Privacy Policy

The Living Record — March For Our Lives · Last updated May 2026

Who we are

The Living Record is a project of March For Our Lives. This Privacy Policy describes how this site (the “Site” or “we”) collects, uses, and discloses your Personal Information when you visit or interact with it. We built this archive to preserve and amplify the stories of people affected by gun violence in America. We take your privacy seriously, especially given the sensitive nature of the stories shared here. In this policy, “Personal Information” refers to any information that can uniquely identify an individual.

Collecting personal information

When you visit the Site, we collect certain information about your device and your interaction with the Site. If you submit a story or contact us, we collect additional information you provide directly.

Device information

Examples collected: web browser version, IP address, time zone, cookie information, pages you view, and how you interact with the Site.

Purpose: to load the Site accurately and to perform analytics on Site usage to optimize our Site.

Source: collected automatically when you access our Site using cookies, log files, web beacons, tags, or pixels. We store a hashed (one-way encrypted) version of your IP address at the time of submission for spam prevention only. We never store raw IP addresses.

Story submission information

When you submit a story, we collect:

  • Your name (used only to derive your display name per your preference)
  • Your age (optional — stored but never displayed publicly)
  • Your location (city, state, or region)
  • Your connection to gun violence
  • Your story, in your own words
  • Your email address (optional — for follow-up only, never published)
  • Any media you choose to attach
  • Your consent preferences and display preferences

Support information

If you contact us for support or with questions, we collect the information you provide in that communication for the purpose of responding to you.

How we use your information

  • To display your story — only if you consent, and only using the display name you chose.
  • To contact you — only if you provided an email and only for purposes related to your submission (e.g., clarifying consent, follow-up from MFOL staff).
  • To operate and improve the Site — device and usage data helps us load the Site correctly and understand how it is used.
  • For advocacy and reporting — aggregate, anonymized data (such as total story counts by state) may be used in MFOL's public reporting and campaigns.

We never sell your data. We never share individual story data with third parties for commercial purposes. We may share information with service providers who help us operate the Site, and where required by law — for example, to respond to a lawful subpoena or search warrant.

Your rights

You are always in control of your story:

  • Remove your story — use your withdrawal code at /withdraw. Your story will be immediately removed from the public archive.
  • Update your consent — change how your story can be used at /update-consent using the same withdrawal code.
  • Request full deletion — to have all data associated with your submission permanently deleted from our database, email digital@marchforourlives.com with your withdrawal code.

If you are a resident of the EEA, you have the right to object to processing based solely on automated decision-making (including profiling) when that decision-making has a legal or otherwise significant effect on you. We do not engage in fully automated decision-making that has a legal or significant effect on visitors or submitters.

Data retention

Stories you submit are stored indefinitely unless you withdraw them or request deletion. If you chose not to allow public display, your story is stored but never shown publicly — it is held for MFOL's internal records and advocacy work only. You may request full deletion at any time by emailing digital@marchforourlives.com.

Security

All data is stored in a secure cloud database with row-level security enabled. Anonymous visitors can only read stories you have consented to share publicly. All connections use TLS/HTTPS. Staff access requires authenticated login with verified March For Our Lives credentials.

Cookies & tracking

A cookie is a small amount of information downloaded to your computer or device when you visit our Site. Cookies make your browsing experience better by allowing the Site to remember your actions and preferences between sessions.

We use browser localStorage to save your story draft between sessions and to remember your content warning acknowledgment. We do not use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking cookies. We do not use Google Analytics or similar third-party analytics services on this Site.

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings, typically found in your browser's “Tools” or “Preferences” menu. Please note that removing or blocking cookies may affect parts of the Site such as form drafts.

For more information about managing cookies, visit allaboutcookies.org.

Behavioral advertising

We do not use your Personal Information to serve targeted advertisements. We do not share your data with advertising partners or use ad tracking pixels on this Site.

Do Not Track

Please note that because there is no consistent industry standard for responding to “Do Not Track” signals, we do not alter our data collection and usage practices when we detect such a signal from your browser.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. When we do, we will update the date at the top of this page.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data? digital@marchforourlives.com