Privacy Policy
Introduction
Borough is a mobile social and dating application for the LGBTQ+ community. By using Borough, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't use the app.
Borough is operated by Borough (referred to in this policy as "we," "us," or "Borough"). You can reach us at borough@borough-app.com.
What we collect, and why
Information you provide directly
| Data | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Email address | Account identifier; used for sign-in and essential service notifications |
| Password | Authenticates you (hashed, never stored in readable form) |
| Date of birth | Required to verify you are 18 or older; not displayed to other users |
| Display name | Shown to other users on your profile |
| Bio | Shown to other users on your profile (optional) |
| Profile photos | Shown to other users; used for identity verification |
| Photos sent in messages | Shared end-to-end-encrypted with the recipient |
Information we collect automatically
| Data | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Approximate location (city-level, ~5km precision) | Powers the proximity-based "Nearby" tab; never shown precisely |
| Device timezone | For accurate scheduling of events and reminders |
| Device identifier | Enables push notifications across multiple devices |
| Push notification token | Lets us deliver notifications to your device |
| Last-seen timestamp | Shows whether other users are recently active |
| Crash and error logs | Helps us fix bugs (PII scrubbed before transmission) |
| Anonymized usage events | Helps us understand which features are used |
What we do not collect
To make our position explicit, Borough does not collect:
- Your real name (you provide a display name only)
- Government ID, passport, or driver's license
- Phone number
- Bank account, credit card, or payment information
- Sexual orientation or gender identity (we do not require, ask for, or infer this)
- Race, ethnicity, religion, or political views
- Health information
- Precise GPS coordinates (we store only an approximate ~5 km grid cell)
- Browsing history, web searches, or activity outside the Borough app
- Contacts from your phone's address book
- Camera or microphone data unless you actively use them to take a photo
How we use your data
To provide the service
- Authenticate you when you sign in
- Verify you are 18 or older before activating your account
- Show your profile to other users (after admin verification)
- Find nearby users for the "Nearby" tab using your approximate location
- Deliver messages to your conversation partners
- Send push notifications you've enabled (new messages, reactions, event reminders)
- Display events near you and notify you of upcoming events you've RSVP'd to
To keep the service safe
- Verify uploaded photos contain a real face (automated via on-device ML Kit)
- Manually review every new profile before activating it
- Scan uploaded photos against known child sexual abuse material (CSAM) databases via Microsoft PhotoDNA Cloud Service
- Investigate user reports of harassment or policy violations
- Detect and block screenshot attempts on profiles and messages where technically feasible
- Maintain an internal audit log of safety-related actions
What we do not use your data for
- Targeted advertising
- Selling or sharing with data brokers
- Profiling for purposes outside the app's core function
- Training machine learning models (other than the on-device face detection used for verification)
End-to-end encrypted messages
Direct messages between users are end-to-end encrypted using NaCl box encryption. The encryption keys live only on your device and the recipient's device. We cannot read your messages on our servers, and we cannot help you recover them if you lose your device.
What this means in practice:
- Message content is opaque to Borough and to anyone who breaches Borough's database
- We cannot moderate message content directly (we rely on user reporting for safety incidents)
- If you uninstall the app or get a new device, your message history is not recoverable
- Photos shared in messages are encrypted before upload and decrypted on the recipient's device
How long we keep your data
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account profile, photos | Until you delete your account |
| Messages and message photos | Automatically deleted 18 months after they were sent |
| Read notifications | Automatically deleted 30 days after they were marked read |
| Reports, blocks, audit log entries | Retained indefinitely for safety investigations |
| Crash and error logs | Up to 30 days |
| Encrypted CSAM scan hashes | Only retained on positive match, in compliance with NCMEC reporting requirements |
Third parties we share data with
| Service | What we share | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase (US-East region) | All app data | Backend hosting and database |
| Mapbox | Place-name search text | Powers location search when picking event venues |
| OpenStreetMap (Photon and Nominatim) | Place-name search text | Same as above |
| Expo Push Notification Service | Your push token + notification content | Delivers push notifications |
| Apple/Google native push services | Notification content | Native delivery |
| Microsoft PhotoDNA Cloud Service | Hashes of uploaded photos | Detects child sexual abuse material |
| Sentry | Crash reports (PII scrubbed) | Bug tracking |
| PostHog | Anonymized usage events | Product analytics |
| NCMEC (CyberTipline) | Image, account info, metadata for confirmed CSAM matches | Mandatory reporting under 18 USC §2258A |
We do not sell your data, share it with advertisers, or share it with marketing analytics services.
Your rights
All users
- Access: View all your account data within the Borough app's Profile screen
- Correction: Edit your display name, bio, photos, and other profile information at any time
- Deletion: Delete your account at any time via Profile → Delete Account. This is a hard-delete that cascades through messages, photos, RSVPs, and other linked records.
EU residents (GDPR)
- All of the above
- Right to object to processing
- Right to lodge a complaint with your local Data Protection Authority
- Right to know the legal basis for our processing
California residents (CCPA/CPRA)
- All of the above
- Right to know what categories of personal information we collect
- Right to opt out of "sale" of personal information (we do not sell your information)
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at borough@borough-app.com or use the in-app account management features.
Security
We protect your data using:
- HTTPS/TLS for all data in transit
- Database encryption at rest
- Row-Level Security policies on every table, enforced by Postgres
- End-to-end encryption (NaCl box) for direct messages
- Device-only storage of encryption keys (in iOS Keychain or Android Keystore)
- Biometric (Face ID / Touch ID / fingerprint) authentication option for app sign-in
- Manual review of every new account before activation
- Photo scanning against known CSAM databases
No system is perfectly secure. If we discover a data breach affecting your information, we will notify you in accordance with applicable law.
Children
Borough is for adults 18 and over. We require date-of-birth at signup and reject accounts where the calculated age is under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, please report it to borough@borough-app.com.
We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by not knowingly collecting any data from children under 13.
International data transfers
Borough's primary backend is hosted in the United States (Supabase US-East region). If you use Borough from outside the United States, your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States. By using Borough, you consent to this transfer.
Changes to this policy
We will update this policy as we add features, change vendors, or respond to legal changes. Material changes will be announced via in-app notification at least 30 days before they take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this policy reflects the most recent change.
Contact us
For privacy questions, requests, or complaints: borough@borough-app.com