The short version

We collect only what we need to run the site: your account details if you join, the payment record if you buy a membership, and the addresses you type into our lookup tools while you use them. We do not sell your personal information. Payments are handled by Stripe, and address lookups are answered by Google’s Civic Information service. The details are below.

Effective date: October 1, 2026. Last updated: October 1, 2026.

Who we are

Divided We Fail (“we,” “us”) runs dividedwefail.com/, a civic education website that accompanies the book Divided We Fail. The site is operated by Eric Wood. You can reach us at eric@dividedwefail.com.

What we collect, and why

Account information

If you create a free Community Member account or buy a Solution Builder membership, we collect your name, email address, and a password (stored in scrambled form, never as plain text). We use this to log you in, give you the access your membership includes, and send account-related messages.

Payment information

A Solution Builder membership is a one-time payment. Payments are processed by Stripe. Your card details go to Stripe; we do not receive or store your full card number. We keep a record of the order itself, such as the date, amount, membership level, and a transaction reference, so we can confirm your access and answer questions about your purchase.

Addresses you enter in our lookup tools

Some tools, such as Who Represents Me? and Your Next Election, ask for a street address so they can find your representatives or election information. When you use one, your address is sent to Google’s Civic Information service, which returns the results. Our site keeps a temporary copy of those results, for a short time (from about 15 minutes to about six hours depending on the tool) so the tool responds faster. That copy is not attached to your name or account. We do not use your address for advertising. Please enter only an address you are comfortable using for this purpose. If a tool works with a ZIP code or city instead, that is enough for many results.

Messages you send us

If you contact us, we keep your message and email address so we can reply.

Technical information

Like most websites, our hosting provider records technical details of each visit, such as IP address, browser type, and the pages requested. We use this to keep the site running, secure, and fast. As of this draft, no analytics, advertising, or tracking plugin appears active on the Site (checked against the installed plugin list).

Cookies

We use a small number of cookies, mostly to keep you logged in and to make checkout work. See our Cookie Notice for the list.

Who else handles your information

  • Hostinger hosts the site and stores its data and server logs.
  • Stripe processes membership payments.
  • Google answers address lookups through its Civic Information service, and serves embedded YouTube videos when you play them.
  • The web hosting provider’s standard mail delivery sends account and order emails.

Government data sources we draw on (such as Congress.gov and Open States) are used to display public records. They do not receive your personal information from your visit. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers. We may disclose information if the law requires it.

How long we keep it

We keep account and order records for as long as your account exists and as long as we need them for legitimate record-keeping. Temporary lookup results expire on their own within hours. If you ask us to delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information, except records we are required or entitled to keep (for example, payment records).

Your choices

  • You can view and update your account details from your profile page.
  • You can ask us to delete your account or send you a copy of the personal information we hold about you by contacting us.
  • You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Some parts of the site, such as logging in and checkout, will not work without essential cookies.

Children

This site is written for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

Security

We use reasonable measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS) and a payment processor that handles card data for us. No website can promise perfect security.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy in a meaningful way, we will update the date at the top and, where appropriate, tell members by email.

Contact

Questions about this policy: eric@dividedwefail.com.