Data Retention
HUMANBRIDGE DATA RETENTION POLICY
Effective Date: [01/08/2026]
Last Updated: [01/08/2026]
Data Retention Policy
1. Purpose
HumanBridge CIC is committed to processing personal data responsibly and in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable privacy laws.
This Data Retention Policy explains how long HumanBridge retains different categories of information, why retention is necessary, and when information is permanently deleted or anonymised.
2. Principles
HumanBridge follows the following retention principles:
- Personal data is retained only for as long as necessary.
- Data that is no longer required is securely deleted or anonymised.
- Retention periods are based on legal, operational, and security requirements.
- Users may request deletion of their personal information at any time, subject to applicable legal obligations.
3. Data Categories and Retention Periods
Data Category | Purpose | Retention Period |
|---|---|---|
User Account Information | Operate the platform | Until account deletion |
Email Address | Authentication and communication | Until account deletion |
Profile Information | User profile | Until account deletion |
Profile Photo | User profile | Until account deletion |
Interests & Preferences | Community matching | Until account deletion |
Languages | Matching services | Until account deletion |
Location Settings | Nearby connections | Until account deletion |
GPS Location History | Service functionality | Maximum 30 days |
Messages | Communication between users | Until deleted by users or account deletion |
Friend Connections | Social functionality | Until account deletion |
Community Memberships | Platform functionality | Until account deletion |
Event Participation | Community services | 24 months |
Reports of Abuse | Community safety | 7 years |
Moderation Decisions | Legal protection | 7 years |
Security Logs | Security monitoring | 12 months |
Login History | Fraud prevention | 12 months |
Device Information | Security | 12 months |
Crash Reports | Platform improvement | 12 months |
Analytics Data | Product improvement | 24 months (aggregated where possible) |
Customer Support Requests | Customer service | 3 years after closure |
Marketing Preferences | Consent management | Until consent is withdrawn |
Consent Records | GDPR compliance | 7 years |
4. Deleted Accounts
When a user deletes their HumanBridge account:
- The account is immediately deactivated.
- The profile becomes inaccessible to other users.
- Active sessions are terminated.
- Personal information enters the deletion process.
Unless retention is required by law, personal data will be permanently deleted within 30 days of the deletion request.
5. Backup Systems
HumanBridge maintains encrypted backups for disaster recovery purposes.
Backups are retained for a maximum of 90 days.
Deleted information may remain in encrypted backups until they are automatically overwritten. Backup data is not restored except where necessary to recover from a disaster.
6. Legal Retention
Certain information may be retained beyond the standard retention period where required:
- Compliance with legal obligations.
- Protection against legal claims.
- Prevention and investigation of fraud.
- Safeguarding investigations.
- Law enforcement requests.
Only the minimum information necessary will be retained.
7. Anonymisation
Where possible, HumanBridge will anonymise personal data instead of retaining identifiable information.
Anonymised information may be used indefinitely for:
- Statistical reporting.
- Service improvement.
- Research.
- Product analytics.
- Community insights.
Anonymised information cannot be used to identify an individual.
8. Secure Deletion
When retention periods expire, HumanBridge securely deletes personal information using industry-standard methods designed to prevent recovery.
Deletion may include:
- Database record removal.
- Encrypted storage destruction.
- Removal from application servers.
- Removal from search indexes.
- Removal from cache systems.
9. User Rights
Users may request:
- Confirmation that their data is being processed.
- Access to retained information.
- Correction of inaccurate information.
- Restriction of processing.
- Data portability.
- Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"), where applicable.
Requests can be submitted to:
privacy@humanbridge.uk
HumanBridge aims to respond within 30 days, subject to applicable law.
10. Policy Review
This Policy is reviewed at least annually and whenever significant changes occur to:
- Applicable legislation.
- HumanBridge services.
- Data processing activities.
- Security requirements.
11. Contact
HumanBridge CIC
Website: https://humanbridge.uk
Email: privacy@humanbridge.uk
United Kingdom