BarFinder Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 7, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how TandT Solutions LLC ("BarFinder," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you use barfinder.com and any associated apps (the "Service").

By using the Service, you acknowledge this Privacy Policy. All data you submit to the Service — including account information, reviews, comments, photos, and venue submissions — becomes part of our records as described below, and its use is governed by this Policy and our [Terms of Use](/terms).

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account information: When you create an account (via email/password or a third-party sign-in provider through Firebase Authentication, including Google or Sign in with Apple on iOS and web), we collect your email address and any display name, bio, or avatar photo you choose to add. If you use Apple's "Hide My Email," we receive an Apple relay address instead of your real email.
• User-generated content: Reviews and star ratings, comments, venue/band/drink submissions, photos you upload, "report an issue" submissions, venue claim requests (including any contact phone number and justification you provide), and support ticket messages.
• Bartender profile information (optional): If you opt into being listed as a bartender, the venues and drinks you associate with your profile.
• Location you enter manually: A ZIP code or address you type in on the website, or a city, state, or ZIP you type in the app, to browse or sort venues by distance. In the app, this is turned into coordinates using your phone's built-in geocoding (Apple on iOS, Google on Android).
• Communications: Messages you send us, including support ticket content. If you ask to join a beta test of the Android app, the email address you give us is added to the app's tester list in Google Play.
• Activity on the Service: Check-ins, favorites, "going" responses to events, plans you create, and buddy requests. Check-ins and "going" responses may be shown to others as counts (for example, "12 people are going") without your name.
• BarFinder Play rooms: If you join a multiplayer Play room, we collect the nickname you enter for that room and use a temporary, anonymous Firebase identifier for your session - joining a room as a guest does not require creating a BarFinder account. Hosting a room does require a BarFinder account. Live room data (players, in-room nicknames, and game progress) is stored in Firebase Realtime Database only for the room's duration and is automatically deleted after a period of inactivity (currently 6 hours); an anonymous guest identifier that goes unused is deleted after 30 days.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

Mobile app:

• Device and usage data: IP address, browser type, device type, pages viewed, referring URLs, and general usage patterns, collected through standard web server logs and analytics tools.
• Precise or approximate location (only if you grant permission): If you use a "near me" or "use my location" feature, your browser's geolocation API may share your device's location with us for that session, used only to sort or show nearby venues. You can decline this and use a typed ZIP code or address instead, or browse without any location personalization (a default reference location is used and clearly marked as not your real location).
• Cookies and similar technologies: We use cookies/local storage for essential site functionality (such as keeping you signed in and remembering your location preference), for analytics, and for advertising (see Section 3).
• Bot and abuse protection: To protect sign-in, submissions, and BarFinder Play from automated abuse, the website uses Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise (through Firebase App Check), which collects hardware and software information, such as device and application data, and sends it to Google for analysis. Its use is subject to Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
• Device location (app): Only with your permission, and only while the app is in use (we do not collect location in the background). Used to show nearby venues, events, and activity. The coordinates are sent with the search request and are not stored by BarFinder. You can deny location access (a default location or a place you type is used instead) or change the permission at any time in your phone's Settings.
• Camera and photo library (app): Only when you choose to add a photo. Before upload, the app resizes the photo and removes embedded metadata such as GPS location, capture time, and device details; our servers also strip this metadata. Only the photos you actively select are uploaded.
• Push notifications (app): If you allow them, we store a push token for your device, linked to your account, to send the notifications you've turned on (such as buddy requests, plan updates, badges, and listing or support updates). You can turn individual categories off in the app (Profile -> Notifications) or disable all notifications in your phone's Settings. Signing out or deleting your account removes the stored token.
• On-device storage (app): Your sign-in session, and the last Tonight / Nearby results, are stored on your device so the app can show them while offline. This is cleared when you delete the app.

1.3 Information From Third Parties

• If you sign in using a third-party provider (e.g., Google) through Firebase Authentication, we receive the basic profile information (such as name and email) that provider shares with us based on your permissions with that provider.

2. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to:

We do not sell your personal information.

• Operate, maintain, and improve the Service (for example, displaying your reviews, powering search and "near me" sorting, and showing your saved favorites).
• Create and manage your account, and authenticate you when you sign in.
• Moderate submitted content and enforce our Terms of Use (including detecting and mitigating spam and abusive submissions).
• Communicate with you, including responding to support tickets and, if you're subscribed, sending announcements, newsletters, or event digests (see Section 7 on your email choices).
• Measure and analyze how the Service is used, via analytics tools, to understand what's working and what to improve.
• Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
• Comply with legal obligations.

3. Analytics and Tracking

We use Google Analytics (and may use similar tools) to collect information about how visitors use the Service — such as which pages are viewed, how long visitors stay, what they click, and general geographic/device information. This helps us understand usage patterns and improve the Service. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar identifiers; you can opt out with Google's Analytics opt-out browser add-on or by blocking cookies in your browser.

Do Not Track: Because there is no common standard for them, the Service does not currently respond to browser "Do Not Track" signals.

Our own advertising: We advertise BarFinder on other sites and apps, such as Google and Facebook/Instagram. Links in those ads carry tags (for example, which ad you tapped) so we can see in Google Analytics which ads bring visitors. We do not place advertising pixels from those platforms on the Service and do not share your personal information with them for advertising.

We may also use standard event tracking (for example, recording when a venue's phone number or website link is clicked, or when a review is submitted) to understand feature usage. This event data is used internally for product analytics and is not sold to third parties.

Ads on the website: We may display ads on the website through Google AdSense. We have set these ads to be non-personalized: they are based on the page you are viewing and general information such as your approximate location, not on a profile of your activity on other sites. Google still uses cookies or similar technologies for frequency capping, aggregated ad reporting, and to combat fraud and abuse. Learn more about how Google uses information from sites that use its services and Google's Ads Settings.

The mobile app uses Google Analytics for Firebase to understand feature usage: screens viewed and actions such as check-ins, ratings, plans created, photo uploads, and location changes, along with app version, device model/OS, and general region. Events are linked to your BarFinder account ID (not your email) when you're signed in. The app does not collect advertising identifiers (IDFA / Android Advertising ID), does not use analytics data for advertising, and does not track you across other companies' apps or websites — which is why the app doesn't show Apple's "Allow tracking" prompt.

4. How We Share Information

We share information in the following circumstances:

We do not share your information with third parties for their own independent marketing purposes.

• Publicly, as part of the Service: Reviews, comments, display names, avatars, ratings, and other content you choose to post are visible to other users and the public by design (that's the point of a review or comment). Your display name, photo, bio, earned badges, favorites, and any venues/bands you've claimed are also aggregated on a public profile page (linked from your reviews and badge activity), so other users can see them together in one place. Do not include information in these fields that you don't want public.
• Service providers: We use third-party infrastructure and service providers to operate the Service, including Google Firebase (authentication, and Realtime Database for live BarFinder Play rooms), Google Cloud Platform (application hosting, database, and photo/file storage), Amazon Web Services (CloudFront/Route 53 for content delivery and DNS), Google Analytics and Google Firebase Analytics (usage analytics), Google Maps / OpenStreetMap (map display), Expo (650 Industries, Inc.), Apple Push Notification service, and Google Firebase Cloud Messaging (delivering push notifications), Amazon Simple Email Service (sending email), Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise (bot and abuse protection), and Apple (Sign in with Apple; on-device map and geocoding on iOS). These providers process data on our behalf and are contractually/technically limited to using it to provide their service to us.
• BarFinder's social media accounts: We post about activity on the Service to BarFinder's own accounts on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. These posts may include publicly posted User Content, such as a photo you uploaded or a short quote from a review, with a link to the page it came from; they do not include your name, profile photo, or other account details. Once posted, that content is also processed by the platform under its own policies. See Section 5.5 of our Terms of Use to ask that your content not be featured.
• Legal reasons: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or if we believe in good faith it's necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of BarFinder, our users, or the public.
• Business transfers: If BarFinder is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction; we will provide notice before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
• With your direction: For example, if you use a "share" feature to post BarFinder content to your own social media account.

5. Data Ownership

All data and content you submit to the Service — account details, reviews, comments, photos, venue/band/drink submissions, and similar — is retained by BarFinder as part of the Service's records, and its use is governed by this Policy and the license you grant us under our Terms of Use. You retain ownership of your original content (such as the copyright in a photo you took), but by submitting it you give us the rights described in our Terms of Use to host, display, and use it as part of operating the Service.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. If you delete your account, we will delete or de-identify your personal account information within a reasonable period, except:

• Content that remains meaningfully attached to shared/public contexts (for example, a comment in a thread) may be retained in de-identified or anonymized form (e.g., shown as "a former BarFinder user") rather than deleted outright, to preserve the integrity of that content for other users.
• We may retain information as required by law, to resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, or for legitimate business purposes such as fraud prevention, for a limited period after deletion.
• Standard backups may retain deleted data for a limited additional period before being overwritten.

7. Your Choices and Rights

• Access/update: You can view and edit your account information (display name, bio, avatar) from your profile page.
• Delete your account: You can delete your account yourself from your profile settings on the website or in the app; see Section 6 above for what happens to content you've shared with others. If you'd rather not use self-service deletion, contact us and we'll do it for you.
• Email preferences: You can opt out of non-essential email categories (announcements, newsletter, event digests) via the unsubscribe link in any such email, or from your account settings. Essential, transactional emails (such as a reply to a support ticket you opened) are not subject to this opt-out.
• Location permission: You can decline browser location access at any time and use a typed ZIP/address instead; you can also revoke previously granted location permission through your browser's site settings. In the app, you can allow, deny, or change location permission in your phone's Settings at any time, or type a city, state, or ZIP instead.
• Cookies: You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings; doing so may affect some functionality (such as staying signed in).
• Push notifications: You can turn individual notification categories on or off from the app (Profile -> Notifications), or disable all app notifications in your phone's Settings.
• Blocking and reporting: You can report content or users, and block users so you no longer see their content or receive their requests, in the app and on the website. Your block list is private.
• State privacy rights: Depending on the state you live in (for example, California under the CCPA/CPRA), you may have rights to know what personal information we hold about you, and to access, correct, delete, or obtain a copy of it. We do not sell your personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising (ads on the website are non-personalized, as described in Section 3), so there is nothing to opt out of, and we do not use sensitive personal information in ways that would require a right to limit it. To exercise any of these rights, send a privacy request through our contact form. We will verify a request by confirming it comes from your BarFinder account, and we will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights. You may use an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf, and if we decline a request, you may appeal by replying to our decision.

8. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children. It is intended for adults of legal drinking age (21 in the U.S.); people under 21 may use it for informational purposes and to play BarFinder Play games, as described in our Terms of Use. You must be at least 13 to create an account, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn we have collected such information, we will delete it. Contact us if you believe a child has provided us information.

9. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information, including encrypting sensitive credentials (such as third-party API tokens) at rest and using industry-standard authentication (Firebase Authentication) for accounts. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. United States Only

The Service is intended for users in the United States and is hosted in the United States (Google Cloud Platform, AWS). Access from outside the United States may be limited or blocked.

11. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites (such as a venue's own website or social media page). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. Review their privacy policies before providing them information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice (such as a banner on the Service or an email) before the changes take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.

13. Contact Us

Questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information? Use our contact form.

TandT Solutions LLC (BarFinder)