Privacy Policy

Scope. This document applies to PartyShare’s event-rental marketplace, related account and booking features, communications, vendor tools, and the DMV Events directory and submission features.

1. Overview and Scope

This Privacy Policy describes how Party Share ("PartyShare," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, retains, and protects personal information when you use partyshare.org, the PartyShare event-rental marketplace, the DMV Events by PartyShare directory, and related account, booking, listing, messaging, vendor, marketing, and support features (collectively, the “Service”).

By using the Service, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy. This policy should be read together with the PartyShare Terms of Service and any transaction-specific terms, rental agreements, waivers, cancellation policies, or notices shown at the time information is collected.

Notice at collection: PartyShare collects the categories of personal information summarized in Section 3 for the purposes described in Sections 5 and 6. We do not sell personal information for money. We may disclose or “share” certain identifiers and online activity with advertising and analytics partners for targeted advertising, subject to the choices and rights described below.

2. Who We Are and How to Contact Us

The Service is operated by Party Share, a Maryland-based marketplace operator. PartyShare provides a technology platform that enables renters and event organizers to discover, communicate with, and book independent vendors offering party and event equipment or related services. PartyShare also operates a regional public events directory for Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.

Contact PartyShare: Email contact@partyshare.org or write to Party Share, 11021 Picasso Lane, Potomac, Maryland 20854, United States. Please include enough information for us to identify your account and respond to your request.

3. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with the Service, whether you act as a renter, vendor, event organizer, visitor, or other user, and which features you use.

• Category: Identifiers and contact data — Examples: Name, email, phone number, mailing or delivery address, account ID, IP address — Primary purposes / disclosures: Account creation; booking and delivery; communications; security; customer support; disclosed to vendors/renters as needed and to service providers.
• Category: Account and profile data — Examples: Profile photo, business name, biography, preferences, verification status, saved items — Primary purposes / disclosures: Profile functionality; trust and safety; marketplace discovery; public display where you choose to publish information.
• Category: Transaction and commercial data — Examples: Listings viewed or saved, booking requests, reservations, prices, fees, deposits, cancellations, refunds, reviews — Primary purposes / disclosures: Provide bookings; calculate fees; resolve disputes; prevent fraud; analytics; legal and tax records.
• Category: Payment and payout data — Examples: Payment method token, last four digits, payout status, bank/payout onboarding information — Primary purposes / disclosures: Processed primarily by Stripe. PartyShare generally does not receive or store complete card or bank account numbers.
• Category: Verification and compliance data — Examples: Identity or business verification results, tax information, insurance documents, licenses, permits — Primary purposes / disclosures: Vendor onboarding; payment compliance; trust and safety; legal obligations. Some data is collected directly by Stripe or another verification provider.
• Category: Communications and content — Examples: Messages, support requests, reviews, listing text and images, event submissions, correction requests — Primary purposes / disclosures: Enable user communications; publish listings or events; moderation; disputes; support; safety and legal compliance.
• Category: Device, usage, and cookie data — Examples: Browser, device, operating system, pages viewed, session data, referral source, ad identifiers — Primary purposes / disclosures: Operate and secure the service; analytics; improve features; measure and personalize advertising subject to applicable choices.
• Category: Location and logistics data — Examples: Approximate location, service area, pickup location, delivery address, route or delivery status — Primary purposes / disclosures: Search and matching; pickup/delivery coordination; fraud prevention; transaction completion.
• Category: Inferences and preferences — Examples: Likely interests, preferred categories, engagement segments — Primary purposes / disclosures: Recommendations; product improvement; communications and advertising, where permitted.

3.1 Information you provide directly

Registration and profile information, such as your name, email address, phone number, password credentials or sign-in method, profile image, business name, service area, and account preferences.

Vendor and listing information, such as business details, inventory descriptions, photographs, prices, availability, delivery or pickup options, rental requirements, policies, insurance or license information, and tax or payout onboarding information.

Booking and transaction information, such as event dates, requested items or services, venue or delivery details, special instructions, communications, cancellation requests, damage reports, and dispute documentation.

Content and communications, such as messages exchanged through the platform, customer-support communications, ratings, reviews, event submissions, correction requests, and other content you choose to provide.

Marketing preferences, such as newsletter subscriptions, campaign interactions, and preferences for email, text, or other communications.

3.2 Information collected automatically

Usage data, including pages viewed, searches, clicks, booking funnel activity, referring and exit pages, dates and times, and interactions with emails or advertisements.

Device and technical data, including IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, language, approximate location derived from IP address, and diagnostic or security logs.

Cookie and similar technology data, including session identifiers, preference cookies, analytics identifiers, pixels, and advertising identifiers.

3.3 Information from other sources

Other marketplace users, such as a vendor providing delivery or transaction information about a renter, or a renter submitting a review or dispute report about a vendor.

Payment and verification providers, such as Stripe, which may provide verification status, payment status, payout status, risk signals, and limited payment-method information.

Social sign-in providers, if enabled, such as Google, Apple, or Facebook, which may provide account identifiers and profile information based on your settings with that provider.

Marketing, analytics, and advertising partners, which may provide campaign, audience, conversion, and attribution information.

Public and licensed sources, including event organizers, government or institutional event calendars, public websites, authorized feeds, APIs, and community submissions used for DMV Events.

4. How We Collect Information

We collect information when you create or update an account; browse, search, save, list, request, book, pay, cancel, review, or message through the Service; submit an event or correction; communicate with support; subscribe to marketing; interact with our emails or ads; or otherwise use the Service. We also receive information through cookies, APIs, integrations, payment processors, fraud-prevention tools, and other users involved in a transaction.

5. How We Use Information

We use personal information for the following business and commercial purposes:

Provide and administer the Service, including accounts, profiles, listings, search, booking requests, reservations, payments, payouts, reviews, event submissions, and communications.

Facilitate transactions between users, including sharing necessary booking, pickup, delivery, and contact details between a renter and vendor after or in connection with a booking.

Verify users and protect the marketplace, including identity and business verification, fraud detection, payment risk screening, abuse prevention, content moderation, and enforcement of our Terms of Service.

Provide customer support and resolve disputes, including reviewing messages, transaction records, photos, delivery information, damage reports, and related evidence where reasonably necessary.

Communicate with you, including transactional emails, security notices, account updates, booking notifications, reminders, surveys, and customer-service messages.

Market and promote PartyShare, including newsletters, vendor outreach, audience segmentation, retargeting, personalized advertising, and measurement of campaign performance, subject to applicable law and your choices.

Improve and personalize the Service, including analytics, testing, recommendations, marketplace quality, search relevance, feature development, and user-experience improvements.

Operate DMV Events, including publishing, organizing, correcting, moderating, and maintaining public event information and submissions.

Comply with law and protect legal rights, including tax, accounting, payment, regulatory, litigation, law-enforcement, and recordkeeping requirements.

Conduct corporate transactions, such as a financing, merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar transaction, subject to appropriate safeguards.

6. How We Disclose Information

We may disclose personal information as described below. We do not disclose more information than is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

Between renters and vendors. We disclose information needed to evaluate and complete a booking, such as names, account information, event dates, contact details, delivery or pickup information, and transaction communications. Public profile and listing information is visible to other users and visitors.

Service providers and processors. We use providers for marketplace infrastructure, hosting, security, analytics, communications, customer relationship management, marketing, payment processing, identity verification, fraud prevention, customer support, and other business operations. These providers include Sharetribe, Stripe, Mailchimp (including transactional email tools where used), Notion, Google services, and similar providers.

Delivery and logistics providers. If a booking uses a third-party delivery provider, we or the vendor may provide the information needed to arrange, track, and complete delivery. The provider’s own privacy terms may also apply.

Advertising and analytics partners. We may disclose identifiers, cookie data, device data, and online activity to providers such as Google and Meta for analytics, conversion measurement, audience creation, and targeted advertising, subject to applicable consent and opt-out requirements.

Professional advisers and business partners. We may disclose information to attorneys, accountants, insurers, auditors, financing sources, and other advisers or partners under appropriate confidentiality obligations.

Legal, safety, and enforcement purposes. We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law or legal process; enforce agreements; investigate fraud, safety incidents, or illegal conduct; protect users, PartyShare, or the public; or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Business transfers. Information may be disclosed or transferred in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, sale of assets, or similar transaction.

With your direction or consent. We may disclose information when you request, authorize, or consent to the disclosure.

7. Payments, Payouts, and Identity Verification

PartyShare uses Stripe and its affiliated services to process payments, facilitate vendor payouts, perform identity or business verification, and manage payment-related risk. Payment information you submit is provided directly to Stripe or another authorized payment provider. PartyShare generally does not receive or store complete payment-card numbers or complete bank account numbers.

Stripe may collect information directly from you and may act as an independent controller for certain payment, identity, fraud-prevention, and compliance activities. Stripe’s own terms and privacy notices apply to its processing. PartyShare may receive limited information such as verification status, payout status, payment status, the type and last four digits of a payment method, and risk or dispute information.

8. Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising

8.1 Cookies and similar technologies

PartyShare and our providers use cookies, pixels, web beacons, local storage, SDKs, and similar technologies. Some are essential for authentication, security, payments, and core functionality. Others remember preferences, analyze usage, measure campaigns, or support personalized advertising.

Essential technologies support login, security, fraud prevention, checkout, and requested features.

Preference technologies remember settings and improve usability.

Analytics technologies help us understand traffic, performance, and feature usage, including through Google Analytics or similar services.

Advertising technologies help measure campaigns, create audiences, and show ads that may be more relevant, including through Google Ads and Meta advertising services.

8.2 Your cookie and advertising choices

You can limit cookies through your browser or device settings. Blocking essential cookies may prevent parts of the Service from functioning. You can unsubscribe from marketing emails using the link in the message. You may also contact us to opt out of targeted advertising disclosures where applicable. Where required by law, we will honor valid opt-out preference signals, such as a recognized Global Privacy Control signal, for the browser or device from which the signal is sent.

PartyShare does not sell personal information for money. Some disclosures to advertising partners may be considered a “sale,” “sharing,” or targeted advertising under certain state laws even when no money changes hands. See Section 13 for more information.

9. Public Content, User Communications, and DMV Events

9.1 Public marketplace content

Listings, vendor profiles, reviews, ratings, profile images, business names, and other content designated as public may be visible to anyone, indexed by search engines, and redistributed through ordinary web sharing. Do not publish sensitive personal information in public fields.

9.2 Messages and transaction communications

Messages between users are intended to facilitate marketplace transactions. PartyShare may access, review, preserve, or disclose messages when reasonably necessary for customer support, trust and safety, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, legal compliance, or enforcement of our Terms of Service. Users should not include unnecessary sensitive information in messages.

9.3 DMV Events information

DMV Events may publish organizer names, public contact details, event descriptions, images, venues, dates, links, and other information obtained from public sources, authorized feeds or APIs, and community submissions. Event organizers and submitters should provide only information they are authorized to publish. To request a correction or removal, contact us and identify the event and the requested change.

10. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the Service, maintain account and transaction history, comply with legal and tax obligations, prevent fraud, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and protect users. Retention periods vary based on the type of information, the status of your account, the existence of a booking or dispute, and applicable legal requirements.

When information is no longer reasonably needed, we may delete it, deidentify it, or aggregate it. Deidentified or aggregated information that cannot reasonably be linked to you may be retained and used for lawful purposes. Backup copies may remain for a limited period until overwritten or deleted through ordinary system processes.

11. Security

PartyShare uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information, including access controls, encrypted connections, vendor security controls, logging, and account protection measures. No system or transmission method is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and promptly notifying us of suspected unauthorized access.

12. Your Choices and Privacy Rights

12.1 Account and profile controls

You may review and update certain account and profile information through your account settings. You may request account deletion, subject to information we must retain for legal, safety, fraud-prevention, payment, tax, dispute, or contractual reasons.

12.2 Communications choices

You may unsubscribe from marketing emails using the unsubscribe link. Even after you opt out of marketing, we may send transactional or service communications, such as booking notices, security alerts, legal notices, and responses to your requests.

12.3 Privacy requests

Depending on where you live and subject to legal exceptions, you may have the right to request access, confirmation, correction, deletion, or portability of personal information; to opt out of targeted advertising, sale, sharing, or certain profiling; to withdraw consent; or to object to or restrict certain processing.

To submit a request, email contact@partyshare.org with the subject line “Privacy Request.” We may need to verify your identity and authority before acting. You may use an authorized agent where permitted by law, but we may require proof of authorization and direct identity verification. We will not discriminate against you for exercising a privacy right.

12.4 Appeals

If we deny a privacy request and applicable law provides a right to appeal, you may appeal by replying to our decision or emailing contact@partyshare.org with the subject line “Privacy Appeal.” Explain why you believe the decision should be reconsidered. We will respond within the period required by applicable law and will provide information about contacting the relevant regulator when required.

13. U.S. State Privacy Disclosures

This section supplements the rest of this Privacy Policy for residents of states with comprehensive consumer privacy laws, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, and other states as their laws apply. Rights and obligations vary by state and may apply only if PartyShare meets statutory thresholds.

13.1 Categories collected, used, and disclosed

The categories of personal information we may have collected during the preceding twelve months are described in Section 3. We collect them from the sources in Section 4, use them for the purposes in Section 5, and disclose them to the categories of recipients in Section 6. We retain information as described in Section 10.

13.2 Sale, sharing, and targeted advertising

PartyShare does not sell personal information for money. We may disclose identifiers, internet or electronic network activity, and related inferences to analytics and advertising partners for targeted advertising and campaign measurement. Under some state laws, these activities may be considered “sale,” “sharing,” or targeted advertising. You may opt out by using available cookie controls, enabling a legally recognized opt-out preference signal, or contacting us.

13.3 Sensitive personal information

PartyShare does not use sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you. Sensitive information, such as precise delivery locations, identity documents, payment data, or account credentials, is used only as reasonably necessary to provide requested services, process payments, verify users, prevent fraud, protect safety, and comply with law.

13.4 California-specific information

California residents may request the categories and specific pieces of personal information collected, correction, deletion, and information about disclosures, subject to exceptions.

California residents may opt out of sale or sharing and may limit certain uses of sensitive personal information where the law applies. PartyShare does not offer financial incentives in exchange for personal information unless separately disclosed.

California’s “Shine the Light” law may permit certain residents to request information regarding disclosures for third parties’ own direct marketing. PartyShare’s current practice is not to disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing without your consent.

13.5 Maryland and Virginia residents

Subject to applicable thresholds and exceptions, Maryland and Virginia residents may have rights to confirm processing; access, correct, delete, and obtain a portable copy of personal data; opt out of targeted advertising, sale, and certain profiling; and appeal a denied request. Maryland law also imposes data-minimization and sensitive-data requirements that PartyShare applies where legally required.

14. International Users

PartyShare is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States and other countries where our service providers operate. Those countries may have data-protection laws different from the laws in your location.

Where the GDPR, UK GDPR, or similar law applies, PartyShare processes personal data based on one or more lawful bases, including performance of a contract, legitimate interests, consent, and compliance with legal obligations. You may have rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict, object, port data, withdraw consent, and complain to a supervisory authority, subject to applicable limitations.

15. Children and Minors

The Service is intended for adults who can enter binding contracts and is not directed to anyone under 18. PartyShare does not knowingly allow minors to create marketplace accounts or enter rental transactions. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us so we can investigate and take appropriate action.

California residents under 18 may request removal of content they posted publicly, subject to legal exceptions and the practical limitations of complete removal from search engines, backups, or copies made by others.

16. Third-Party Services and Links

The Service may link to or integrate with third-party websites, payment providers, delivery providers, social platforms, event sources, or other services. Their privacy practices are governed by their own notices, and PartyShare is not responsible for their independent processing. Review the privacy terms of each third party before providing information.

17. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated policy on the Service and revise the effective date. If changes are material, we may provide additional notice through email, account notification, or a prominent website notice as required by law. Your continued use after the effective date of an updated policy constitutes acknowledgment of the revised practices, except where consent is required by law.

18. Contact Information

Privacy questions and requests: Email contact@partyshare.org or write to Party Share, 11021 Picasso Lane, Potomac, Maryland 20854, United States. Use the subject line “Privacy Request,” “Privacy Appeal,” or “DMV Events Correction,” as applicable. Do not send passwords or complete payment-card numbers by email.