Privacy Policy

How we protect and handle your data at GayTradies

1. Data we collect

  • Personal identity: Name, email, age verification, and trade certifications.
  • Location and proximity: We process precise GPS location to facilitate matching. Proximity checks verify physical presence to start and complete jobs.
  • Handshake records: When you use the handshake portal, we record duration, location, and participants of a session for safety and transactional integrity.
  • Identity verification: We use Stripe Identity to verify age and identity. This may involve government-issued IDs and biometric data (selfies), handled by Stripe.
  • Financial data: Payments are processed by Stripe. We do not store raw card details on our servers.
  • Community data: Use of the app may imply information about sexual orientation. By using GayTradies, you consent to processing this data to provide community-specific services.

2. How we use your data

  • To verify professional credentials and safety standards of tradies.
  • To facilitate secure escrow payments and commission processing.
  • To provide real-time location-based connections.
  • To monitor platform safety through automated chat moderation.
  • We do not sell personal data to advertisers.

3. Communication

By creating an account, you agree to receive essential service communications, including booking updates, security alerts, and system information.

4. Data retention and deletion

  • User delete flow: User message deletion is soft-delete by default. Message content is removed from active user views and retained for up to 30 days for safety, fraud, dispute, and legal-compliance workflows.
  • Recovery and lock: If a soft-deleted message is restored by an authorised admin, it is marked as locked and cannot be deleted by the user in-app until admin release or permanent deletion.
  • Review/legal hold: During active safety, compliance, dispute, or legal review, deletion of messages and account closure may be temporarily restricted until review is completed.
  • Permanent deletion: On hold release or expiry of the retention window, data is permanently deleted unless continued retention is required by law (for example tax, fraud-prevention, or legal claims).

5. Jurisdiction

This policy is governed by UK data protection laws (UK GDPR).