Privacy Policy

Effective Date: June 19, 2026
Website: https://barnmatch.southification.com
Contact: info@barnmatch.southification.com

Plain-English Summary

BarnMatch collects information needed to run an animal-hosting coordination platform, including account details, profile information, city/state/zip, animal records, host records, resource listings, organization memberships, match activity, messages, photos, reports, and exact host addresses when needed. Exact addresses, phone numbers, full legal names, emergency contacts, and private messages are treated as sensitive within the app. We do not sell personal information or process payments. Some information may be shared with matched users, organization administrators, service providers, or safety/legal reviewers depending on your settings, match status, reports, and applicable law.

This summary is for convenience only. The full Privacy Policy below controls.

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how BarnMatch, the BarnMatch application and website, and its current or future operator(s) (“BarnMatch,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collect, use, disclose, and protect information when you use https://barnmatch.southification.com and any related BarnMatch website, application, subdomain, or online service that links to this Privacy Policy (the “Service”).

If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, do not use BarnMatch.

2. Information We Collect

BarnMatch may collect the following categories of information.

2.1 Account and Identity Information

• display name;
• full legal name, if provided or required;
• email address;
• phone number;
• password/authentication data handled through authentication providers;
• account verification status;
• two-factor authentication settings if enabled;
• profile photo, if uploaded;
• short bio/about text;
• account status, role, and permissions.

2.2 Location Information

• city;
• state;
• zip code;
• approximate location;
• host exact address;
• emergency shelter exact address;
• resource/staging/storage location information;
• animal location city/state/zip;
• latitude/longitude if geocoding or mapping features are used;
• location-derived distance bands or emergency-zone status.

Exact host addresses and emergency shelter addresses are treated as private fields and should only be shared according to match/contact-sharing rules, user consent, organization settings, emergency settings, or legal/safety needs.

2.3 Animal Records

• animal type;
• count;
• approximate size;
• age;
• sex/status where relevant;
• horse/mule/donkey/goat/sheep/pig/cattle/dog/cat/chicken details;
• behavior and handling notes;
• medical or senior needs;
• feed and medication notes;
• transportation needs;
• fencing or housing needs;
• quarantine or separation concerns;
• photos;
• emergency/non-emergency hosting needs;
• owner/requester preferences.

2.4 Host, Shelter, Resource, and Facility Information

• host location details;
• exact address for host/shelter locations;
• capacity;
• animal types accepted;
• stalls, paddocks, pasture, dry lot, trailer parking, storage, water, feed, staging, or resource details;
• restrictions such as no stallions or no certain animal types;
• maximum hosting duration;
• emergency or non-emergency availability;
• paid/off-app arrangement indicators;
• facility photos;
• host terms and property access notes;
• availability confirmation history.

2.5 Organization Information

• organization name;
• organization description;
• website link;
• operating cities and regions;
• organization profile photos/logos;
• membership status;
• invite links;
• role within organization;
• organization settings;
• organization emergency events;
• organization shelter/resource listings;
• organization reports and moderation status.

2.6 Match and Emergency Information

• match requests;
• match recommendations;
• match scores and explanations;
• match statuses;
• acceptance, decline, cancellation, completion, and contact-sharing events;
• emergency event name, type, status, zip/city/state, affected zones, safety buffers, and notes;
• user self-reported emergency status;
• host reconfirmation status;
• notification and alert history.

2.7 Messages and Communications

• in-app messages;
• message metadata;
• sender/recipient information;
• timestamps;
• reports of spam, abuse, or safety concerns;
• customer support communications;
• notification delivery status.

Private user-to-user messages are intended to remain private between users, except where reported, reviewed for safety/moderation/legal purposes, required by law, or needed to protect users, animals, property, BarnMatch, or the Service.

2.8 Device, Usage, and Technical Information

• IP address;
• device type;
• browser;
• operating system;
• log data;
• app activity;
• pages viewed;
• feature usage;
• error logs;
• cookies or similar technologies;
• security and fraud-prevention signals.

2.9 Legal, Consent, and Audit Information

• acceptance of Terms;
• acceptance of Code of Conduct;
• acceptance of Host Liability Release;
• acceptance of Animal Owner Acknowledgment;
• acceptance of Privacy Policy;
• version accepted;
• timestamp;
• account or device information associated with acceptance;
• audit logs for status changes, contact-sharing changes, match actions, reports, and moderation actions.

3. How We Use Information

BarnMatch may use information to:

• create and manage accounts;
• verify email or phone;
• provide user profiles;
• support organizations and memberships;
• create animal records;
• create host, shelter, and resource listings;
• calculate potential match counts;
• generate match recommendations;
• coordinate match requests;
• allow users to accept, decline, or complete matches;
• protect exact address and contact privacy;
• share contact details only according to applicable consent and match rules;
• support in-app messaging;
• send reminders and emergency/organization notifications;
• support reverification and availability confirmation;
• create and manage emergency events;
• support issue reporting, blocking, moderation, and safety review;
• detect spam, fraud, abuse, or security issues;
• improve the Service;
• troubleshoot bugs;
• enforce agreements;
• comply with law;
• protect users, animals, property, BarnMatch, and others.

4. How We Disclose Information

BarnMatch may disclose information in the following ways.

4.1 To Other Users After Match Consent

If both parties accept a match and agree to share contact/location details, BarnMatch may disclose selected information such as phone, email, exact address, full name, host terms, animal details, or other match-relevant information.

4.2 Limited Match Previews

BarnMatch may show limited information before match acceptance, such as general area, organization affiliation, animal types accepted, capacity range, paid/off-app badge, or high-level match fit. Exact address, phone, emergency contacts, private notes, and full private details should remain hidden unless the applicable workflow allows sharing.

4.3 To Organization Administrators

Organization administrators may see certain organization-related information, such as membership status, match status, emergency event response status, confirmation status, and organization-related activity.

Phone numbers are visible to organization administrators only if the user has allowed such visibility. Organization administrators should not see private user-to-user message content unless that content is reported or otherwise subject to a safety/moderation/legal workflow.

4.4 To Service Providers

BarnMatch may disclose information to vendors and service providers that help operate the Service, such as hosting providers, database providers, authentication providers, email providers, SMS providers, mapping/geocoding providers, analytics providers, storage providers, error logging providers, security providers, and support tools.

4.5 Safety, Legal, and Emergency-Related Disclosures

BarnMatch may disclose information if we believe disclosure is reasonably necessary to:

• comply with law, legal process, or government request;
• enforce our Terms or policies;
• investigate fraud, abuse, spam, safety concerns, or security incidents;
• respond to reported content;
• protect users, animals, property, BarnMatch, or others;
• respond to emergencies where disclosure appears necessary or appropriate.

4.6 Business Transfer or Operator Change

If BarnMatch is transferred, assigned, reorganized, incorporated, merged, sold, funded, or moved to a newly formed entity, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Privacy Policy or a successor policy.

4.7 With Your Direction or Consent

We may disclose information when you direct us to do so, when you change privacy settings, when you accept a match, when you join an organization, when you submit information to a public field, or when you otherwise consent.

5. No Sale of Personal Information

BarnMatch does not sell personal information and does not knowingly share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. BarnMatch does not process payments in the current version of the Service.

If this changes, BarnMatch will update this Privacy Policy and provide any legally required rights or notices.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

BarnMatch may use cookies, local storage, analytics tools, or similar technologies to keep users logged in, remember preferences, measure usage, improve the Service, prevent abuse, and maintain security. Browser settings may allow you to limit cookies, but some features may not work properly.

7. Notifications and Communications

BarnMatch may send account, security, organization, match, emergency, availability, reminder, reverification, and administrative messages by email, in-app notification, SMS/text message, or push notification if enabled.

You may be able to adjust certain notification preferences. Some operational messages may be necessary to provide the Service.

8. Data Retention

BarnMatch keeps information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the Service, maintain records, comply with law, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, protect safety, prevent fraud, maintain audit logs, and support legitimate operational needs.

Some information may remain after account deactivation, including audit logs, legal acceptances, match records, report records, safety records, and information needed to protect BarnMatch or others.

9. Account Deactivation and Deletion

Users may request account deactivation or deletion where available. Deactivating or deleting an account may cancel, hide, or restrict active listings, messages, matches, organization memberships, animal records, host records, and resource records.

BarnMatch may retain certain records where necessary for legal, safety, audit, fraud-prevention, dispute, or operational purposes.

10. Security

BarnMatch uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect information. No online service is completely secure. You are responsible for protecting your login credentials and using caution when sharing information.

Do not submit highly sensitive information unless necessary for the Service.

11. Privacy Choices

Depending on available features, you may be able to:

• update profile information;
• update phone visibility settings;
• update organization membership settings;
• update notification preferences;
• hide or delete photos;
• deactivate listings;
• cancel matches;
• block users;
• report users or content;
• request access, correction, deletion, or other privacy assistance.

12. California and Other Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live and whether applicable privacy laws apply to BarnMatch, you may have rights to know, access, correct, delete, or limit certain uses of personal information. BarnMatch may not meet all statutory thresholds for every privacy law at all times, but you may contact us with privacy requests at info@barnmatch.southification.com.

We may need to verify your identity before responding. We may deny or limit requests where permitted by law, such as for safety, legal, audit, security, fraud-prevention, or dispute reasons.

13. Children’s Privacy

BarnMatch is intended for users who are at least 18 years old. We do not knowingly allow children under 18 to create accounts. If you believe a minor has created an account, contact us at info@barnmatch.southification.com.

14. AI, Automated Tools, and Future Features

BarnMatch may currently or in the future use rules-based or automated tools to generate potential match counts, recommendations, warnings, explanations, or missing-information prompts. Future AI-assisted features may help summarize information, explain match tradeoffs, draft messages, flag stale information, or suggest next questions.

Automated or AI-assisted tools should not automatically approve placements, share private contact information, override safety restrictions, or make emergency decisions. If BarnMatch materially changes its use of AI or automated decision-making, this Privacy Policy may be updated.

15. International Users

BarnMatch is currently intended for use in the United States. If you use BarnMatch from outside the United States, you understand that information may be processed in the United States or other locations where service providers operate.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

BarnMatch may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted in the Service with a new effective date. Continued use of BarnMatch after changes become effective means you accept the updated Privacy Policy where permitted by law.

17. Contact

Questions or privacy requests may be sent to:

BarnMatch
Website: https://barnmatch.southification.com
Email: info@barnmatch.southification.com