location and do not store your GPS location.
- Messages: anything you send us by email, contact form or the chat assistant on the site.
- Technical info: standard server logs (like IP address, browser and pages visited) kept by our host for security, and cookies that keep you signed in and remember settings. When you report a post, we keep only a one-way scrambled version of your IP to stop abuse.
What’s public
Your display name, profile photo, profile details you add, reviews, tips, stories, badges, level and counts (like reviews, tips and check-ins). “Regular at” badges stay private unless you turn them on. You can make your whole reviewer profile private in Edit Profile; your reviews still show on the businesses’ pages.
How we use it
To run your account and profile, show your posts, run levels, badges and contests, keep the Route safe (spam and content screening), answer you, send account and contest emails, and improve the site. We don’t sell or rent your personal information, and we don’t use it for targeted ads.
Companies that help us run the Route
We share only what’s needed with service providers that work for us: our web host (WP Engine), spam protection (Cloudflare Turnstile), automated content screening for posts, photos and video stills (OpenAI’s moderation service), Google sign-in, the chat assistant on the site (GoHighLevel), and our email inbox (Gmail). We may also share info if the law requires it, to protect people’s safety, or if the Route is sold or merged.
No biometrics
We don’t use face recognition or collect biometric information of any kind.
Your choices
- Edit your profile and display name anytime.
- Delete your posts, or ask us to.
- Ask for a copy of your info, a correction, or to delete your account by emailing info@chicagoroute.com. We’ll respond within 30 days.
- Turn off location for your browser; you just won’t be able to check in.
How long we keep it
We keep account info while your account is open. When you delete your account, we remove your personal info within 30 days, except what we must keep for legal, security or contest records. Check-in history keeps your most recent 500 check-ins.
Age
Accounts are for people 18 and older. We don’t knowingly collect info from children. If you think a child has given us info, email us and we’ll delete it.
Security
We use encrypted (https) connections, scrambled passwords and limited access. No site is perfectly secure, so please use a strong, unique password.
Changes
We’ll post any updates here and change the date at the top.
Contact
Email info@chicagoroute.com.