Indiana Masonic Closet is run by volunteers. We collect only what the site needs to work, and this page explains what that is in plain language. Last updated September 2026.
What we collect and why
- First and last name, so Brothers know who they are dealing with. Listings show your first name and last initial.
- Email address, used to sign you in, to send notices about your listings and messages, and for password resets. It is never displayed on the site.
- Grand Lodge of Indiana member number, the number printed on your dues card. We ask for it because the site is for Master Masons. It is stored privately, is never displayed, and may be used by site volunteers to help confirm membership with a Lodge if a question arises. We do not have an automated connection to the Grand Lodge.
- Lodge, chosen from the Grand Lodge’s public list. Your Lodge appears on your listings.
- City and ZIP code. The city you enter on a listing is public so Brothers know roughly where an item is. Your account ZIP code is private and is not displayed; it is kept so we can pre-fill listings and, later, help match Brothers who are near each other. Location search uses the general area of the Lodge, not your address.
- Listings and photos you post, which are public once a volunteer approves them. We remove camera and location data from uploaded photos before they are shown.
- Private messages between Brothers, stored on the site so both of you can read the conversation.
- Basic server and security logs, such as IP address, browser type and the pages requested, kept for a limited time to keep the site running and to detect abuse.
What is public and what is private
Public: your approved listings and photos, first name and last initial, Lodge, and the city and state on each listing.
Private: your email address, Grand Lodge member number, account ZIP code, password, and private messages. Messages are visible to the two Brothers in the conversation and may be read by site administrators when necessary for moderation, safety or security.
We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it with anyone except the service providers below.
Service providers
The site is hosted on a server in the United States operated by InMotion Hosting. Cloudflare provides DNS, network protection, the security check on some forms, and email forwarding for our contact addresses. Google Maps provides the location search and maps, and receives the place names you type into the location search box. Each of these providers processes data under its own privacy policy.
Cookies and sessions
We use the cookies WordPress needs to keep you signed in and to protect forms, plus a cookie from Cloudflare for its security check. We do not run advertising or tracking cookies.
Retention and deletion
We keep your account and listings as long as your account exists. You can delete your own account at any time from your account settings, which removes your profile, listings, photos and messages. Server logs are kept for a limited time and then rotated. Regular backups of the site are kept for a short period to protect against data loss; deleted content leaves those backups as they age out.
Security
The site is served over HTTPS, passwords are stored hashed, and access to member data is limited to the volunteers who administer the site. No system is perfectly secure, so please do not post anything in a listing or message that you would not want another Brother to see.
Your content
You keep ownership of the photos and text you post. By posting, you allow us to display them on the site for as long as the listing exists. Volunteers may edit or remove content that does not follow the Community Guidelines.
Contact
Questions about your data, or a request to correct or delete it, can be sent to [email protected]. Indiana Masonic Closet is an independent volunteer project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Grand Lodge of Indiana.