Privacy Policy

Effective date: 20 October 2026

Last updated: 20 October 2026

1. Who is responsible for your data

Unite Gay Network (UGN) is a trade name of Yersal, a sole proprietorship (eenmanszaak) registered in the Netherlands and owned by Mourad Blokpoel. Yersal is the controller for the personal data described in this policy.

Address: Schiphol Boulevard 127, 1118 BG Schiphol, the Netherlands

Chamber of Commerce (KvK): 80433391

VAT: NL003439927B26

Email for privacy matters: support@unite.gay

This policy applies to unite.gay, network.unite.gay, support.unite.gay and the UGN Android app. Because we are based in the Netherlands, the GDPR applies to all members, wherever they live.

2. Sensitive information

Unite Gay Network is a community exclusively for gay and bisexual men, including trans men who are gay or bisexual. The fact that you have an account, and the content you share on the network, reveals information about your sexual orientation. This is a special category of personal data under the GDPR.

We only process it with your explicit consent, which we ask for separately when you create your account. We use it only to provide the community: your membership, profile, groups, chats and events. We never sell it, never use it for advertising, and never share it with third parties except the service providers listed in section 5 that host and run the network for us.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by deleting your account or emailing support@unite.gay. We will then delete your account and related data as described in section 6.

3. What data we collect and where it comes from

From you:

- Account details: email address, display name, date of birth, password (stored by our platform provider, not visible to us). A real name is not required.

- Profile: photos, bio, country or city, and other details you choose to add.

- Activity in the network: posts, comments, 1:1 and group chat messages, group memberships, event participation and contributions to the locations map.

- Verified Membership: payment and invoice details (handled by our payment provider) and the result of your identity check from Veriff (not a copy of your ID).

- Support and requests: messages to support@unite.gay, contact forms, reports and requests about your data.

- Newsletter: your email address, if you subscribe.

From others:

- Other members, when they report content or mention you.

- Our payment provider and verification partner, which tell us whether a payment or identity check succeeded.

- App stores, if you install the Android app.

Automatically:

- Technical data such as IP address, browser and device type, needed to deliver and secure the sites.

- Strictly necessary cookies. We do not use analytics, advertising or social media tracking cookies. See our Cookie Policy.

4. Why we use your data and on what legal basis

- Account and community features: to perform our contract with you (GDPR article 6(1)(b)) and, for sensitive data, your explicit consent (article 9(2)(a)).

- Verified Membership, payments and invoices: contract and legal obligation (article 6(1)(c)), including the Dutch 7-year tax record duty. The identity check, which may include a selfie or face check, is based on your explicit consent (article 9(2)(a)).

- Newsletter: your consent (article 6(1)(a)). Every email has an unsubscribe link.

- Security, fraud prevention and moderation: our legitimate interest in keeping the community and its members safe (article 6(1)(f)).

- Answering support questions: contract or our legitimate interest in helping you.

- Legal compliance, such as handling requests from authorities: legal obligation.

What we personalise is limited to things like showing relevant country groups or events. We do not make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

5. Who we share data with

We do not sell or rent your personal data, and we do not share it for advertising.

We use these service providers (processors), which process data on our behalf under a data processing agreement:

- Wix.com Ltd.: website and network hosting, member accounts, chat and forms (Israel and the United States).

- Cloudflare (via Wix): security and bot protection.

- Veriff: identity checks for Verified Membership. Veriff checks your ID and may ask for a selfie or face check, and gives us only the result.

- Wix and its payment providers: payments for Verified Membership.

- Our email provider: handling messages sent to support@unite.gay.

- Google Play: distribution of the Android app.

We may also share data when the law requires it, to protect the safety of members or others, or with your consent.

Transfers outside the EU. Israel has an EU adequacy decision. For transfers to the United States we rely on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where the provider is certified, and otherwise on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.

6. How long we keep your data

- Account and profile data: until you delete your account, or after 24 months of inactivity.

- Messages and posts: deleted with your account, except where other members' conversations keep a placeholder.

- Moderation and report records: up to 12 months after the case is closed, longer if needed for legal claims.

- Payment and invoice records: 7 years (Dutch tax law).

- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe.

- Support emails and data requests: 2 years.

- Accounts of people under 18: deleted as soon as we become aware of them.

7. Your rights

You have the right to access, correct and delete your personal data, to restrict processing, to data portability, and to withdraw consent at any time (this does not affect processing before you withdrew).

Right to object. You can object at any time to processing based on our legitimate interest. We will then stop, unless we have compelling reasons that outweigh your interests.

You can delete your account yourself in your account settings on network.unite.gay, or email support@unite.gay. We respond within one month. We may ask you to confirm the request from the email address linked to your account.

If you are not satisfied with how we handle your data, you can file a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl) or the authority in your country.

8. Security

Our sites use encrypted connections (HTTPS), and access to member data is limited and protected by our platform provider's security measures. No online system is completely secure. If a data breach occurs that puts you at risk, we will report it to the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens and inform affected members where required.

To protect yourself, use a display name and avoid sharing details that identify you if you are not out.

9. Cookies

We only use cookies that are strictly necessary for our sites to work and stay secure. We do not use Google, Facebook, LinkedIn or any other analytics, advertising or tracking cookies. See our Cookie Policy for the full list.

10. Age restriction and child safety

UGN is only for adults aged 18 or older. We ask for your date of birth at sign-up, review reports of possible underage users, and remove those accounts and their data as soon as we become aware of them. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has accessed UGN, or if you suspect a member is under 18, please tell us at support@unite.gay so we can act promptly.

11. Links to other websites

Our sites may link to other websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, so please check their policies.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. We will post the new version here with a new date, and tell members by email or in the network about significant changes.

13. Contact

Yersal, trading as Unite Gay Network

Schiphol Boulevard 127, 1118 BG Schiphol, the Netherlands

Email: support@unite.gay