Privacy Policy (UK)
Last updated: 29 May 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Paranormal Country(“we”, “us”) processes personal data when you use https://paranormalcountry.com and related services (the “Platform”). We operate a free social community for paranormal enthusiasts. We do not sell your personal data.
We process data in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. In summary:
- We collect only what we need for clear purposes described below;
- We use appropriate security measures and require the same from processors we use;
- We rely on consent, contract, legal obligation, or legitimate interests as applicable;
- You have rights to access, correct, delete, object, and port data where applicable;
- We do not continuously track your real-time location in the background. Location is collected only when you choose a feature that needs it (see section 1.7).
Data controller and contact
Paranormal Country (Deerwood Park, Colne, Lancashire BB8 8FF, United Kingdom) is the data controller for personal data processed through the Platform. We have not appointed a separate Data Protection Officer; contact us for any privacy matter at support@paranormalcountry.com.
Where we use hosting, database, email, security, or analytics providers, they act as processors on our instructions under written terms that require appropriate safeguards.
1. What data we process and why
1.1 Account registration and profile
Data involved:
Name, email, password (stored securely by our auth provider), date of birth, gender, display name, avatar, cover image, bio, location fields, and profile preferences you choose to provide.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and/or your consent where required.
Retention: Until you delete your account or we no longer need the data for the purpose collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
1.1A Minimum-age checks
Data involved:
Date of birth, age-check status, the date/time the check was completed, and the method used for the check. Our current launch method is a self-declared date of birth check. We do not collect identity documents for this check unless we clearly introduce a separate age assurance provider later.
Legal basis: Legal obligation where online safety law applies; legitimate interests in enforcing our 16+ community policy and protecting members.
Retention: For the life of the account and for a reasonable period after account closure where needed to evidence eligibility decisions, handle complaints, or comply with legal obligations.
1.2 Operating the social Platform
Data involved:
Posts, comments, reactions, messages you send, group and page memberships, event RSVPs, connection requests, audience settings, notifications, and activity needed to show feeds and timelines.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and/or your consent where required.
Retention: Until you delete your account or we no longer need the data for the purpose collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
1.3 Investigator connections
Data involved:
Friend or connection relationships, blocks, mutes, and audience lists (for example close friends or custom share lists).
Legal basis: Performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and/or your consent where required.
Retention: Until you delete your account or we no longer need the data for the purpose collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
1.4 Groups, pages, and events
Data involved:
Membership roles, posts submitted to groups or pages, moderation actions, event attendance, and related metadata.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and/or your consent where required.
Retention: Until you delete your account or we no longer need the data for the purpose collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
1.5 Direct and group messaging
Data involved:
Message content, participants, timestamps, and delivery status. Messages are not end-to-end encrypted unless we state otherwise in-product.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and/or your consent where required.
Retention: Until you delete your account or we no longer need the data for the purpose collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
1.6 Media and evidence uploads
Data involved:
Files you upload (images, video, documents), filenames, and scan results from our security scanning provider.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and/or your consent where required.
Retention: Until you delete your account or we no longer need the data for the purpose collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
1.7 Location, geolocation, and place data
Data involved:
Text locations on profiles and posts; optional investigation-location labels on posts; venue and event addresses or coordinates you submit; optional GPS coordinates when you tap Use my location or similar controls in field reports, regional alerts, events near me, or location directories (each triggers a one-time browser/device permission prompt); alert-centre latitude/longitude and radius saved to your account; venue or event check-ins; Haunt Passport entries (manual visited or bucket-list logs linked to haunt directory places — not live GPS tracking); reverse-geocoded place labels derived from coordinates you provide; and embedded photo metadata (EXIF date/time or GPS) only when you choose files that contain it.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract for features you use; your consent when the device/browser asks permission for geolocation or when you choose to publish map-visible data; legitimate interests in operating community maps with privacy controls (for example approximate or hidden precision).
Retention: While the related profile field, post, report, alert setting, or listing remains active, or until you delete it or your account, subject to legal retention. Published map entries may keep approximate coordinates after account deletion where needed for community integrity, as stated in section 1.16.
1.8 Gamification
Data involved:
Points, ranks, achievements, and activity logs tied to your account ID.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and/or your consent where required.
Retention: Until you delete your account or we no longer need the data for the purpose collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
1.9 Security and abuse prevention
Data involved:
IP address, device/browser information, logs, CAPTCHA/Turnstile tokens, reports you submit, and moderation records (warnings, bans).
Legal basis: Legitimate interests in securing the Platform and protecting members.
Retention: Until you delete your account or we no longer need the data for the purpose collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
1.10 Legal compliance
Data involved:
Data we must retain to comply with law, respond to lawful requests, or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
Legal basis: Legal obligation and legitimate interests.
Retention: As required by applicable law.
1.11 Contact and support
Data involved:
Information you send when you email us or submit forms (name, email, message content).
Legal basis: Performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and/or your consent where required.
Retention: Until you delete your account or we no longer need the data for the purpose collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
1.12 Newsletters and announcements (if you opt in)
Data involved:
Email address and engagement metrics such as opens or clicks.
Legal basis: Consent. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Retention: Until you delete your account or we no longer need the data for the purpose collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
1.13 Analytics and cookies
Data involved:
Cookie identifiers, usage statistics, and similar technical data as described in our Cookie Policy.
Legal basis: Consent for non-essential cookies; legitimate interests for essential operation.
Retention: Until you delete your account or we no longer need the data for the purpose collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
1.14 Automated moderation (Mod Assist)
Data involved:
Post and join-request text, account age, profile photo presence, and rule outcomes when group or page administrators enable automated checks.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests in community safety and contract (operating features administrators configure).
Retention: Moderation outcomes are retained with the related post or membership record.
1.15 Marketplace listings
Data involved:
Listing title, description, price, category, condition, photos, contact details you choose to display (email or phone), saved-listing preferences, and messages sent through listing contact flows.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract (providing the Marketplace feature) and legitimate interests in fraud prevention.
Retention: Until you delete the listing or your account, or we no longer need the data for safety and dispute records.
1.16 Field reports and sightings
Data involved:
Incident type, description, timestamps, weather and witness notes, optional environment/light/movement/confidence tags, in-form legal consent acknowledgements, visibility settings, reference codes, review status, optional GPS coordinates (exact or grid-approximated for public maps), location labels, linked feed posts, and evidence files (photos, video, audio, documents) with cryptographic hashes and scan results. Gallery uploads may include embedded photo metadata (date/time and GPS) applied only when you choose those files.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract (providing the field-report feature) and, where you choose community visibility, your consent or legitimate interests in operating a member sightings map.
Retention: Until you delete the report, your account is closed, or we no longer need records for safety, disputes, or legal obligations. Published map entries may retain approximate location after account deletion where required for community integrity.
1.17 Device permissions (camera, microphone, location)
Data involved:
We do not access your camera, microphone, or precise location in the background. When you tap Take photo, Record video, Record audio, Use my location, or similar controls, your browser or device operating system may request permission and supply the resulting file or coordinates to the page you opened. We receive only what you choose to capture and upload.
Legal basis: Your consent through the device permission prompt and your action in starting a capture or location read.
Retention: Uploaded media and coordinates are handled under the field-report and media sections above; permission choices are controlled by your device settings.
1.18 Community tools
Data involved:
Case files and saved items; subject-topic follows; field-report community confirmations and evidence annotations; investigation skills and gear lists on your profile; sky watch room titles, schedules, and RSVPs; weekly digest preferences and in-app preview data; challenge progress (including Monthly Mystery Challenges); post content labels (evidence, theory, entertainment).
Legal basis: Performance of a contract (providing these features) and legitimate interests in operating community safety features.
Retention: Until you delete related content, turn off a feature, or close your account, subject to legal retention obligations. Digest preferences are stored with your account settings.
1.19 Community Notes
Data involved:
Context text and optional source links you submit on posts; helpful/not-helpful ratings; contributor display name; moderation status; and aggregated helpful counts used to decide when a note is shown.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests in helping members add factual context without removing original posts; your consent when you submit or rate a note; contract where administrators configure note settings for the Platform.
Retention: Published notes remain with the post while it exists. Pending or rejected notes are retained for moderation and abuse prevention for a reasonable period.
1.20 Investigate tools
Data involved:
Case Room titles, notes, evidence uploads, linked posts or field reports, task checklists, contributor roles, and private final summaries; Haunt Passport entry status (visited or bucket list), visibility, and optional notes; Evidence Lab report titles, filenames, SHA-256 hashes, EXIF/metadata JSON, checklist answers, and context notes; Paranormal Academy lesson completion progress and course badge records; investigation chapter group settings (region label, crew rules) and member crew roles; investigator page type, tagline, and specialties; guided trail usage is read-only catalogue data unless you save related passport or case material.
Legal basis: Performance of a contract (providing Investigate features) and legitimate interests in operating private research workspaces and safety-led education content.
Retention: Case Rooms and Evidence Lab reports remain until you delete them or close your account, subject to backup cycles and legal retention. Academy progress and passport entries follow the same account lifecycle. Chapter and investigator page fields remain while the group or page exists.
2. Artificial intelligence and automated systems
Today, Paranormal Country does not use your posts, messages, or media to train public generative AI models, and we do not sell your content to AI training providers.
We do use automated, rule-based systems(including group “Admin Assist” rules, spam keyword checks, virus scanning on uploads, security tools such as CAPTCHA, and Community Notes helpfulness thresholds) to keep the Platform safe. These systems process content according to rules set by us or by community administrators — they are not a substitute for human moderation in every case. Community Notes add context to posts; they do not automatically remove posts for disputed claims.
If we introduce features that use machine learning or third-party AI services (for example content suggestions or summarisation), we will update this Policy and describe what is processed, why, and any choices you have.
3. Who can see your information
Your profile and posts may be visible to other members according to the audience you select (public, friends, group-only, only me, etc.). Administrators of groups you join may see additional membership information. We share data with service providers who help us run the Platform (hosting, database, email, security scanning, analytics if enabled) under contracts that require them to protect your data.
We do not sell your personal data to advertisers or data brokers.
4. Cookies
See our Cookie Policy for details on cookies and similar technologies.
5. International transfers
Our providers may process data outside the UK. Where they do, we use appropriate safeguards (such as UK adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses) as required by law.
6. Disclosure to others
We may disclose personal data when:
- required by law, court order, or lawful request from authorities;
- needed to protect the safety, rights, or property of members, the public, or us;
- involved in a merger, reorganisation, or sale of assets (your data would transfer subject to this Policy or notice to you);
- you direct us to share it (for example posting publicly on the Platform).
7. Security
We use technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk, including access controls, encryption in transit, row-level security in our database, and virus scanning on uploads. No online service is 100% secure; please use a strong unique password and enable device security.
8. How long we keep data
We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purposes above. When you delete content or your account, we delete or anonymise data within a reasonable period, except where we must retain backups for a limited time or keep records for legal, security, or dispute reasons.
9. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you may have the right to:
- access a copy of your personal data;
- rectify inaccurate data;
- erase data in certain circumstances;
- restrict or object to certain processing;
- data portability where applicable;
- withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
- complain to the ICO (see below).
To exercise rights, contact us with enough information to verify your identity. We respond within one month in most cases.
How to submit a request: email support@paranormalcountry.com from the address linked to your account (or explain why you cannot). Include:
- your display name and the email on your Paranormal Country account;
- which right you are exercising (access, correction, deletion, portability, etc.);
- enough detail for us to locate the data (for example a post URL or listing title);
- any deadline that applies (we will tell you if we need more time).
We may ask for additional verification before acting on sensitive requests. If we refuse a request, we will explain why and tell you how to complain to the ICO.
10. Complaints to the regulator
If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, contact us first at support@paranormalcountry.com. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in the UK: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. Jersey and Guernsey residents may also contact their local data protection offices.
ICO: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF · helpline 0303 123 1113
Jersey: 2nd Floor, 5 Castle Street, St Helier, JE2 3BT
Guernsey: St Martin's House, Le Bordage, St Peter Port, GY1 1BR
11. Children
The Platform is not intended for children under 16. We do not knowingly allow under-16s to use active accounts. If a date of birth shows a person is under 16, we restrict access and keep only the limited record needed to enforce that decision, handle complaints, and comply with legal obligations. If you believe a child has provided data, contact us and we will take appropriate action.
12. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy. We will post the new version with an updated date and, where appropriate, notify you through the Platform or by email.
13. Contact
Paranormal Country
Deerwood Park, Colne, Lancashire BB8 8FF, United Kingdom
Website: https://paranormalcountry.com
Email: support@paranormalcountry.com
Phone: 0843 886 7978
14. Litigation Data Masking and Social Court Archives (The Paranormal Court)
The Paranormal Court is a social court (court of public opinion), not a court of law. Staff and panel members are not qualified legal professionals. Outcomes are not legally binding or enforceable outside Platform moderation.
14.1 Conditional Data Masking
To ensure a blind, unbiased trial process, Paranormal Country programmatically masks identifying profile metrics during active Grand Jury or Trial Jury phases. While a case is actively being reviewed or voted upon, identifying details—such as usernames, account IDs, and direct profile links—are uncoupled from the disputed content in the views served to active jurors.
14.2 Anonymised archive and publication complaints
When a case is resolved or appealed, members who are not involved parties generally see an anonymised archive: party identities, submissions, and panel reasoning may be withheld. Involved parties and staff may view the full record. Vote totals and procedural outcomes may still be shown. If you believe published material is inaccurate or harmful, use the court publication complaints route. Certain archive records may be retained for auditing and safety even if you request account deletion, where we have a lawful basis to do so.