Privacy Policy
Effective date and last updated: October 12, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Character Squad LLC, d/b/a The Character Squad (“Company,” “we,” “us”), collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information when you use our website https://charactersquad.com (the “Site”) and our booking referral services. It is intended to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (together, “CCPA”), the California Online Privacy Protection Act (“CalOPPA,” Bus. & Prof. Code §22575 et seq.), California’s “Shine the Light” law (Civ. Code §1798.83), and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”).
4.1 Notice at Collection (Summary)
We collect the contact and event information you submit (for example, your name, phone, email, event address, date, number and ages of children, character preferences, and notes) in order to respond to your request, refer you to an independent Performer, and coordinate your booking. We share it with the Performer(s) who will perform at your event and with service providers who help us operate. We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Retention periods are described in Section 4.7.
4.2 Categories of Personal Information We Collect
In the past 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information (CCPA categories in parentheses). We collect only what is reasonably necessary for the purposes described.
| Category | Examples | Collected? | Disclosed to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identifiers (A) / Customer records (B) | Parent name, phone, email, event street address, city | Yes | Performer(s) for your booking; service providers |
| Characteristics of protected classifications (C) | Age group of children (e.g., ages 3–7 / 8–14); age of the birthday child | Yes (children’s ages, provided by parents) | Performer(s); service providers |
| Commercial information (D) | Party date, time, duration, number of children, characters and extras requested, quotes, referral fee paid, booking history | Yes | Performer(s); payment processor; service providers |
| Internet or network activity (F) | IP address, browser/device type, pages viewed, referring URL, timestamps (server logs; analytics if enabled) | Yes | Hosting/analytics providers |
| Geolocation (G) | Event address and city you provide. We do not collect precise device geolocation. | Event location only | Performer(s) |
| Audio, electronic, visual (H) | Voicemails; event photos only if you send them or consent to marketing use | Limited | Service providers |
| Inferences (K) | Character recommendations based on your child’s interests | Limited | Performer(s) |
| Free-text notes | Themes, a shy birthday child, pets, parking, child’s favorite shows, allergies you choose to share | Yes, as you provide | Performer(s) |
| Sensitive personal information | We do not request it. If you share health information (e.g., an allergy) in notes, we use it only to pass it to the Performer for safety. | Not requested | Performer(s), only as needed for safety |
| Payment card data | Processed by [PAYMENT PROCESSOR TO BE ADDED] . We do not store full card numbers. | Via processor only | Payment processor |
4.3 Sources of Personal Information
- Directly from you, through our booking form, phone calls, texts, emails, and social media messages.
- Automatically, from your browser or device when you visit the Site (through our hosting provider and any analytics we use).
- From Performers (for example, confirmation that an event took place, or a report of an incident).
- From our payment processor, if you pay a referral fee (confirmation of payment, not your full card number).
4.4 How We Use Personal Information (Business Purposes)
- To respond to inquiries and to recommend suitable characters and Performers.
- To refer your event to independent Performers, confirm availability, and coordinate booking details, including the Performer’s arrival at your venue.
- To process any referral fee, refunds, and credits.
- To send transactional communications (confirmations, reminders, schedule changes) by email, phone, or text. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out of texts.
- With your consent, to send occasional marketing messages. You may opt out at any time.
- To maintain safety and quality, investigate complaints or incidents, and decide whether to continue referring a Performer.
- To operate, secure, debug, and improve the Site, and to prevent spam and fraud (for example, using a hidden “honeypot” form field).
- To comply with law, enforce our Terms, and establish or defend legal claims.
4.5 How We Disclose Personal Information
- Performers. To fulfill your request, we disclose the information necessary for the booking to the independent Performer(s) we refer you to. This includes your name, phone number, event address and city, date, time, duration, number and ages of children, the birthday child’s first name and age if provided, character preferences, extras, and notes. This disclosure is necessary to provide the service you requested. As a condition of receiving referrals, we require Performers to use this information only to perform your event and communicate with you about it, to keep it confidential, and to delete it when no longer needed. Performers are independent businesses, and their own handling of information is also governed by their own practices.
- Service providers acting on our behalf. Examples include website hosting (Vercel Inc.), form processing, data storage and website analytics (Google LLC, e.g., Google Apps Script, Google Sheets, Google Workspace email, Google Analytics), payment processing ([PAYMENT PROCESSOR TO BE ADDED] ), and telephone/text messaging providers (Google LLC (Google Voice)). They are contractually limited to using personal information to provide services to us.
- Legal and safety. We may disclose information when required by law, subpoena, or court order, or to protect the safety of any person, including in connection with a reported incident involving a child.
- Business transfers. If our business is sold, merged, or reorganized, information may be transferred to the successor, subject to this Policy.
- With your direction or consent.
4.6 No Sale or Sharing; No Targeted Advertising
We do not sell personal information, and we do not “share” personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, as those terms are defined by the CCPA. We have not done so in the preceding 12 months. We do not sell or share the personal information of consumers under 16. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes that would give rise to a right to limit under the CCPA. Because we do not sell or share, we do not offer a “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link. If we ever add advertising pixels (for example, Meta Pixel or Google Ads tags) that could constitute “sharing,” we will update this Policy before doing so, provide an opt-out link, and honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as opt-out requests.
4.7 Retention
We keep personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described above. Default periods:
- Requests that do not become bookings: up to 12 months after the last contact.
- Booking records (contact, event details, referral fee records): 3 years after the event, or longer if required for tax or accounting purposes (generally up to 7 years for financial records).
- Children’s details (first name, age, interests, notes): 90 days after the event, then deleted or de-identified, unless needed for an open complaint or legal matter.
- Incident or complaint records: as long as needed to resolve the matter, plus 3 years.
- Server logs and analytics: per our hosting provider’s standard retention, generally 30 to 90 days.
- Marketing consent records: until you opt out, plus a reasonable period to honor your choice.
4.8 Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information. These include HTTPS encryption, access controls and multi-factor authentication on our business accounts, limiting Performers’ access to booking-specific details, and deleting data on the schedules above. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. Please do not include sensitive information (such as medical details beyond what is needed to keep children safe, Social Security numbers, or financial account numbers) in free-text fields. If a breach of unencrypted personal information occurs, we will notify affected individuals as required by Cal. Civ. Code §1798.82.
4.9 Your California Privacy Rights
Subject to applicable law and verification, California residents have the right to:
- Know / access: request the categories and specific pieces of personal information we collected about you, the sources, purposes, and categories of recipients;
- Delete: request deletion of personal information we collected from you, subject to legal exceptions (for example, completing a transaction, security, or legal compliance);
- Correct: request correction of inaccurate personal information;
- Opt out of sale or sharing: we do not sell or share, but you may still submit this request, and we honor GPC signals;
- Limit use of sensitive personal information: we do not use sensitive personal information for purposes that would trigger this right;
- Non-discrimination and non-retaliation: we will not deny services, charge different prices, or provide a different quality of service because you exercised your privacy rights.
4.10 How to Submit a Request
Submit a request by calling or texting 408-409-5730, or in writing by text message to 408-409-5730 or by mail to 500 East Hamilton Ave #1032, Campbell, CA 95008 (include “Privacy Request” in your message). We will confirm receipt within 10 business days and respond within 45 calendar days. If needed, we may extend this by another 45 days with notice. To protect you, we will verify your identity by matching information you provide (for example, your name, phone number, and the date of your event) with our records. You may make a request to know up to twice in a 12-month period at no charge.
Authorized agents. You may use an authorized agent to submit a request. We may require the agent to provide your signed written permission and may ask you to verify your identity directly with us, unless the agent holds a valid power of attorney under California Probate Code §§4121–4130.
Appeals and complaints. If you disagree with our response, reply to our response to ask us to reconsider. You may also contact the California Privacy Protection Agency (cppa.ca.gov) or the California Attorney General (oag.ca.gov/privacy).
4.11 Children’s Privacy (COPPA)
Our Site is directed to parents, guardians, and other adults planning events. It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information online directly from children under 13. Parents and guardians may choose to provide information about their children, such as a child’s first name, age or age group, birthday, interests, and favorite characters, so that we and the Performer can plan an appropriate party. We use this information only for the booking, share it only with the Performer(s) for your event and our service providers, and delete it on the schedule in Section 4.7. If we learn that a child under 13 has submitted personal information to us directly, we will delete it. Parents may review or request deletion of their child’s information at any time by calling or texting us at 408-409-5730. California minors under 18 who are registered users may request removal of content they posted (Bus. & Prof. Code §22581). We do not offer registered accounts, but we will honor such requests.
4.12 Cookies, Analytics, and Do Not Track
Our Site is hosted by Vercel. Like most web hosts, Vercel automatically processes technical information (such as IP address, browser type, pages requested, and timestamps) in server logs for security and performance. The Site may store small amounts of data in your browser (for example, local storage to remember your booking selections). Our booking forms are processed through Google Apps Script. We use Google Analytics, a service of Google LLC, to understand how visitors use the Site. It sets cookies and collects information such as pages viewed, device and browser type, approximate location, and the referring website. We do not use Google Analytics advertising features, and we do not use advertising cookies or third-party advertising pixels. You can opt out of Google Analytics with Google’s browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. Our Site links to Facebook and Instagram, and those services have their own privacy policies.
Do Not Track (CalOPPA disclosure): Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) setting. Because there is no common industry standard for DNT, our Site does not currently respond to DNT browser signals. However, we do not track your activity across third-party websites over time, and we do not allow third parties to do so on our Site. We treat Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as a request to opt out of sale or sharing.
4.13 California “Shine the Light” (Civ. Code §1798.83)
California residents may request information about our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year. We do not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes. To make a request, write to us by text message to 408-409-5730 or by mail to 500 East Hamilton Ave #1032, Campbell, CA 95008 and include “Shine the Light” in your message.
4.14 Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated Policy on the Site with a new effective date at the top. If changes are material, we will provide additional notice, for example by a notice on the Site’s home page or booking form, or by email to customers with upcoming bookings, before the change takes effect. We review this Policy at least once every 12 months.
4.15 Contact Us
Character Squad LLC, d/b/a The Character Squad, 500 East Hamilton Ave #1032, Campbell, CA 95008. Phone: 408-409-5730.