Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 31, 2026 · TrapJaw Labs, LLC · Irvine, CA
1. Introduction
TrapJaw Labs, LLC ("TrapJaw Labs, LLC," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of our customers, website visitors, and community members. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website trapjawlabs.com (the "Site"), place an order, use our services, or otherwise interact with us.
TrapJaw Labs, LLC is a Florida limited liability company headquartered at 1 Technology Dr Ste B111, Irvine, CA 92618. By accessing or using our Site, you consent to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Site immediately.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
- Account registration details: name, email address, phone number, and password
- Order information: billing and shipping addresses, payment method details (processed securely via our third-party payment processor — we do not store full card numbers)
- Customer support communications: emails, chat messages, and phone call records when you contact our team
- Reviews and community content: product reviews, blog comments, forum posts, and photos you submit
- Care Advisor inputs: species preferences, colony information, and ant nest configurations you provide when using our interactive tools
- Newsletter subscriptions: email address and communication preferences
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
- Device and browser information: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers, and screen resolution
- Usage data: pages visited, time spent on pages, click patterns, search queries entered on the Site, referring URLs, and exit pages
- Location data: approximate geographic location derived from your IP address (we do not collect precise GPS coordinates)
- Cookies and tracking technologies: as further described in our Cookie Policy, we use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to enhance your experience
2.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information about you from third-party sources including shipping carriers (delivery status updates), payment processors (transaction confirmations), social media platforms (if you interact with our social accounts), analytics providers (Google Analytics), and advertising platforms (OpenAI, which tells us when a visit began from an OpenAI advertisement so we can measure whether that advertisement led to an action on the Site).
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- Fulfill and manage orders: process purchases, arrange shipping of live colonies and supplies, issue refunds, and administer our Live Arrival Guarantee program
- Provide customer support: respond to inquiries, troubleshoot issues, and provide species-specific care guidance
- Improve our products and services: analyze usage patterns to enhance website functionality, develop new products, and optimize our shipping protocols for live specimen safety
- Communicate with you: send order confirmations, shipping updates, care reminders for purchased colonies, and — with your consent — marketing newsletters and promotional offers
- Personalize your experience: remember your preferences, recommend products based on your interests and purchase history, and customize Care Advisor results
- Ensure security and prevent fraud: detect and prevent fraudulent transactions, unauthorized access, and other illegal activities
- Comply with legal obligations: fulfill regulatory requirements including USDA, California Department of Food and Agriculture, and applicable state permits for live organism shipments
- Conduct research and analytics: analyze trends in ant-keeping interests to better serve the myrmecology community (always in aggregate, never identifying individuals)
4. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:
4.1 Service Providers
We share information with trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating our business, including payment processors (Square; Stripe for orders placed before August 2026), shipping carriers (USPS, UPS, FedEx), email service providers (Resend), cloud hosting and security providers (Cloudflare), analytics providers (Google Analytics), advertising measurement providers (OpenAI Ads Manager, which receives page views, product views, cart additions, and order totals together with a randomized browser identifier — never your name, email address, or postal address; see our Cookie Policy, Section 2.4, for how to opt out), geolocation services (ip-api.com for approximate location based on IP address), and customer support platforms. These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only for the services they provide to us.
4.2 Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, including to comply with USDA reporting requirements for interstate shipment of live organisms.
4.3 Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on our Site of any change in ownership.
4.4 With Your Consent
We may share your information for purposes not described here with your explicit consent.
5. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law. Specifically:
- Account information is retained for the duration of your account and for 3 years after account deletion
- Order records are retained for 7 years to comply with tax and regulatory requirements
- Customer support records are retained for 3 years after the last interaction
- Website usage data is retained in identifiable form for 26 months, after which it is anonymized for aggregate analytics
- Marketing consent records are retained until you withdraw consent plus 1 year for compliance documentation
6. Your Privacy Rights
6.1 All Users
Regardless of your location, you may: access and request a copy of the personal information we hold about you; request correction of inaccurate information; request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements); opt out of marketing communications at any time by clicking "Unsubscribe" in any email or contacting us directly; and disable cookies through your browser settings.
6.2 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). These include the right to know what personal information is collected and how it is used, the right to request deletion, the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (we do not sell your data; our use of an advertising measurement pixel, described in Section 4.1 and in our Cookie Policy, may be considered "sharing" under the CPRA — you may opt out at any time using the control in the Cookie Policy, Section 2.4, and we honor Global Privacy Control signals automatically), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights. To submit a request, email privacy@trapjawlabs.com. We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days.
6.3 Other State Residents
Residents of other states may have additional privacy rights under their respective state laws, including rights to access, correct, delete, and obtain a portable copy of personal data. To exercise any such rights, contact us using the information provided in Section 11.
7. Data Security
We implement industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including TLS/SSL encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our servers, encrypted storage of sensitive data at rest, regular security audits and vulnerability assessments, role-based access controls limiting employee access to personal data, and PCI-DSS compliant payment processing through our third-party processor. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8. Children's Privacy
Our Site and services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at privacy@trapjawlabs.com and we will promptly delete such information. Users between the ages of 13 and 18 should use our Site only with the involvement and consent of a parent or guardian.
9. Third-Party Links
Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, including educational resources, scientific publications, and myrmecology community forums. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.
10. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date and, where appropriate, by sending you an email notification. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
TrapJaw Labs, LLC
Attn: Privacy Officer
1 Technology Dr Ste B111
Irvine, CA 92618
Email: privacy@trapjawlabs.com
We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.