Your information, in plain words
What we collect, why, where it lives and what you can do about it.
Last updated: 8 October 2026
Who’s responsible
The data controller is the operator of Porchlight Social. Email: [email protected]. You can also use the contact form.
What we collect
Just browsing? We don’t ask who you are and we don’t create a profile. There are no advertising or analytics trackers on the site.
| When | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You sign up with email | First and last name, screen name, email, date of birth, a password (kept only as a one-way hash), your join date, last sign-in time, a count of failed sign-ins and any lock time, and when you accepted the Terms and Privacy Policy. | To run your account, confirm you’re 18+, and keep it secure. |
| You sign in with Google | Your name, verified email and Google account ID, as returned by Google and checked by our server. We then ask for a screen name and date of birth. | To sign you in and confirm you’re 18+. |
| You write to us | Your name, email, the topic and your message. | To read and answer you. |
| You use “Forgot password” | Your email address and a one-time reset code (kept as a hash, valid for one hour). | To let you set a new password. |
| You use any form or sign in | A short-lived counter tied to a one-way hash of your IP address. | To slow spam and password guessing. Counters are tidied away automatically. |
We never ask for or keep card or bank details, and we don’t use your data for advertising or profiling.
Where it’s kept
- Accounts sit on our web server as protected files that can’t be opened from the web. There’s no separate database. They stay until you delete your account or ask us to.
- Messages you send through our forms are emailed by our server, via an email delivery service (SMTP), to our support inbox. We also keep a protected delivery log with just the date, whether it worked, which form was used and any technical error. It holds no names, emails or message text.
- In your browser we store your age confirmation, your cookie-notice choice and your session start time (for the timer), plus a sign-in cookie when you sign in or use a form. See the Cookie Policy.
- Our hosting provider may keep ordinary technical logs (such as IP address and page requested) for security and operations.
Who else handles data
- Email delivery service. Handles the messages our forms and password-reset emails send.
- Google Sign-In. Only if it’s switched on and you choose it. Loading the Google button on the sign-in and sign-up pages connects your browser to Google, and Google’s privacy policy applies.
- The games. Games load inside our pages from game files hosted on porchfestslc.com. A game may use your browser’s storage to run. We don’t receive payment or identity details through the games.
- Hosting provider. Stores and serves the site.
We don’t sell your personal information.
Why we use it
- To provide and secure your account.
- To check you’re 18 or over, as the site is for adults only.
- To answer your messages and requests.
- To stop abuse of the site and its forms.
Your choices
Depending on where you live (for example under GDPR, UK GDPR or US state privacy laws) you may be able to access, correct or delete your information, object to or restrict its use, get a copy, or complain to your data protection authority. You can delete your account yourself at any time on your account page, which removes it from our server. For anything else, use the contact form.
Children
The site is for adults 18 and over and isn’t aimed at children. If you think a child has given us information, let us know and we’ll delete it.
Updates
If this policy changes we’ll update this page and the date above.