Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 18, 2026

This policy explains what data B.O.L.D. and the Watchman app collect, how we use it, who can see it, and what control you have.

What we collect

Account: your email address, display name, and optional profile picture. If you sign in with Apple, Apple shares your name and email with us, and the B.O.L.D. team uses them to welcome you and connect you to a pack.

Community activity: your daily check-ins, prayer requests and comments, messages in your pack chat and church chat, private messages, and your workbook and reading-plan progress and answers.

Private messages: messages between you and a church leader, a B.O.L.D. coach, or B.O.L.D. leadership. Only you and the other person can read them, unless one of you reports a message (see Reports and blocking).

Filter activity: if you use the Watchman filter, we record when it is on or off and when a check comes in from your device. When the filter blocks a website, we record the kind of content (for example "adult") and the website's name (for example example.com). We never record the full web address, the page, or what you searched for. See Who can see your data for who sees which part.

Device status: to know your protection is still working, the app sends us a periodic status check with your app version, battery level, whether your phone is charging, whether location permission is granted, and whether the filter is running.

Subscription and purchases: whether your Watchman+ subscription is active and when it renews. In the app, Apple or Google handles payment. On our website, Stripe handles payment for subscriptions and for church seat purchases. We never see your full card number.

Device identifiers and notifications

Device identifier: To link your notifications and the app's security heartbeat to your device, the app reads a per-install device identifier — on Android the system Android ID, on iOS the vendor identifier (identifierForVendor). It is treated as an opaque value and is never used for advertising or to track you across other apps or companies.

Push notifications: To send check-in reminders and team alerts, we register a push token with Apple's and Google's push services and store it on our server. You can turn notifications off at any time in your device settings.

Diagnostics: When the app crashes or hits an error, we send a diagnostic report (through Sentry, our diagnostics provider) that includes device information and an app/device identifier so we can find and fix the problem. These reports never include your messages, prayers, browsing, or location.

Notification content: Push notifications say who and where, for example "New message from Sam" or "New check-in in your pack". They never include what was written, what the filter found, or details of a setback; you see those in the app.

Location

What and when: If you choose to turn on location sharing with your linked spouse, the Watchman app collects your device's precise (GPS) location. Normally it updates about every 3 minutes, or when you have moved about 150 meters. If your spouse turns on Live mode, it updates about once a minute. If you grant the "Allow all the time" permission, it keeps updating in the background.

Why: Location is used for one feature only — letting your linked spouse see your recent location as a point of accountability. It is off by default and requires a separate in-app consent step, an active spouse link, and a Watchman+ subscription to turn on.

Who can see it: Only your linked spouse, and only while sharing is turned on. Your pack, your leaders, and B.O.L.D. staff never see your location, and it is never used for advertising.

Your control: You can stop sharing at any time from your Profile. Stopping immediately ends new collection and cuts off your spouse's access to your location. Deleting your account removes your stored location along with the rest of your data.

Safari accountability (iPhone)

What and when: If you turn on Safari accountability, Watchman's Safari extension takes a picture of the Safari page you are viewing and checks it for explicit content. The check runs on your phone. If you allow the extension in Private Browsing, it checks private tabs too.

What we collect: When explicit content is found, the app sends us the kind of content found, a confidence score, and the date and time. We also record whether the extension is allowed in Private Browsing, and your pack is told if it is turned off.

What never leaves your phone: The pictures of your screen and the web address. Pictures are checked on your phone and never uploaded.

Your control: Turn it off in the app or in iPhone Settings > Apps > Safari > Extensions. Your pack is told when it is turned off.

Screen monitoring and app blocking (Android)

What and when: If you turn on Screen Monitoring, the Watchman app uses Android's Accessibility service to take screenshots of what is on your screen and check them for explicit or suggestive content. The check runs on your phone. It never checks banking, password-manager, or keyboard apps, or any app you exclude.

What we collect: When explicit or suggestive content is found, the app sends us the kind of content found, a confidence score from the check, and the date and time. We also record when screen monitoring is turned on or off, and how many apps you have excluded (not which ones). This is personal information about your phone activity, and it is linked to your account.

What never leaves your phone: Screenshots, anything else on your screen, web addresses, and the names of the apps you use. Screenshots are analyzed on your phone and are never uploaded.

Why and who can see it: This information is used only for accountability. Your accountability pack and your linked spouse are alerted so they can support you. It is never sold or used for advertising.

App blocking: If you use Block apps, the Accessibility service reads the name of the app being opened so it can stop the apps you chose to block. That stays on your phone. We collect nothing for this feature. On iPhone, app blocking uses Apple's Screen Time, and Apple does not share which apps you use with us.

Your control: Turn screen monitoring off at any time in the app (Settings > Screen Monitoring) or in Android Settings > Accessibility. Your pack and spouse are told when it is turned off.

Screen Time and app blocking (iPhone)

What stays on your iPhone: If you use app blocking on iPhone, Watchman uses Apple's Screen Time (Family Controls). Which apps you use, which apps or websites Screen Time blocked, and when you open or turn off a block stay on your iPhone. They are never sent to us, your pack, your leaders or your spouse, and no one else can change your Screen Time settings through Watchman.

Reports and blocking

You can report a message, prayer request, comment, or person, and you can block someone. When you report something, we keep a copy of the reported text so the B.O.L.D. team can review it, even if it is later deleted. Reports are confidential: the person you report is not told who reported them. When you block someone, you stop seeing their messages and prayer requests, and neither of you can send the other a private message.

What we do NOT collect

Full web addresses or page content. Search queries. Contacts. Photos (other than the profile picture you choose to upload). Health data. Microphone. Camera (other than for the profile picture you choose to upload).

Where data lives

On Supabase (Postgres + Storage) in US data centers. Encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256). Row-level security ensures you only see your own data and what has been shared with you.

Who can see your data

You: everything you've created.

Your pack: your check-ins and streaks, prayer requests and comments, pack chat messages, whether your filter is on, and filter alerts (the kind of content found and the time, never the website's name). They do not see content you posted before joining.

Your church: if your church uses Watchman, its members see church chat and, where the church has no packs, the church check-in board and whether your filter is on.

Your leaders: your pack leader and your church's leaders see your check-in history and your workbook and reading-plan progress, including your workbook answers. They can keep notes about the men they lead to help them care for you. You can't see those notes, and other members never can.

Your linked spouse: your filter status and filter alerts (the kind of content found and the time), and your location if you share it.

B.O.L.D. leadership: a small number of B.O.L.D. leaders run the ministry and can see what leaders see for every pack and church, your subscription status, conversations with new members while they are being placed in a pack, reported content, and the names of blocked websites. They use this only to run the ministry, place men in packs, keep members safe, and answer reports.

Service providers: Supabase (database, auth, storage), Vercel (web hosting), Apple and Google (in-app payments and push notifications), Expo (routes push notifications to Apple and Google), Stripe (website payments), Microsoft 365 and Postmark (email), Sentry (crash and error diagnostics). They process data only to provide their services to us. We never sell your data or use it for advertising.

Children

The Service is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. Some churches include young men under 18. A church leader or B.O.L.D. leadership can mark a member as under 18. He then has no access to prayer requests and cannot see other men's check-in notes. He also cannot add a note to a setback or temptation check-in.

How long we keep data

We keep your data while your account is open. When you delete your account, it is permanently erased after a 30-day grace period, in case you change your mind.

Security incidents

If a security breach affects your personal information, we will tell you, and any authority the law requires, without undue delay: what happened, what information was involved and what you can do.

Your rights

You can delete your account in the app (Settings), leave a pack, or ask us for a copy of your data. Email us for a copy or for any other request.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy in a way that materially affects what we collect or who can see it, we'll notify you in the app or by email at least 14 days before the change takes effect.

Contact

Questions: boldmen.org/contact