I have some very exciting news to share – GPSies is becoming part of AllTrails, LLC ("AllTrails")! I’ve always admired AllTrails as they’ve built a really elegant and accomplished platform for outdoor exploration while sharing my values about quality of content, customer support and protecting the wild places we all cherish. I couldn’t be more excited to be joining together GPSies with AllTrails.

So what does this all mean?
As of August 16, 2019, the website GPSies.com and its related services will no longer be provided by me but, instead, by AllTrails. There are no immediate practical changes to your ability to use the GPSies website and services as usual, and you will receive further updates as some exciting changes are rolled out over the coming weeks and months. 

What happens next?
AllTrails will continue to operate the GPSies website and services and I will be involved during the coming months as the transition takes place. You’ll receive another email soon, explaining how to take full advantage of all the new features and benefits offered by AllTrails.

What is behind this change in ownership?
As many of you know, GPSies started as my hobby in 2006. Thanks to such great support from our customers and clients, GPSies has been growing faster and faster each year, making it harder and harder for me to provide the support needed and also taking a toll on my family life. It recently became clear that I needed help to make sure the trail recordings and related content on the site had the sustainable future they deserve.

I wanted to find some like-minded people that could support the GPSies trail recordings and related content into the future and was lucky enough to find the team at AllTrails. Just like me, the team at AllTrails cares passionately about helping people to discover the joys of trails and about providing only carefully curated and quality-assured outdoor guides. AllTrails will provide a safe and sustainable new home for the GPSies trail recordings and related content, plus there are plenty of great new features too!

Over the years I have been asked many times about whether GPSies could be expanded to include special new features and overseas trail guides, but this just wasn’t possible with the resources and funds available. AllTrails already hosts 75,000+ trails and has a community of 10 million outdoor enthusiasts across the globe who help maintain and grow the library of trails. Just like GPSies, the AllTrails App is free (with subscriptions available for access to the premium features) and the technology makes it easy[ier] to plan, follow and publish your own trail routes. With an expert team of in-house developers, trail curators and customer support, the AllTrails platform is robust, easy to use and packed with useful features.

How does this affect my personal data?

New Controller, Purpose and Legal Basis 

One important immediate change is that, as the GPSies website and service will no longer be provided by me, as of around August 16, 2019 all the personal data that relates to or concerns you will be transferred to AllTrails (530 Bush Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94108, United States) so that AllTrails, as new controller of your personal data, can continue to provide the GPSies website and services to you on the basis of legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) f) of the General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679) ("GDPR"). AllTrails will process your personal data it holds in accordance with its privacy policy available at: https://www.alltrails.com/privacy.

Your choice and opting-out

I recognize how important your online privacy is to you, so you may opt out of the transfer of your GPSies account and other personal data to AllTrails (you will find the opt-out button further below). If you decide to continue this exciting journey with AllTrails by keeping your GPSies account, you do not have to do anything. Your personal data will be transferred to AllTrails after a transitional period of three weeks. Should you decide to opt-out, your personal data will not be transferred to AllTrails, but be deleted immediately, and you may not be able to access your GPSies user account anymore. 

Data transfer to third country (U.S.A.)

AllTrails is located in the U.S., a country for which the European Commission has not issued a decision that holds that this country ensures an adequate level of data protection ("Third Country").  However, AllTrails and I have put in place appropriate safeguards to make sure your personal data remains adequately protected, namely by entering into Standard Contractual Clauses (EU controller to non-EU controller, set II) approved by the European Commission (a copy of which is available upon request).

Retention

AllTrails will retain your personal data during the time you have your GPSies account. AllTrails will delete your account data if you delete your account or as required by applicable law. If you decide to opt-out of the transfer of your personal data to AllTrails, your personal data will be deleted immediately.

Your rights

Under the GDPR, you have the following statutory rights which you can exercise vis-à-vis GPSies and AllTrails ("we") subject to the conditions set forth in applicable law.

Right of access: Pursuant to Art. 15 GDPR, you have the right to obtain from us confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning you is being processed, and, where that is the case, to request access to the personal data. You have the right to obtain a copy of the personal data undergoing processing. 
Right to rectification: Pursuant to Art. 16 GDPR, you have the right to obtain from us the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning you. 
Right to erasure (right to be forgotten): Pursuant to Art. 17 GDPR, you have the right to ask us to erase your personal data, in which case we have to comply.
Right to restriction of processing: Pursuant to Art. 18 GDPR, you have the right to request a restriction of the processing of your personal data.
Right to data portability: Pursuant to Art. 20 GDPR, you have the right to receive the personal data concerning you which you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and you have the right to transmit those personal data to another entity without hindrance from us.
Right to object: Pursuant to Art. 21 GDPR, you have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to the processing of your personal data by us and we can be required to no longer process your personal data. If you have a right to object and you exercise this right, your personal data will no longer be processed for such purposes by us. Exercising this right will not incur any costs. Such a right to object may not exist, in particular, if the processing of your personal data is necessary to take steps prior to entering into a contract or to perform a contract already concluded.
To exercise these rights, please contact info@gpsies.com.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

By clicking on the opt-out button, you will be redirected to a page of the GPSies website where you can opt out of the transfer of your personal data (i.e., GPSies user account, trail data) from GPSies to AllTrails.

If you opt out, your personal data will not be transferred to AllTrails, but be deleted immediately, so you will not be able to access your GPSies user account anymore.
Opt Out
As always, if you would need any support, have any questions with regard to the processing of your personal data or need to update your GPSies account settings you can email to info@gpsies.com. 

I hope that you enjoy this next chapter for GPSies and are as excited as I am.

I would like to thank you for the many ideas and suggestions you have shared with me over the past 13 years, your “donations” ensuring the operation of GPSies as well as your routes. A special thanks goes to the translators, the sponsors, all cooperation partners, friends, who actively helped me with the further development of GPSies, my admin Kai and above all my two children and especially my dear wife for the patience they had to demonstrate, so that I could devote myself to my passion GPSies.

Warm regards,
Klaus