Privacy Policy
Last Updated: April 6, 2026
1. Introduction
Missourians for Ethical and Transparent Government ("METG," "we," "us," or "our") is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization (status pending) based in Wentzville, Missouri. We are dedicated to promoting government accountability and transparency through investigative reporting, public records analysis, and civic engagement.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at metg314.org and any related subdomains (collectively, the "Site"). We encourage you to read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the Site.
We have written this policy in plain language, as recommended by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), so that it is accessible and understandable to all visitors.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Personal Information You Provide Directly
We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:
- Submit a volunteer sign-up form: Name, email address, phone number, area of interest, and availability.
- Make a donation: Name, email address, mailing address, and payment information (processed by our third-party payment processor, Givebutter).
- Submit a tip or report: Any information you choose to include, which may contain your name, contact information, and details about government activities you wish to report.
- Contact us: Name, email address, and the contents of your message.
- Subscribe to communications: Email address and communication preferences.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you access the Site, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and usage, including:
- Device information: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, and device type.
- Usage data: Pages visited, time and date of visit, time spent on pages, referring URL, and clickstream data.
- Location data: Approximate geographic location based on your IP address.
2.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and store certain information when you use our Site. These may include:
- Essential cookies: Required for the Site to function properly (e.g., session management, security).
- Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with the Site by collecting and reporting information anonymously.
- Preference cookies: Allow the Site to remember choices you make (e.g., theme preference).
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Please see Section 10 (Cookie Policy) below for more details.
3. How We Use Your Information
We may use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- Volunteer coordination: To communicate with volunteers, coordinate activities, and manage volunteer programs.
- Donation processing: To process and acknowledge donations, provide tax-related information, and comply with financial reporting requirements.
- Communications: To send updates about METG activities, investigation reports, action alerts, and organizational news (with your consent).
- Site improvement: To analyze usage patterns, improve site functionality, and enhance the user experience.
- Investigation tips: To review, investigate, and act upon tips submitted through our reporting mechanism.
- Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
- Security: To detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, security incidents, and other harmful activities.
4. Information Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:
- Service providers: We use third-party service providers to assist with donation processing (Givebutter), website hosting, email delivery, and analytics. These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only to perform services on our behalf.
- Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect METG's rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
- Organizational transfers: In the event of a merger, dissolution, or restructuring, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
We will never sell your personal data.
5. Data Security
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and destruction. These measures include:
- Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS) for all site interactions.
- Secure third-party payment processing (Givebutter) — METG does not store credit card numbers or financial account information.
- Access controls limiting who within the organization can view personal data.
- Regular review of data collection and storage practices.
However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
6. Third-Party Links
Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, services, or content that are not operated or controlled by METG, including but not limited to government agency websites, public records databases, news outlets, and our donation processor Givebutter. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.
7. Children's Privacy
Our Site is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately at the address provided below.
This policy is in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
8. Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions.
- Opt-out: You may opt out of receiving non-essential communications from us at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any email or by contacting us directly.
- Data portability: You may request that we provide your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
- Restriction: You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 15 below. We will respond to your request within 30 days.
9. Do Not Track Signals
Some web browsers transmit "Do Not Track" (DNT) signals. Because there is no uniform standard for how DNT signals should be interpreted, our Site does not currently respond to DNT signals. However, you may opt out of tracking through your browser's cookie settings.
10. Cookie Policy
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use cookies as described in Section 2.3 above. You can manage your cookie preferences in the following ways:
- Browser settings: Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. Consult your browser's help documentation for instructions.
- Cookie consent banner: When you first visit our Site, a banner will appear allowing you to accept or decline non-essential cookies.
- Opt-out links: For third-party analytics services, you may use their opt-out mechanisms (e.g., Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on).
Please note that blocking certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Site.
11. California Privacy Rights (CalOPPA)
If you are a California resident, the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) provides you with additional rights:
- You have the right to know what categories of personal information we collect and whether we disclose that information to third parties.
- You have the right to request deletion of your personal information.
- You have the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information. As noted above, METG does not sell personal information.
- You have the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.
To make a request under CalOPPA, please contact us using the information in Section 15.
12. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or equivalent legislation:
- Legal basis for processing: We process your data based on: (a) your consent; (b) performance of a contract; (c) compliance with legal obligations; or (d) our legitimate interests in operating and improving our organization.
- Right to lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have violated your privacy rights.
- International data transfers: If your data is transferred outside the EEA, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with GDPR requirements.
All rights listed in Section 8 above also apply to EEA, UK, and Swiss residents.
13. Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including:
- Donation records: Retained for a minimum of seven (7) years for tax and financial reporting compliance.
- Volunteer information: Retained for the duration of your active volunteer status and for two (2) years thereafter.
- Tip submissions: Retained for the duration of any active investigation and for five (5) years after investigation closure.
- Analytics data: Retained in anonymized/aggregated form and deleted or anonymized after twenty-six (26) months.
- Email communications: Retained until you unsubscribe, after which your email address will be removed from active lists within thirty (30) days.
When personal information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymize it.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:
- Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
- Post a notice on our Site for a reasonable period.
- Where required by law, notify affected individuals by email.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.
15. Contact Information
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: