Privacy Policy

Mingle254 ("Mingle254", "we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal data responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how we share it, how long we keep it, and the choices available to you when you use our website, mobile application, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By creating an account, accessing, or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy. Where consent is required by applicable law, we rely on your consent for the relevant processing. Where permitted, we may also process personal data where necessary to provide the Service, enforce our rules, maintain safety, prevent fraud or abuse, or comply with legal obligations.

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to personal data we collect through the Mingle254 website, app, support channels, moderation processes, and related communications.

2. Information We Collect

Depending on how you use the Service, we may collect and process the following categories of information:

• Account and identity information: email address, login credentials, verification data, and account identifiers.
• Profile information: nickname, age, gender, location details you choose to provide, biography, preferences, and other profile content.
• Photos and media: profile photos, gallery photos, and other content you upload.
• Communications and interactions: messages, likes, reports, blocks, matches, notifications, and other activity within the Service.
• Safety and moderation information: reports submitted by users, supporting evidence, moderation decisions, internal safety notes, and related communications.
• Technical and device information: IP address, app version, device type, operating system, log data, approximate location inferred from technical data, and diagnostic information needed to operate, secure, and improve the Service.
• Support communications: messages or attachments you send when contacting us for support, complaints, appeals, or account-related requests.

3. Information You Provide About Other People

If you report another user or provide information about another person through the Service, you must do so lawfully and truthfully. We may review and use that information to investigate safety concerns, enforce our rules, and protect users.

4. How We Use Information

We may use personal data for the following purposes:

• to create, authenticate, and manage user accounts;
• to provide profile discovery, matching, messaging, and other core Service features;
• to verify eligibility, help maintain account integrity, and prevent duplicate or fraudulent accounts;
• to operate, troubleshoot, secure, monitor, and improve the Service;
• to personalize user experience and surface relevant profiles or features;
• to communicate with you about your account, safety alerts, support matters, product updates, and policy changes;
• to review reports, complaints, appeals, and suspected violations of our Terms of Service or Community Rules;
• to investigate spam, scams, impersonation, harassment, exploitation, fraud, unlawful conduct, and security incidents;
• to enforce our rights, protect users, and comply with legal, regulatory, law enforcement, or court requirements.

5. Safety, Moderation, and Human Review

To help keep the platform safer, we may review reports, profile content, messages, account activity, and related evidence where reasonably necessary for trust and safety, fraud prevention, abuse prevention, legal compliance, or enforcement of our Terms.

When a report is made, we may collect and store relevant evidence, including profile details, recent conversation content, account actions such as blocks or reports, and internal review notes. Moderation decisions may include warnings, content removal, feature restrictions, account suspension, or account termination.

6. Legal Bases and Compliance

We process personal data as permitted by applicable law, including where processing is necessary to provide the Service you request, where you have given consent, where we have legitimate interests in maintaining platform safety and integrity, or where processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.

7. When We Share Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share information in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: vendors or partners who help us host, maintain, secure, analyze, support, or improve the Service.
• Legal and regulatory requests: where disclosure is required or reasonably necessary to comply with law, regulation, court order, lawful request, or to protect rights, safety, and property.
• Trust and safety matters: where sharing is reasonably necessary to investigate abuse, fraud, harassment, threats, impersonation, or other harmful or unlawful conduct.
• Business changes: in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of assets, subject to applicable confidentiality and legal requirements.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including account administration, safety, moderation, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, legal compliance, and enforcement of our Terms.

We may retain certain information after account closure or deletion where reasonably necessary for safety investigations, abuse prevention, legal claims, audits, or compliance obligations. For example, reports, moderation records, block records, and related evidence may be kept for a limited period even after an account is removed.

9. Data Security

We use reasonable technical, organizational, and administrative measures designed to protect personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, loss, or misuse. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Your Rights and Choices

Subject to applicable law, you may have rights to be informed about how your personal data is used, access personal data we hold about you, request correction of inaccurate data, object to certain processing, request deletion where appropriate, and withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You may also request account deletion, account updates, or privacy-related assistance through our support channels. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on a request.

11. Cross-Border Processing

Depending on the technical infrastructure we use, personal data may be processed or stored in jurisdictions outside your country. Where that occurs, we will take reasonable steps to apply appropriate safeguards as required by applicable law.

12. Children and Age Restrictions

The Service is not intended for persons below the minimum age permitted under our Terms of Service or applicable law. If we believe an underage person has created an account, we may suspend or remove the account and take related safety steps.

13. Third-Party Links and Services

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or policies of third parties.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Where appropriate, we will revise the "Last updated" date and may provide additional notice within the Service. Continued use of the Service after an update may be treated as acknowledgment of the revised Policy where permitted by law.

15. Contact Us

For privacy questions, data requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy, contact us at support@mingle254.co.ke.