Privacy policy
Reaching your representatives is not private the way therapy is private — you're asking someone to act. But how you got there, what you told us, and whether you're nervous about any of it is nobody's business. This page says exactly what we collect, why, and what we never do with it.
Effective 24 August 2026 · Last updated 24 August 2026
We collect only what a specific tool on this site needs to work: your message if you write to us, and your story and your say-so if you want it published. The representative lookup keeps nothing at all — the address you type goes to the U.S. Census Bureau to work out your districts and is never stored by us. We never sell information, and we don't track what you called about or how you voted on anything. The rest of this page is the long version, section by section.
Who this policy covers
This policy covers Haven Access, a nonprofit organization, and the pages at havenaccess.org. It does not cover other organizations' websites, even ones we send you to — including Civic Duty (opens in a new tab), the representative-lookup tool we link to from Find my reps (see Representative lookup below). It is run independently by a Haven Access volunteer, not by Haven Access itself, and has its own privacy policy — read it separately before you use that tool.
What we collect, and why
We only describe things this site actually does below — not things we might add someday. When we add a new way of collecting information, this page gets updated first.
When you write to us
If you email info@havenaccess.org or use a contact form, we get whatever you put in it — usually your email address, your name if you give it, and your message. We use it to answer you and, if you asked about volunteering or an event, to follow up. We keep correspondence for three years so we have a record of what we told you, then delete it.
When you comment on this site
Some pages may let you leave a public comment. A comment box like that collects the comment text, whatever name you enter (a first name or handle is fine — you don't need to use your legal name), and, in the background, an email address for us to reach you about your comment and technical details like your IP address and the time you posted. The IP address is used only to catch spam and abuse; it is not published and not linked to your name anywhere on the site.
Comments are public the moment they post. Do not put anything in a comment you would not want a stranger, an employer, or the representative's office to read — including your home address or a phone number. We moderate comments and will remove ones that dox someone, threaten anyone, or are plainly spam. You can ask us to remove your own comment at any time by writing to info@havenaccess.org.
- No page on the site currently has a live comment box. This section describes what will be true once one exists, so the policy is ready before the feature ships rather than after.
- When it's built: decide whether comments require an account, whether email addresses are ever shown to other visitors (they should not be), and how long a removed comment's data is kept in backups.
When you share your story with us
Haven Access sometimes asks people to tell their story — why they made a call, what happened when they spoke at a meeting, what changed. If you send us your story, we will not publish any part of it without asking you first, in writing, and getting a clear yes. That request will tell you exactly what we want to publish: which quotes, what name or description to use (your full name, a first name, "a parent in your town," or anonymous — your choice), and where it will appear.
We will never publish your home address, phone number, or anything that would let a stranger find your house, even if it appeared in what you originally sent us. You can take back your consent and ask us to remove a published story at any time — write to info@havenaccess.org and we will take it down within five business days. Removing it from the live site does not reach copies already printed, screenshotted, or shared elsewhere before you asked.
When you look up your representatives
Find my reps runs a lookup tool we host ourselves, at havenaccess.org/lookup. It accepts a street address, a ZIP code, or — only if you tap the button and then grant the browser permission — your current location. There is no account, no sign-in, and nothing to fill in beyond the address itself.
What leaves your browser. The address or coordinates you enter are sent to the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder (opens in a new tab), a free public government service, which returns which districts that point falls in. That request goes from your browser straight to the Census Bureau. It is the only thing the tool sends anywhere, and it is subject to the Census Bureau's own privacy practices, not ours.
What we keep: nothing. Haven Access does not receive, log, or store the address you type. There is no database behind this tool and no analytics on the page. The legislator data itself is a set of plain files served from our site, so searching by name or browsing a state never leaves your browser at all — those modes send nothing anywhere.
Your search terms do appear in the page's own web address (so results can be bookmarked and shared), which means an address you looked up may end up in your browser history or in a link you paste to someone. That is worth knowing before you share a results link. Use a ZIP code instead of a full street address if you would rather it not be that specific.
The other option on that page. Find my reps also links out to Civic Duty (opens in a new tab), which drafts a call script and an email for you. It is run independently by a Haven Access volunteer: not part of this site, not covered by this policy, and not something Haven Access controls. Click through and you are on their site, subject to their privacy policy (opens in a new tab).
When you log a call, RSVP, or ask for a reminder
The call guide lets you mark that you made a call, mainly so the public count of calls means something. Where we can, we count actions without attaching them to your name. If logging in the future requires an account or a phone number — for example, to send a text reminder about an event — we will only use it for that specific purpose and say so at the point we ask for it, not bury it here after the fact.
Automatically, from any visit
Like most websites, our host records basic technical logs — IP address, browser type, the page requested, and the time. This is standard web-server behavior, used only to keep the site running and secure, and is not linked to anything you submit through a form.
As of the date at the top of this page, this site does not use advertising trackers, social-media pixels, or third-party analytics that follow you across other sites. If that changes — for instance, adding a privacy-respecting analytics tool to see which pages get read — this section will say which tool, what it collects, and how to opt out, before it goes live. We do not use cookies to track you across visits today.
What we don't do
We do not sell your information, ever, to anyone. We do not share your name, contact details, or the content of what you wrote us with political campaigns, data brokers, or advertisers. We do not tell a representative's office who called about what — that stays between you and them, unless you choose to say your own name on the call.
Being watched for calling your city council is exactly the kind of thing that keeps people from calling in the first place. We built this policy around that.
Who we share information with
- Service providers who help us run the site — our email provider, our hosting company, and, if a rep lookup uses a third-party API, that lookup service. They only get what they need to do that specific job, and they don't get to use it for anything else.
- Other Haven Access tools, if you use more than one — for example, if the same email you gave a comment box also RSVPs to an event. We don't currently combine data across tools beyond what's obviously the same interaction.
- Legal requests. We will only disclose information in response to a legally binding request, and we will push back on requests that are overbroad or that we believe are meant to identify or intimidate someone for lawful political activity, to the extent the law allows us to.
We do not otherwise share personal information with any other organization, including partner organizations, without telling you first.
Keeping this information safe
We use standard safeguards — encrypted connections (look for the lock icon and
https://), limited staff access, and reputable service providers — to
protect what you send us. No system connected to the internet is perfectly secure, and
we can't promise one that is. If we ever learn of a breach that puts your information at
risk, we will tell the people affected and, where the law requires it, the relevant
authorities.
Your choices
- Ask what we have. Write to us and we'll tell you what information we hold that's tied to your name or email.
- Ask us to delete it. We'll delete it unless we're required to keep it — for example, a financial record tied to a donation.
- Take back consent to publish your story, any time, as described under sharing your story above.
- Opt out of reminders the same way you opted in, or by replying stop to any text or email reminder.
To do any of these, write to info@havenaccess.org. We'll respond within thirty days.
Children's privacy
This site is not directed at children, and we don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child gave us information, write to us and we'll delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change what we collect or how we use it, we'll update the date at the top of this page and, for a change that matters — a new kind of tracking, a new use of your information — we'll say so plainly here rather than quietly editing the wording.
Questions
Write to info@havenaccess.org.