Privacy and safety
What LaneHelp collects, what it never shows, and how to protect yourself and others while using it.
What this does
This page explains, in plain words, how LaneHelp handles your information and how to use public tools safely.
When to use it
Read it before sharing anything sensitive, or if you are worried about who can see what you do on LaneHelp.
What you need
Nothing.
In this guide
The short version
- You can browse everything without an account, and anonymous browsing is not tied to a personal profile.
- Your location is only used if you allow it, only to show nearby results and routes, and it is not stored as a history of where you have been. See Location permissions.
- Accounts store only what their features need: your email, username, favorites, and settings.
- Texting uses your phone number to reply. Reply STOP at any time to opt out. See Limits of text messages.
- Public statistics are always aggregate — totals and trends, never individual people. See Data for partners.
What LaneHelp never shows publicly
- Who searched for what, or who viewed which page.
- Personal details from text conversations.
- Anything that identifies a person seeking help.
Keeping other people safe
Emergencies and crisis
LaneHelp is not monitored around the clock and is never a substitute for emergency help. Call 911 for immediate danger. Call or text 988 for a mental health or suicide crisis. Paddle and the text service will remind you of this whenever a request sounds like a crisis — see Crisis behavior and privacy.
Common questions
Does LaneHelp share my location?
No. Location is used on your device to sort results and draw routes when you allow it. You can always type a place instead of sharing location.
Can the county or police see what I searched?
No. Searches are not published or shared as individual records. Partners only see aggregate statistics like “how many shelter searches happened this month.”
Is texting LaneHelp private?
Text messages travel over the normal SMS network, which is not encrypted, and anyone with access to the phone can read them. Keep texts to public needs like “food near Eugene.”
Related guides
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