Privacy Policy
Barracks Life ("we," "us," "our") is operated by Gay Veterans Inc. This policy explains what we collect, why, how we protect it, and the choices you have. Plain language, with the technical detail underneath when you want it.
1. What we collect
Account & profile
- Username, email, date of birth, password (hashed)
- Display name, photos, bio, prompts
- Service branch, status (active duty, veteran, civilian ally), orientation
- Verification artifacts — selfie, liveness check, optional service-document images
Usage
- Likes, swipes, matches, messages, comments, posts
- Approximate location (city-level, derived from device GPS with your permission)
- Device type, OS version, app version, crash logs
- IP address, session timestamps
What we do NOT collect
- Your precise GPS unless you explicitly grant always-on location
- Contacts from your phone book unless you explicitly opt in to contact-sync
- Microphone or camera access without an explicit prompt for a specific feature
2. Why we collect it
Account info lets you sign in. Profile info is what other members see when they're considering whether to message you. Verification keeps the community safe. Usage data lets us improve the app, detect abuse, and respond to safety reports. Location data powers the distance shown on profiles and the "people nearby" feature.
3. Sharing
We share data only in three narrow cases:
- With other members — what you put on your profile, by definition, is visible to other members. You control your visibility settings.
- With service providers — companies that host our servers, send our emails, process payments, or run identity verification. These providers are bound by contract and can't use your data for anything else.
- With law enforcement — only when legally compelled, and only the data covered by the request.
We do not sell your data. We do not share your sexual orientation, gender identity, or service status with advertisers, data brokers, or any third party for marketing.
4. Verification & service documents
When you submit redacted service documents (DD-214, .mil email) for the Verified Vet badge, those documents are reviewed by a small human team and stored encrypted. Once verification is granted or denied, the document is deleted within 30 days unless you request earlier removal.
5. Your choices
- Edit or delete your profile — anytime, from Settings → Edit Profile or HQ → Settings.
- Privacy controls — hide from contacts, block users, control who can message you, granular notification toggles.
- Delete your account — from inside the app (HQ → Settings → Delete Account). Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Your matches lose access to your profile within minutes; your data is removed from our active systems within 30 days, with limited backups expiring within 90.
- Data export — email privacy@barrackslife.com for a copy of the data tied to your account.
6. Children
Barracks Life is for adults 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, report it to safety@barrackslife.com and see our CSAE policy.
7. International users
Our servers operate in the United States. By using Barracks Life, you consent to your data being processed in the U.S. We honor data-subject rights from the GDPR, CCPA, and similar regimes — see Your choices above for how to exercise them.
8. Security
Passwords are hashed. Verification documents and message content are encrypted at rest. We use TLS for everything in transit. No system is perfect — if there's a breach, we'll tell you.
9. Changes
If we update this policy, we'll post the new effective date here and notify you in-app for material changes.
10. Contact
Privacy questions, data requests, complaints — privacy@barrackslife.com.