Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

UCSD x CRS ("we," "us," or "our") is a student-led racing and engineering organization at the University of California, San Diego, competing in the Collegiate Racing Series. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information when you visit our website, use our contact and recruitment features, or access the Staff Portal.

We are committed to handling personal information responsibly and transparently. This policy is designed to meet the expectations of California residents, including rights provided under the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (collectively, "CCPA"), where applicable to our operations.

2. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with the Site. We collect only what is reasonably necessary to operate our website, respond to inquiries, manage recruitment interest, and support authorized staff access.

2.1 Information you provide directly

• Contact and sponsorship inquiries: Name, email address, organization or affiliation, message content, and any optional details you include in our contact form (for example, sponsorship interest or project descriptions).
• Recruitment chat and inquiries: Messages you submit through recruitment chat or related features, including questions about roles such as Driver, Engineer, PIT Crew, Media Team, Content Creator, or Operations Team.
• Staff Portal registration: UC San Diego email address (@ucsd.edu), password (stored in hashed form where applicable), and invite code used during account creation or password recovery.
• External applications: If you apply through a linked third-party form (for example, a Fall 2026 application), that provider may collect additional information under its own privacy policy. We receive only the data made available to us through that process.

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Device and usage data: Browser type, device type, operating system, pages viewed, referring URLs, general interaction patterns, and approximate access times.
• Local storage: The Staff Portal may store session-related data in your browser's localStorage to keep you signed in or remember portal state. This data remains on your device unless cleared.
• Cookies and similar technologies: We may use essential cookies required for basic Site functionality. If we enable analytics or performance measurement tools, those services may use cookies or similar identifiers to aggregate usage statistics. Where required, we will provide notice and choices regarding non-essential cookies.

2.3 Information we do not intentionally collect

We do not knowingly collect Social Security numbers, financial account credentials, precise geolocation for tracking purposes, or sensitive health information through the Site. Please do not submit sensitive personal information through contact forms or chat unless we specifically request it for a defined purpose.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

• Operate, maintain, and improve the Site and its features
• Respond to contact, sponsorship, and general inquiry messages
• Answer recruitment questions and direct prospective members to appropriate resources
• Authenticate Staff Portal users and manage internal access
• Communicate with Team members about operations, events, and organizational updates
• Monitor for abuse, spam, security incidents, and violations of our Terms and Conditions
• Comply with applicable law, university policies, and legitimate organizational record-keeping needs
• Analyze aggregated or de-identified usage trends to improve content and usability

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use Staff Portal credentials or contact form data for unrelated commercial marketing.

4. UC San Diego Email Requirement

Staff Portal accounts are limited to valid UC San Diego email addresses. We use this requirement to verify affiliation with the university community and to reduce unauthorized access to internal tools. If your UC San Diego email is deactivated or you are no longer affiliated with the Team, your Staff Portal access may be revoked.

5. How We Share Information

We share personal information only in the circumstances described below:

• Team leadership and authorized members: Contact and recruitment messages may be reviewed by officers or leads responsible for outreach, sponsorship, or recruitment.
• Service providers: We may use hosting, form handling, email, analytics, or AI chat infrastructure providers that process data on our behalf under contractual obligations to protect it and use it only for specified services.
• University context: As a registered student organization, certain information may be shared with UC San Diego offices when required by university policy or for official organizational registration.
• Legal and safety: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or governmental request, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of the Team, our members, or others.
• With your direction: When you ask us to share information or follow a link to a third-party service, that service's policies apply.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

• Contact and sponsorship messages: Typically retained for up to twenty-four (24) months after resolution of the inquiry, unless a longer period is needed for ongoing partnership discussions.
• Recruitment chat logs: Retained for a limited period sufficient to improve responses and follow up with prospective applicants, generally not longer than eighteen (18) months.
• Staff Portal accounts: Retained while membership is active and for a short period thereafter, after which credentials and associated records may be deleted or deactivated.
• Server and security logs: May be retained for a shorter operational window for troubleshooting and incident response.

Retention practices may vary based on available tooling and Team capacity. We periodically review stored data and delete or de-identify information that is no longer needed.

7. Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, invite-code gating for Staff Portal actions, hashed password storage where supported, and use of reputable hosting providers.

No method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for safeguarding your Staff Portal password and for using secure devices and networks when accessing the Site.

8. Children's Privacy

The Site is intended for a general audience and for prospective university-age applicants. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under thirteen (13) years of age. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it promptly.

9. California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you may have the following rights under the CCPA, subject to certain exceptions:

• Right to know: Request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources, purposes, and categories of third parties with whom we share it.
• Right to delete: Request deletion of personal information we collected from you, subject to legal or operational retention needs.
• Right to correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
• Right to opt out of sale or sharing: We do not sell personal information and do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising as defined under California law.
• Right to limit use of sensitive personal information: We do not use sensitive personal information for purposes requiring a "limit" right under California law.
• Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

To submit a privacy request, email ucsdxcrs@gmail.com with the subject line "California Privacy Request." We will verify your request using reasonable methods, which may include confirming control of the email address associated with your inquiry or account. Authorized agents may submit requests on your behalf where permitted by law.

10. International Users

The Site is operated from the United States. If you access the Site from outside the United States, you understand that your information may be processed and stored in the U.S. and other jurisdictions where our service providers operate. Those jurisdictions may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country.

11. Third-Party Links and Embedded Services

Our Site may link to Instagram, LinkedIn, external application platforms, sponsor websites, CRS resources, and other third-party services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or Site features. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the Site after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

For privacy questions, requests, or concerns, contact:

For general terms governing use of the Site, see our Terms and Conditions.