Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to MatchyWorld ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring you have a positive experience on our platform. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our matching service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: Email address, password, and authentication credentials
• Profile Information: Name, age, gender, location, bio, photos, and interests
• Compatibility Data: Responses to our compatibility questionnaire covering communication styles, values, relationship goals, and preferences
• Preference Settings: Matching preferences including age range, gender preferences, and location radius
• Communication Data: Messages, chat history, and interactions with other users
• Game Data: Responses and interactions from match games and activities

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Device Information: IP address, browser type, device type, and operating system (collected automatically by our hosting infrastructure)
• Log Data: Basic access logs maintained by our hosting provider for technical and security purposes

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account and profile
• Match you with compatible users based on your preferences and compatibility data
• Facilitate communication between matched users
• Enable interactive features such as match games and compatibility assessments
• Send you notifications about matches, messages, and important account updates
• Ensure platform safety and prevent fraud, abuse, and illegal activities
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service

3.1 Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information based on the following legal grounds:

• Consent: When you create an account and accept this Privacy Policy, you consent to our data processing activities
• Contract Performance: To provide our matching and communication services as part of our Terms of Service
• Legitimate Interests: To improve our services, ensure platform safety, and prevent fraud
• Legal Obligations: To comply with applicable laws and regulations

3.2 Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

We use automated algorithms to match you with other users based on your compatibility data and preferences. You have the right to object to this automated processing and request human review of any automated decisions that significantly affect you.

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

4.1 With Other Users

When you match with another user, we share your profile information, photos, and compatibility data as displayed in your profile. Your messages and game interactions are shared only with matched users.

4.2 No Third-Party Sharing

We do not share, sell, rent, or disclose your personal information to third parties for their marketing or commercial purposes. Your data is used solely to provide and improve the MatchyWorld service.

We use third-party infrastructure providers (such as Supabase for hosting and database services) solely for technical operations. These providers process your data only as necessary to provide the service and are contractually bound to protect your information. They do not use your data for their own purposes.

6. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Secure servers and infrastructure provided by our hosting provider
• Access controls and authentication measures

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. We encourage you to use strong passwords and keep your account credentials confidential.

7. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Access: Request access to your personal information and receive a copy of the data we hold about you
• Right to Rectification: Update or correct inaccurate or incomplete information in your profile and account
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your account and associated data (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Right to Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Object to processing of your data for certain purposes, including automated decision-making and profiling
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we limit how we use your information in certain circumstances
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent at any time where processing is based on consent (this does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal)
• Privacy Settings: Control visibility of your profile and information through account settings

To exercise these rights, please contact us at contact@matchyworld.net or use the settings in your account. We will respond to your request within 30 days, or as required by applicable law.

8. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for:

• Legal obligations (e.g., tax records, fraud prevention)
• Regulatory requirements
• Safety and security purposes
• Dispute resolution

9. Children's Privacy

Our service is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older, as specified in our Terms of Service. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 18. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child under 18, we will delete that information immediately. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information is stored and processed by our hosting provider (Supabase), which may operate in countries other than your country of residence. Our hosting provider implements appropriate safeguards to protect your data in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including GDPR.

11. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, you have the right to file a complaint with your local data protection authority. We encourage you to contact us first at contact@matchyworld.net so we can address your concerns directly.

For users in the European Union, you can find your local data protection authority at edpb.europa.eu.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy on this page
• Updating the "Last updated" date
• Sending you an email notification for significant changes (if you have provided an email address)
• Displaying a notice on our platform

Your continued use of our service after such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at contact@matchyworld.net.

For service provider information, please see our Impressum. For questions about the Terms of Service, please see our Terms of Service.

We aim to respond to all inquiries within 30 days, or as required by applicable law.

14. Consent

By creating an account and using MatchyWorld, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described herein. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use our service.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by deleting your account or contacting us. However, withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.