Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account Information: Email address, password (securely hashed), and authentication tokens.
• Profile Information: Full name, date of birth, age, gender, photos (minimum 3), bio, education, profession, religion, ethnicity, height, interests, and relationship preferences.
• Location Data: City, state, country, and optionally precise GPS coordinates when you enable location-based features.
• Communications: Messages sent to other users, reports, feedback, and correspondence with our support team.
• Preferences: Match preferences including age range, distance, religion, education, and lifestyle filters.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and language settings.
• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent on the platform, actions taken (likes, swipes, profile views), and interaction patterns.
• Log Data: IP address, access timestamps, referring URLs, and error logs.
• Cookies: Essential cookies for authentication, session management, and remembering your preferences. See Section 8 for details.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Account Management: Create, authenticate, and maintain your account.
• Matchmaking: Match you with potential partners based on your preferences, location, and compatibility factors.
• Profile Display: Show your profile to other registered users in search results, discovery feeds, and map views.
• Communication: Enable real-time messaging between matched users.
• Notifications: Send push notifications and emails about new matches, messages, likes, and profile activity.
• Safety & Moderation: Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, spam, and violations of our Terms of Service.
• Platform Improvement: Analyze usage patterns to improve features, fix bugs, and enhance user experience.
• Legal Compliance: Comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal requests.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We may share information only in the following circumstances:

• With Other Users: Your profile information (name, photos, bio, preferences, approximate location) is visible to other registered users based on your privacy settings.
• Service Providers: We share data with trusted third-party providers who help us operate the Service, including Supabase (database & authentication), Firebase (notifications), Cloudflare (CDN & security), and email delivery services. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information when required by law, subpoena, court order, or government request.
• Safety: We may share information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of our users, prevent fraud, or address security issues.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of the transaction, subject to the same privacy protections.

4. Data Storage & Security

We take the security of your data seriously and implement multiple layers of protection:

• Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit using TLS/SSL (256-bit encryption) and at rest using AES-256 encryption.
• Password Security: Passwords are hashed using bcrypt with salt rounds, ensuring they cannot be reverse-engineered.
• Session Security: JWT-based session management with secure httpOnly cookies and automatic token rotation.
• Infrastructure: Data is stored on Supabase-managed PostgreSQL databases with automated backups, failover, and geographic redundancy.
• Access Control: Row-level security policies ensure users can only access data they are authorized to see.
• Application Security: Protection against SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), cross-site request forgery (CSRF), and rate limiting on sensitive operations.
• Monitoring: Continuous security monitoring and incident response procedures.

While we strive to protect your information, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Your Rights & Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information at any time through your profile settings.
• Deletion: Delete your account and all associated data through Profile Settings. Upon deletion, we will remove your profile, photos, messages, and activity data. Some anonymized/aggregated data may be retained for analytics.
• Deactivation: Temporarily hide your profile from other users without deleting your account.
• Data Portability: Request a machine-readable export of your personal data.
• Object to Processing: Object to certain processing activities, including marketing communications.
• Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for location sharing and notifications at any time through your device or app settings.
• Block & Report: Block users and report inappropriate content or behavior.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@bondseekers.com. We will respond within 30 days.

6. Data Retention

• Active Accounts: We retain your data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service.
• Deactivated Accounts: Data is retained but your profile is hidden from other users. You can reactivate at any time.
• Deleted Accounts: Upon account deletion, personal data is removed within 30 days. Backups containing your data are purged within 90 days.
• Legal Obligations: We may retain certain data longer when required by law, for fraud prevention, or to resolve disputes.
• Anonymized Data: Aggregated, anonymized data that cannot identify you may be retained indefinitely for analytics and platform improvement.

7. Location Data

• We collect location data to provide features like nearby profile discovery and interactive map views.
• Precise location (GPS coordinates) is collected only when you grant permission through your browser or device.
• You can control location sharing through your privacy settings — choosing between precise location, approximate city-level location, or no location.
• Your exact coordinates are never displayed to other users; only approximate distance or city-level information is shown.
• You can disable location services at any time through your browser settings or BondSeekers profile settings.

8. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

• Essential Cookies: Required for authentication, session management, and core functionality. These cannot be disabled.
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences (e.g., dark mode, language).
• Analytics: We may use privacy-respecting analytics to understand usage patterns. We do not use invasive third-party trackers.
• No Advertising Cookies: We do not use third-party advertising cookies or sell data to advertisers.

9. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the platform:

• Supabase: Database hosting, user authentication, and file storage.
• Firebase: Push notifications and real-time data syncing.
• Cloudflare: Content delivery, DDoS protection, and SSL certificates.
• Vercel: Web application hosting and deployment.

Each third-party provider has its own privacy policy and we encourage you to review them.

10. Children's Privacy

BondSeekers is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected data from a minor, we will promptly delete their account and all associated data. If you believe a minor is using BondSeekers, please contact us at safety@bondseekers.com.

11. International Data Transfers

BondSeekers operates globally and your data may be processed and stored in countries outside your own. By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to countries that may have different data protection laws. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for all international data transfers.

12. GDPR Compliance (EU/EEA Users)

If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Right to access, rectify, erase, and port your data.
• Right to restrict or object to processing.
• Right to withdraw consent at any time.
• Right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

Our legal basis for processing your data includes consent, contractual necessity, and legitimate interests (platform safety and improvement).

13. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose.
• Right to request deletion of your personal information.
• Right to opt out of the sale of personal information — we do not sell personal information.
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. We may also notify you via email or in-app notification for significant changes. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

• Privacy Inquiries: privacy@bondseekers.com
• General Support: support@bondseekers.com
• Website: www.bondseekers.com