Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how USN — Unfiltered Sports Network, operated by Deckard Enterprise International, collects, uses, stores, and shares information about you when you use the USN website at usn.network, the USN mobile application, or any related services (collectively, the Platform). By using the Platform you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, including your name and email address when you create an account or join a waitlist, your athlete verification information including sport, league or school, team, position, country, roster links, bio, phone number, and social media links when you submit a verification application, your story and journal content when you submit it to the Platform, your payment information processed through Stripe when you make a purchase, your sponsor or equity partner information when you submit an inquiry or application, your messages and communications when you contact us, and your preferences and settings when you configure your account.

For athletes who participate in the Athlete Referral Program, we also collect tax documentation including IRS Form W-9 or Form W-8BEN for international athletes, which includes your legal name, mailing address, and taxpayer identification number. This information is collected solely for legal tax reporting compliance and is handled with the highest level of security. Taxpayer identification numbers including Social Security Numbers are encrypted at rest and never stored in plain text.

We also collect information automatically when you use the Platform, including your IP address and general location, browser type and version, device type and operating system, pages visited and time spent on the Platform, referring URLs, and session data. This information is collected through cookies and similar technologies as described in our Cookie Policy.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction that requires a legal basis for processing personal data, we rely on the following legal bases: contract — processing necessary to perform our agreement with you, including providing Platform features and processing payments; consent — where you have given us specific consent to process your information, such as for marketing communications; legitimate interests — processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving the Platform and preventing fraud, where these interests are not overridden by your rights; and legal obligation — processing necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations including IRS tax reporting requirements.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to provide, operate, and improve the Platform, to create and manage your account, to process payments and manage subscriptions, to verify athlete identity and manage verification applications, to publish athlete stories and content on the Platform, to manage sponsor and equity partner applications and relationships, to calculate and issue athlete referral payouts, to comply with IRS tax reporting requirements including issuance of Form 1099-NEC where required, to send transactional emails including verification confirmations, referral codes, payout notifications, and NIL compliance acknowledgment requests, to respond to your inquiries and provide support, to enforce our Terms of Service and other policies, and to comply with applicable laws and regulations.

5. Tax Information and IRS Compliance

Athletes who participate in the USN Athlete Referral Program are required to provide a completed IRS Form W-9 before any payment is issued. The W-9 collects your legal name, mailing address, and taxpayer identification number, which is either your Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number.

This information is used exclusively for the following purposes: to verify your identity for payment purposes, to comply with IRS tax reporting requirements, and to issue Form 1099-NEC to athletes who receive $600 or more in a calendar year as required by federal law. USN reports applicable payments to the IRS and provides copies to athletes by January 31st of the following tax year.

Taxpayer identification numbers are encrypted at rest using industry-standard encryption. They are never stored in plain text, never displayed in full on the Platform, and are accessible only to authorized USN personnel for tax compliance purposes. W-9 documents are retained for a minimum of seven years as required by IRS regulations.

International athletes are currently ineligible for referral payouts pending development of USN's international payment infrastructure. International payment capability is planned for a future release. When available, international athletes will be required to provide Form W-8BEN in lieu of Form W-9.

6. Athlete Verification Data

When you submit an athlete verification application, we collect and store your name, email, phone number, sport, league or school affiliation, team name, position, country, roster URL or school email, additional verification links, bio, and social media links. This information is used solely to verify your athlete status and to operate the Platform. Verification data is reviewed only by the USN team.

Athlete verification data is retained for as long as your verified status is active and for a minimum of seven years thereafter for record-keeping purposes. You may request deletion of your verification data at any time by contacting legal@usn.network, subject to legal retention obligations.

7. Public Recognition and Display

Verified athletes who publish stories or profiles on the Platform consent to their name, sport, team affiliation, and submitted content being publicly displayed on the Platform. Athletes may also be recognized as Founding Athletes on the Platform if they are among the first ten verified athletes in their sport.

Equity Partners who opt into public recognition consent to their display name, logo, and year-to-date contribution amount being displayed on the USN Equity Partners page. Display tier and logo size are determined by total contribution amount as described in the Equity Partner program terms. Public recognition is opt-in and may be removed upon request by contacting support@usn.network.

8. Information Sharing and Third-Party Processors

We share your information only in the following circumstances: with service providers who assist us in operating the Platform, including Supabase for secure data storage with row-level security controls, Stripe for payment processing, Resend for transactional email delivery, and Vercel for Platform hosting. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and may only use it to provide services to USN.

For athletes who select electronic payout methods, limited payment information is shared with the selected payment processor. PayPal receives your PayPal account email address to process transfers. Stripe receives your bank account or card information to process electronic payments. These processors have their own privacy policies and terms of service which govern their use of your information.

We may also share information if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal process including IRS reporting requirements, to protect the rights, property, or safety of USN, its users, or the public, in connection with a business transaction such as a merger or acquisition, or with your consent.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

9. International Data Transfers

USN is based in Kansas, United States. If you access the Platform from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. Data protection laws in the United States may differ from those in your country. By using the Platform you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States. We take reasonable steps to ensure your information is protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy wherever it is processed.

10. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Platform. The following specific retention periods apply:

Tax documentation including W-9 forms and taxpayer identification information is retained for a minimum of seven years as required by IRS regulations. Financial records including payment history, payout records, and transaction logs are retained for a minimum of seven years. Athlete referral earnings records and payout acknowledgments are retained permanently. NIL compliance acknowledgments and collegiate athlete opt-in records are retained permanently. Contracts and legal agreements are retained permanently. Athlete verification records are retained for a minimum of seven years from the date of verification. Story and content submissions are retained for as long as they are published on the Platform and for a reasonable archival period thereafter. Account information is retained for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period thereafter.

You may request deletion of your personal information at any time by contacting legal@usn.network. Deletion requests are honored subject to mandatory legal retention obligations. We will inform you of any information we are legally required to retain at the time of your request.

11. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information: the right to access the personal information we hold about you, the right to correct inaccurate or incomplete information, the right to request deletion of your personal information subject to legal retention obligations, the right to request that we restrict processing of your information, the right to data portability, the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, and the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests.

California residents may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act including the right to know what personal information is collected, the right to know whether personal information is sold or disclosed and to whom, the right to opt out of the sale of personal information, and the right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights. USN does not sell personal information.

Residents of Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut, Utah, and other states with applicable privacy laws may have similar rights. To exercise any of your privacy rights, contact us at legal@usn.network.

12. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Platform, remember your preferences, process payments, and understand how the Platform is used. For detailed information about our use of cookies and your choices, please see our Cookie Policy.

13. Security

USN uses commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure. Data is stored using Supabase with row-level security controls that restrict access based on user identity and role. Payments are processed through Stripe and USN does not store full credit card or banking information.

Sensitive tax information including taxpayer identification numbers is encrypted at rest using industry-standard encryption and is never stored in plain text. Access to tax documentation is restricted to authorized USN personnel for compliance purposes only. No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

14. Children's Privacy

The Platform is 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 at legal@usn.network and we will promptly delete it.

15. Changes to This Policy

USN reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. Material changes will be communicated to registered users by email or by prominent notice on the Platform at least 30 days before taking effect. Continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

16. Contact

For questions about this Privacy Policy or to exercise your privacy rights, contact us at:

USN — Unfiltered Sports Network
Operated by Deckard Enterprise International
Kansas, United States
legal@usn.network