Privacy Policy

Version beta-interim-2026-11-04-2

1. Who operates Warbands

Jerry Hogate operates Warbands, an unincorporated project, from 613 West 13th Street, Newcastle, Delaware 19720, United States. For privacy questions or requests, contact info@warbands.me. Warbands is not currently a corporation or a separate legal entity.

2. Information we handle

• Account and security information: name, email address, password hash, email verification state, sign-in and session data, MFA settings, consent records, and security events.
• Player profile and preferences: profile details, games, links, discovery settings, and any personal game identity information you choose to add.
• Community activity: memberships, roles, invitations, forum posts and replies, news, pages, polls, event RSVPs, recruitment applications and answers, and moderation reports.
• Files and moderation: logos, banners, form attachments, malware scan results, automated image moderation results, and review or appeal records.
• Connected services: Discord account identifiers and related connection data when you choose Discord sign-in or linking, and delivery information needed for a community's announcement webhook.
• Technical and safety data: IP address, request path, browser or device information, and timestamps in normal hosting and security logs; plus sanitized application error fingerprints and staff audit records.

3. Why we use information

We use information to create and secure accounts, provide community and player features, show content to the audiences you choose, deliver invitations and notifications, review recruitment applications, respond to support requests, prevent abuse, moderate uploads, maintain the service, and meet legal obligations. Where privacy laws require a legal basis, processing is based on providing the service you request, protecting the service and its users, complying with legal duties, or your choice or consent where required.

Member discovery is off until you enable it. Information in a public profile or public community content can be seen by visitors. Community-only content is shown to members who have the required access. Recruitment answers are available to authorized recruiters for that community; private recruiter notes are not shown to applicants.

4. Service providers and sharing

We do not sell personal information. We share information only as needed to operate the service, respond to a request, protect people and the service, or comply with law. Providers currently used for service operations include:

• IONOS for the Warbands sending mailbox and email delivery;
• Amazon Web Services in the us-east-2 region for encrypted off-site backups and related S3 access logs;
• Microsoft Azure AI Content Safety to assess uploaded images when moderation is enabled; and
• Discord when you choose Discord sign-in, linking, or a community announcement connection.

Community owners, moderators, recruiters, and members may receive information you submit or make visible within their community, according to its settings and your role. We may disclose information when required by law or when reasonably necessary to protect users, investigate abuse, or secure Warbands.

5. Storage and international processing

Warbands runs on a hosted server. Encrypted backup copies are stored in Amazon Web Services in the us-east-2 region. Email, image moderation, and Discord integrations are handled by their respective providers. These providers may process information in the United States or other locations where they operate, subject to their terms and applicable safeguards.

6. Retention and deletion

We keep account information while an account is active and as needed for security, support, and legal obligations. An account deletion request has a 30-day grace period and can be cancelled during that period. Before deletion, an owner must transfer each community they own. When deletion completes, contact details, the member profile, personal links, memberships, and application answers are removed. Community posts and recruitment status history may be retained under a pseudonymous deleted-player label.

Community content remains until the community removes it or its owner completes community deletion, which also has a 30-day grace period. Communities set retention periods for form and recruitment answers. Some staff audit and safety records have no fixed platform-wide expiry. Encrypted backups are scheduled for expiration after 90 days; older object versions are expired after 30 days. CloudWatch S3 access logs are configured for 90-day retention.

7. Your choices and requests

You can manage profile visibility and linked identities in your account settings, export available account data, and submit privacy or deletion requests through the account privacy controls. You can also contact info@warbands.me to ask about access, correction, deletion, or other rights available where you live. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

8. Cookies and security

Warbands uses essential session and security cookies to keep you signed in, protect forms, and maintain account security. The application does not currently use third-party advertising trackers. Passwords are stored as hashes; staff access requires MFA; backups are encrypted before upload. No online service can guarantee perfect security.

9. Children and updates

Warbands is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly permit an account for a child under 13. Contact us if you believe such an account exists so we can review it. We may update this Policy as the service changes. We will publish the new version and request renewed consent where required.

10. Contact

Privacy contact: info@warbands.me, or 613 West 13th Street, Newcastle, Delaware 19720, United States. Warbands is currently an unincorporated project operated by Jerry Hogate; this notice will be updated if its legal structure or contact details change.