Privacy Policy

1. Data we collect

Information you give us:

• Account: email address, password (stored only as a secure hash), display name and date of birth.
• Profile: gender, relationship goal, country, city, time zone, bio, interests and photos.
• Match preferences: the genders, age range, countries, languages and relationship goals you are looking for.
• Activity: likes, favourites, blocks, saved searches, messages you send and receive, reports and appeals.
• Settings: notification and privacy preferences (for example whether others can see your online status).
• Support: what you send us when you contact us.

Information collected automatically:

• Sign-in and security data: IP address, browser user agent, session and device information, used to keep your account secure and prevent abuse.
• Usage data: profile views, which features you use and technical logs needed to run and protect the service.

2. Sensitive information

The genders you choose to see in match preferences may reveal your sexual orientation, and your profile and messages may contain other sensitive details you choose to share. We process this information only to provide the matching and messaging features you ask for, based on your explicit consent, which you can withdraw at any time by changing your preferences or deleting your account.

3. How we use your data and our legal bases

• To create and run your account, show your profile, suggest matches and deliver messages (performance of our contract with you).
• To verify your email, send account and security messages, and process data export and deletion requests (contract and legal obligation).
• To keep members safe: review photos, investigate reports, detect fraud, spam and abuse, and enforce our terms (our legitimate interests in a safe service, and legal obligations).
• To fix problems and improve the service using limited technical data (legitimate interests).
• To send optional notifications you have switched on (consent, which you can withdraw in settings).

4. What other members see

Your profile (display name, age — not your exact birth date — gender, city and country, bio, interests and approved photos) is visible to other signed-in members. Your email address, exact date of birth and IP address are never shown. You control online-status, last-active and visitor visibility in privacy settings. People you message can see what you send them.

5. Who we share data with

We do not sell your personal data and we do not share it for targeted advertising. We share it only with:

• Service providers that process data on our behalf under contract: Vercel (website hosting and photo storage), Supabase (database), Upstash (caching and rate limiting) and Resend (email delivery). If we introduce paid memberships, payments will be processed by Stripe; we will not store your full card details.
• Authorities or others where required by law, or where necessary to protect someone's safety, prevent fraud or enforce our terms.
• A successor organisation if DateCN is involved in a merger or acquisition, subject to this policy.

6. International transfers

DateCN serves members worldwide and our providers store data primarily in the United States. Where data protection law requires it, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (and the UK addendum) for transfers outside your country.

7. How long we keep data

• When you delete your account there is a 30-day cooling-off period during which you can cancel. After that we delete or anonymise your account, profile, photos and messages, except limited records we must keep for legal, safety or fraud-prevention reasons (for example records of serious violations or information subject to a legal hold).
• Photos that fail review are deleted after 7 days.
• Data export download links expire after 24 hours.
• Security and technical logs are kept only as long as needed to protect the service.

8. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR, UK GDPR or California law) you may have the right to access, correct, export (portability), delete or restrict the use of your personal data, to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to withdraw consent. You can export your data and delete your account directly in settings, edit your profile at any time, or email support@datecn.org. We will respond within the time required by law and will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

If you are in the EU/EEA or the UK you may also complain to your local data protection authority.

9. California residents

We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined in the California Consumer Privacy Act, and we do not use sensitive personal information for purposes other than providing the service. You may exercise your California rights using the methods above.

10. Cookies

We use only strictly necessary cookies, such as the session cookie that keeps you signed in and security cookies that protect forms. We do not use advertising or third-party analytics cookies. Because these cookies are essential to the service, no consent banner is required; you can block cookies in your browser, but you will not be able to sign in.

11. Security

We protect data with encryption in transit (HTTPS), hashed passwords, encryption of sensitive delivery data, access controls and monitoring. No system is perfectly secure; please use a strong unique password and two-factor authentication.

12. Children

DateCN is only for adults aged 18 or over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone younger. If you believe a minor is using DateCN, please report it or email support@datecn.org and we will remove the account.

13. Changes and contact

We will post any changes here and notify you in advance of material changes. Questions or requests: support@datecn.org. Effective date: October 3, 2026.