OUR COMMUNITY COMMITMENT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2026

Policies, privacy & belonging

An organization bringing people together

TrailSlayers.org is a community-organizing platform. The platform is not itself an accredited, certified, or verified off-road club. The separately listed TrailSlayers Club in Copperopolis is our founder’s local club. Clubs on this platform operate independently.

Our .org address does not assert nonprofit or tax-exempt status. The platform may conduct commercial activities. Prices and paid placements will be disclosed when offered. We do not claim that payments to TrailSlayers are tax-deductible.

Community data is not for sale

We collect data to operate this community. We do not sell personal data, rent member lists, or share personal data for cross-context behavioral advertising.

We use account identifiers and email verification to provide sign-in; profiles, artwork, vehicles, membership and team roles to connect people; messages and recent presence to run conversations; saved regions, rooms and contacts for quick access; and event, map and administrative records to operate clubs and resolve disputes. We receive approximate region information from our hosting provider to suggest local rooms. This room suggestion does not require device GPS; the optional map tools below request precise location only when you choose to use them.

Your display name, chosen username, insignia, declared affiliations and roles, member-since date, optional wheeling-since date and vehicle are public profile information. Organization artwork, pins and calendar events are public. Email addresses, authentication credentials and verification evidence are not public profile fields. Do not publish your home address or confidential documents in artwork or chat.

Google Firebase provides authentication; our hosting and storage providers process data needed to serve the website. Google or Apple sign-in follows the provider you choose. OpenStreetMap receives normal browser requests when the street map is shown. USGS The National Map receives normal browser requests when satellite imagery or USGS Topo is selected. The USDA Forest Service receives requested map areas through our map service, or directly from your browser if that connection fails, to render its published MVUM layers. Open-Meteo receives coordinates rounded to one decimal degree through our weather endpoint to provide current conditions and a five-day regional forecast near the selected pin; the exact recovery coordinate is not sent to the weather provider. These providers are needed to deliver the service; this is different from selling data. Sign-in uses browser storage to keep your session and remember your selected map layer and day, night or automatic map appearance. We have not added advertising trackers.

Club, leadership, vendor-team and direct conversations are limited to authorized participants. Messages persist for later replies. Recent chat presence expires after inactivity. An owner’s authority to manage ranks does not automatically grant access to private conversations. Messages are not end-to-end encrypted.

We retain account and community records while needed to provide the service and handle support, safety and disputes. To request access, correction or deletion, contact TrailSlayers support. We verify identity before releasing or changing private records. Some records may need to remain for an unresolved dispute or legal obligation. Policy changes will be posted here with a revised date.

Maps and live location

“Share location” requests device permission and stays off until you choose Friends only, Club only, or Global. Friends only uses selected mutual contacts across any clubs. Club only uses one accepted club. Global sharing exposes your precise reported position as an anonymous traffic dot to signed-in members; your friends can recognize you. Anonymous dots do not make the physical location itself anonymous. Contacts and club membership alone do not turn sharing on.

We store the latest shared coordinates, accuracy, audience and session timing, without a travel history. Coordinates refresh every 30 seconds, 60 seconds or 5 minutes as selected. Separate short presence checks remove ended sessions. Stop sharing removes the current session; a lost close signal expires within 45 seconds of its last heartbeat. Expired positions are hidden and pruned on subsequent location requests. We cannot guarantee an instant close signal from every device.

Once enabled, sharing may continue while the page is hidden. Reminders default to 5 and 20 minutes; you can ignore reminders for the session, choose only the 5-minute reminder, or select Never. Device notifications require your permission. Mobile browsers may suspend background GPS, timers and notifications; reminders may be delayed until you return. A suspended session expires instead of presenting an old location as live. You can disable hidden-page sharing or stop it at any time.

USDA MVUM roads, trails and their original legend come from the Forest Service map service. Published motor-vehicle designations are not live closure or condition reports, and coverage varies. Check the current forest’s official MVUM and closure notices before travel. Live locations may be imprecise and are not an emergency service.

The recovery page accepts an optional device position, a manually dropped pin, or a place search. Place searches send the words you enter to OpenStreetMap's Nominatim service; do not enter confidential information. A recovery pin remains in your browser until you choose to share, save, or download it. Shared recovery links contain exact coordinates and any displayed place label, so send them only to people or services you intend to involve. Trail Talk prepares the alert for your review and does not send it automatically. Saved points use browser storage on that device, and downloadable recovery cards contain the place and coordinates in a readable local file. These cards do not contain terrain tiles. Public OpenStreetMap servers prohibit bulk offline tile downloads; future offline map packs will use a source whose license and service terms expressly permit offline storage.

Independent merch and fundraising

Active club presidents and verified company R5 leaders, or current R4 leaders explicitly assigned the relevant duty, can link their own third-party merch stores and donation or fundraising campaigns. They manage designs, products, recipients and payouts with the chosen provider. TrailSlayers does not collect or route these payments. Check the destination, recipient, provider fees, shipping, refund terms and campaign details before paying. A page title such as Non-Profit Org. is self-declared and does not establish charitable status or tax deductibility.

Ages 16 and older

TrailSlayers accounts are for people age 16 or older. By creating an account, you confirm that you meet this minimum age. Do not register on behalf of a child under 16.

Independent clubs and honest affiliations

A club may be an informal group or a formally organized association. Its leaders can explain its status, publish bylaws and disclaimers, and link badges they are authorized to use. These claims are self-reported unless explicitly reviewed. Membership in an advocacy organization does not automatically constitute a license or accreditation.

Learn about organizations supporting recreation access: BlueRibbon Coalition and CORVA. These informational links do not claim a partnership, membership or endorsement.

Ranks, teams and verification

Clubs manage their own roster and bylaws. R5 is the president and R4 is the vice president; organizations can define their displayed titles. Presidents can assign ranks directly or use elections under their bylaws. Personal accounts may join one active club. Vendor and Event Coordinator accounts may join multiple clubs. Event Coordinators organize their own public events without gaining site administration or private club access.

Vendor company claims and team applications have a 48-hour verification window. The site owner verifies the company and initial R5. A verified R5 approves their team. Pending and expired claims do not receive company badges or private team access. Expired claims require owner review. Reapplying does not restart the clock.

Vendor defaults are R1 Brand ambassador, R2 Affiliate, R3 Sales, R4 Support and R5 Boss. Vendors and manufacturers may define titles such as Authorized dealer, Certified mechanic or Service center. A club may hold a company affiliation at R1–R4; this is an organization listing and grants no person access to that vendor’s team chat. Each person needs separate verified team membership.

Authenticity and leadership disputes

Duplicate listings of the same organization within 15 miles of its first-known location are blocked. Different legitimate clubs and businesses may operate nearby. Spelling-based screening cannot detect every impersonator; report disputed identities to support.

Creating a page does not establish exclusive ownership of an existing club or company. After reviewing conclusive evidence of verified identity and legitimate leadership, TrailSlayers may reassign ranks, hold operations, or disband/remove a listing. Credible contact starts a review; it is not automatic proof. Interventions are recorded with private evidence references and reasons. Members retain their independent accounts.

Photos, reports and account enforcement

Keep it clean. Be respectful—mixed company may see your photo. Profile pictures may be a vehicle or another appropriate image you have permission to share. We prohibit nudity, sexual content, hate imagery, exploitation and unlawful material. New images stay in private storage until the owner reviews them. No automated legal certification is claimed.

Complaints trigger review and may result in image removal, account suspension or a permanent ban. A complaint alone does not automatically establish a violation. Decisions are recorded. You may contact support about a decision. Do not redistribute suspected unlawful content; report the existing image link.

TrailCam and brand logo permissions

TrailCam can open a device camera or photo library after you choose the capture control. Timestamp and precise latitude and longitude overlays are separate options. Location stays off unless you turn it on, and the preview shows the coordinates before upload. Re-encoding removes hidden EXIF location metadata, while coordinates deliberately burned into the image remain visible. Finished TrailCam photos follow the same private review, complaint and removal process as other profile uploads.

TrailSlayers provides original muddy-trail, snow, Christmas, desert, beach and TrailSlayers club frames. Manufacturer, model and product logos remain disabled unless our brand-permission register contains written approval for the exact asset, surface, territory, term and commercial context. Permission-pending marks display PEND. LIC. Restricted or prohibited marks display a fictional TS Motors emblem. Plain-text vehicle identification may remain where permitted. A media-kit download, vehicle purchase, dealer relationship or member upload is not platform permission. Active approvals are reviewed every six months and before materially new uses.

Connect and recruiting

A member’s Connect QR code links to their recruiting page. Completing a connection adds the two accounts to each other’s contacts. Verified new accounts created through that link give the recruiter one credit. Existing accounts and repeat scans do not add credit. Recruiting totals are public; contact lists are private. The mobile app is coming soon.

TrailSlayers chapters

New branded chapters keep the founder as R5. The applicant becomes the R4 Trail Boss and selects distinct R3, R2, and R1 contacts, each of whom accepts their nomination. Applicants can prepare a private chapter page; public membership opens only after founder review. Approved Trail Bosses receive a separate administration invitation, starting at R1 upon acceptance. Club rank does not grant site authority.

Business listings and the community bulletin

Businesses can submit public directory information without a member account. We keep the submitter’s contact name, company role, and email private for review and support. Listings and images require owner approval. A private management link controls the listing; keep it secure. Losing it requires an ownership review through support. Approved mobile businesses can move their pin. Public business pins appear within two miles of the viewed map center.

The Trail Wire automatically assembles recruiting highlights, new clubs, approved business welcomes, and reviewed announcements. Offers can target 10, 50, or 100 miles from a chosen point, or a global audience. Location-based announcements require your chosen area or location permission; this choice does not enable live location sharing. Submissions expire within 90 days. Business claims, appointment terms, discounts, and eligibility are provided by the business. Approval is not a warranty or endorsement.

Weekly recruiting periods start Monday in Pacific time; monthly periods follow Pacific calendar months. Only verified new registrations count, excluding suspended accounts. Tied leaders share recognition. A reserved recruiter’s credit and contacts wait for verified activation. The bulletin is a website publication; it does not automatically subscribe you to email. To limit abuse, public submissions use a short-lived hash of the request’s IP address and daily counters.

Recognition, challenges, and optional newsletters

Recognition points and recruiting milestones celebrate community contributions. They do not grant ranks, moderation powers, cash value, or a right to prizes. Recruiting milestones count active verified new registrations. R5 reviews spotlights and challenge results. Scheduled challenges show their organizer, entry period, eligibility, judging criteria, rules, prizes and fulfillment details before entries open. Entry is free; entries close automatically, remain private during review, and selected winners and their submissions become public after results are approved.

Newsletters require a separate, optional opt-in using your verified email. You choose topics, weekly or monthly frequency, and an optional area for local offers. Consent and preference changes are recorded. You can stop all newsletters in your preferences or use the unsubscribe link without signing in. Unsubscribing does not affect your membership or necessary account messages. Email delivery is not active until the sender, public mailing address and delivery service are configured; the web edition is available now.

Member marketplace

Buy & Sell hosts member listings for vehicles, parts and gear. Sellers are responsible for truthful descriptions, condition, ownership and the right to sell their goods. Stolen, counterfeit or illegal goods, weapons and adult content are prohibited. Listing photos follow our image review policy. Reports go to administration; listings may be removed for review, and serious or repeated violations can lead to account action under our community policies.

Buyers and sellers arrange payment, delivery and any returns directly. TrailSlayers does not process marketplace payments, inspect goods, guarantee sellers or provide buyer protection. Account and organization badges identify community affiliations; they do not certify an item or transaction. Listing details and town or city are public; do not post a home address, payment information or private contact details. Archived and removed listings are hidden publicly while their records and moderation history are retained.

Marketplace reputation uses numeric buyer and seller scores from real sales confirmed by both participants; these are member confirmations, not payment verification by TrailSlayers. Each participant can submit one final rating per sale. No public listing comments or written review thread is provided. Rating history is retained when visibility is off. You control whether your seller score appears on your profile and can hide it on individual listings. Viewing the other participant’s reputation requires both members to share ratings and the listing to show its seller rating. Buyer scores are limited to the relevant private sale view and your own account.

Optional social links

You choose which social profiles appear on your member or organization page. Only links you explicitly show are returned to visitors. Hidden links stay saved for your editor. Following a link opens the external platform under its own privacy rules; TrailSlayers does not import your social activity.

Rig of the Month and guestbooks

Registered individual members may vote for any number of member rigs, once per rig each calendar month. Votes are stored with member IDs and month; voter lists are not public. Voting resets at midnight Pacific on the first, and the previous month’s top three and two honorable mentions appear in the public showcase. Ties favor the earlier final counted vote, then a stable member ID. Closed results are preserved, while profile links and approved photos stay current. Suspended profiles and removed photos are not displayed.

Guestbooks are optional and off until a member enables theirs. Entries are public while enabled. The profile owner and original author can edit or remove entries; edits by the profile owner are labeled. Turning a guestbook off hides its entries from visitors and stops new comments, while preserving them for the owner. Removed entries are hidden rather than immediately purged. Keep comments respectful and contact support to report abuse.

Respect the people around the fire

Do not impersonate another person or organization. Use truthful role and certification claims. Vehicle custom descriptions allow up to 25 letters, numbers and spaces. Keep descriptions free of blatant profanity. Report abuse or false affiliation claims to support.

Policy version 2026-09-27-v7 · Explore clubs · Create your account