Privacy Policy

At Down East Enterprise, Inc., we are committed to making our websites and online properties useful to you, while also protecting your privacy. This privacy policy describes our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way we collect and use your information. This policy applies to downeast.com, shootingsportsman.com, shop.downeast.com, shop.shootingsportsman.com, mainehomes.com, adventures.downeast.com, retiretomaine.com, lobsterrollfinder.com, and other digital properties owned by Down East Enterprise, Inc.

Please read this privacy policy carefully before accessing the websites listed above. By accessing the sites, you agree to let us collect and use your information, including personal information, in the manner described below.  If you don’t want us to collect and use your information in this manner, please do not use the websites listed above.

We might revise this privacy policy every so often, so please check back to read the current version.  If we revise the policy in a material way, we will let you know by putting a notice on the home page of our websites and we will post the changes here.

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please send an email to [email protected]. We are happy to address your questions.

What types of information do we collect from visitors to the website?

The information we collect falls into two categories: personal information, which you voluntarily provide to us, and non-personal information, which is automatically collected when you use our website.  Third parties that are featured on our website might also gather information from you, through processes we don’t control and subject to their own privacy policies.

Personal Information

You may choose to provide us with personal information such as your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, and credit card information when you create an account with us, subscribe to any of Down East Enterprise Inc.’s affiliated publications using our online forms, sign up to receive our email newsletters or special offers, make a purchase on our website, post a comment, contact us via email or by letter, participate in one of our promotions, or complete a survey.

You may also decide to provide us with personal information on behalf of others.  For example, you might submit a person’s name and email address to purchase a gift subscription for that person through our website.  If you want to send a gift subscription directly to that person, you might also submit his or her address and telephone number.

You can unsubscribe from any of our newsletters or email lists at any time by following the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each message. If you would like to update the personal information that you have provided to us, send an email to [email protected].  Please note that we do not honor Do Not Track requests.

Non-personal Information

We also collect non-personal information from you when you visit any of Down East Enterprise Inc.’s websites (listed above).  For example, we may collect information about the type of browser you use when accessing the site, the language of your browser, and the name and version of the operating system you use.  We may also collect information about your Internet Protocol address (the numerical address assigned to your computer by your internet service provider), which can sometimes be used to determine your general geographic area.  We may take note of the website you visited before and after visiting a Down East Enterprise Inc. website (listed above), and the ads and links on which you click while browsing the Down East Enterprise Inc. website (listed above). If we send you an email, we may collect information about whether you open or forward that message, and whether you click on the links contained in the message.

We use several types of technologies to collect non-personal information.  We use cookies, which are small text files placed on a user’s hard drive to track the use of Down East Enterprise Inc.’s websites (listed above) and collect basic information about the user’s website preferences.  Cookies also authenticate a user’s identity and can prevent users from having to register or re-enter information every time they visit a website. We use cookies to gather information that helps us understand how our website is used and improve our content and ads.  You can set your browser to accept or reject most cookies, or to notify you when a cookie is set. Each browser is different, so check the “Help” menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences. If you block cookies, you may not be able to access some of the website features.

We may also use technologies like web beacons to collect information. Web beacons (sometimes called “transparent GIFs,” “clear GIFs,” or “pixel tags”) embed a small, usually invisible, graphic image on a web page or in an email. When a user’s browser downloads a web beacon, a server sends a corresponding image to the user.  Web beacons allow us to gather and store information such as a description of the web page a user accessed, cookies, and the time and date the page was viewed.

We may collect the identification numbers of mobile devices that are used to access our website.  The identification numbers may be used to determine the physical location of users’ phones; caller ID data, which may include a phone number; information about users’ wireless carriers; the make, model and operating system of users’ devices; and information about how users navigate Down East Enterprise Inc.’s websites. With user consent, we may use precise geolocation technology such as GPS or WiFi triangulation to collect information about the exact location of the mobile device.

We may combine the information we collect through Down East Enterprise Inc.’s websites with other information that we obtain from other companies and sources, including third-party data suppliers and public databases. The information we may obtain could include your name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, demographic data (such as your age, gender, and income level), your interests and purchase behavior, your posts and submissions to public forums, websites you visited, and advertisements you have viewed.

What do we do with information we collect?

We use personal information to fulfill subscriptions and purchases, respond to inquiries, notify winners of our sweepstakes or contests, offer products or services we believe may be of interest to our users, and customize the websites’ content and advertisements. We may also use personal information to prevent activities that could violate Down East Enterprise Inc.’s rules or the law.  If you submit a comment or letter to us, we may publish that comment or letter, along with your name, city or town of residence, and other information that you provide to us. We will ask for your consent before using personal information for other purposes. Your consent is not a condition of using a Down East Enterprise Inc. website (listed above).

We use non-personal information to understand the demographics and interests of visitors to our website, so that we can improve the site’s design and content.  We may also use this information to administer our website and to diagnose and solve problems.

In some cases, we may share personal or non-personal information with Down East Enterprise Inc. affiliates or third parties. For example, we use a third party vendor to store credit card information that is submitted to us.  If we co-sponsor a promotion with another company, we may share information you submit to enter the promotion with the co-sponsor.

We may also share general demographic information about the visitors to our website with advertisers, so that we can provide relevant content to our visitors.  In doing so, we will not provide information that is traceable to any particular visitor.  We will never sell or rent your personal information to unaffiliated third parties for their email marketing purposes without your consent.

Finally, we may share personal and non-personal information with others if we are authorized to do so; to comply with a court order or government investigation, subpoena, or inquiry; if we believe in good faith that it is required by law; to protect the rights of Down East Enterprise Inc., users of the websites, or the public; to prevent or trace abuses of the website; or as part of a sale or other disposition of our assets (including our membership and/or customer records).

Do others collect information on Down East Enterprise Inc.’s websites (listed above)?

Information collected by our vendors.  We may work with vendors to send emails, fulfill subscription orders and other purchases, provide features on our website, target and serve ads, and gather analytics about visitors to our website. These vendors may use their own cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to collect navigation information that they may use, sometimes in conjunction with information gathered through other websites. To enable our vendors to perform their tasks, we may share your information with them.  We will share your personal information only when it is necessary for the vendor to complete its task, and we will otherwise only share your information in aggregate or in an encrypted format.

Information collected by social media companies. You can access various social media features through Down East Enterprise Inc.’s websites (listed above). For example, the “like” button on our sites allow you to like content through your Facebook account.  When you the like button and other social media features, the company that operates the feature may collect information about your browser, device, and online activity through its own tracking technologies and subject to its own privacy policy.

Information collected by website users.  We encourage you to be cautious about revealing personal information in the interactive sections of Down East Enterprise Inc.’s websites (listed above) and related social media platforms. Information you post may be collected and used by others, and you should have no expectation of privacy in such information.

Information collected by advertisers.  Third party advertisements that appear on Down East Enterprise Inc.’s websites (listed above) are sometimes delivered to you directly by the advertisers. The advertisers may automatically receive your IP address when you receive their ads. They may also download cookies to your computer, or use other technologies to measure the effectiveness of their ads and to personalize their content. We do not have access to or control of the cookies placed by the third party advertisers, and we do not give them access to information that we collect and store about visitors to our website. 

Hyperlinks.  We may post links to websites owned and operated by others. We do not endorse and cannot control the actions of the owners of other websites, and we are not responsible for their use of your information. Please take the time to educate yourself about the privacy policy and terms of use of any website that you visit.

Is my information secure?

We use commercially reasonable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to protect the information we collectWe cannot, however, guarantee that the information will remain permanently secure. It’s possible that technical problems could cause your information to be lost, or that the information could be stolen from our databases. Down East Enterprise Inc. is not responsible for any such loss, theft, or any other security breach.

Children’s Online Privacy

Down East Enterprise Inc.’s websites (listed above) are not intended for anyone under the age of 13.  Consistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), Down East Enterprise Inc. does not knowingly collect personal information from children through this website. Minors under the age of 13 should not register for any services or provide us with their names, email addresses, phone numbers, or other information.  Minors between the ages of 13 and 17 must obtain the permission of their parents or legal guardians before making purchases on our website. If you have concerns about children’s privacy issues, please contact us at [email protected].

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have the right, under California Civil Code Section 1798.83, to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, a list of the third parties to whom we have disclosed personal information for their direct marketing purposes in the prior calendar year.  Please email requests for such information to [email protected].


  • You may update, collect, or delete information about you at any time by logging in to your online account and modifying your information, or if you do not have an account, view/update your information and marketing settings, and opt-out of email communications here: https://downeast.com/newsletter-subscription/ (Down East, Down East Shop, Retire to Maine, Down East Adventures), http://mainehomes.com/newsletters/ (Maine Homes), https://shootingsportsman.com/email-preferences/ (Shooting Sportsman, Shooting Sportsman Shop) or email [email protected].
  • We will retain personal data we process on behalf of our customers as directed by paying customers. Down East Enterprise Inc. will retain this information as necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements.
  • Upon request, Down East Enterprise Inc. will provide you with information about whether we hold, or process on behalf of a third-party, any of your personal information that we are aware of. To request this information, email [email protected].
  • You may opt-out of receiving promotional and newsletter emails from Down East Enterprise Inc. by following the opt-out instructions provided in those emails. You may also opt-out of email communications by emailing us at [email protected] with your specific request. If you opt out, we may still send you non-promotional communications, such as alerts and notices related to your access to or use of Down East Enterprise Inc.’s services or those about your online account or our ongoing business relations.
  • We never receive any information from our customers unless you expressly choose to share it with us. Our legal basis for collecting information from our customers is part of a paid-subscription agreement and/or free or paid online content agreement based on customers’ legitimate interest in receiving information and products from Down East Enterprise Inc.
  • We use cookies to gather information that helps us understand how our website is used and improve our content and ads.  You can set your browser to accept or reject most cookies, or to notify you when a cookie is set. Each browser is different, so check the “Help” menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences. If you block cookies, you may not be able to access some of the website features. Contact [email protected] with questions.