1. Overview
Welcome to PositiveSingles ("we," "us," or "our"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website positivesinglescom.com and use our services, including our mobile application (collectively, the "Platform").
We understand that privacy is especially important to our members, given the sensitive nature of the health conditions our community addresses. We are deeply committed to maintaining the confidentiality and security of your personal information, and we will never sell your data to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
Please read this policy carefully. By accessing or using our Platform, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with its terms, please discontinue use of the Platform.
Key Privacy Commitments
- We never sell your personal data to advertisers or data brokers.
- Your health status information is treated as highly sensitive and protected accordingly.
- You have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data at any time.
- We use industry-standard encryption to protect data in transit and at rest.
2. Information We Collect
We collect different types of information depending on how you interact with our Platform. This falls into three main categories:
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
When you register for an account, use our services, or communicate with us, you may provide:
- Account Information: Name, email address, password, date of birth, gender, and sexual orientation.
- Profile Information: Profile photos, personal biography, location (city/region), relationship preferences, and interests.
- Health Information: STI/STD status and related health conditions you voluntarily share on your profile. This is entirely optional and under your full control.
- Payment Information: If you purchase a premium membership, billing details are collected by our secure payment processors. We do not store full credit card numbers on our servers.
- Communications: Messages you send to other members, support requests submitted to our team, and any feedback or reviews you provide.
- Verification Documents: If you choose to verify your identity or health status, related documentation you voluntarily submit.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you use our Platform, we automatically collect certain technical information, including:
- Device Information: Device type, operating system, browser type and version, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information.
- Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, search queries, time spent on pages, links clicked, and other interaction data.
- Log Data: IP address, access times, referring URLs, and error logs.
- Location Data: General location derived from IP address. Precise GPS location is only collected with your explicit permission and can be disabled in your device settings.
- Cookies & Similar Technologies: See Section 5 for details.
2.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information about you from:
- Social Login Providers: If you choose to register or sign in using Google or Facebook, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from those platforms, subject to your privacy settings there.
- Analytics Providers: Aggregated, anonymized data about how users interact with our Platform.
- Advertising Partners: Limited data to help us reach potential new members on other platforms (we do not share existing members' health data for this purpose).
3. How We Use Your Data
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
3.1 Providing and Improving Our Services
- Creating and managing your account and profile.
- Facilitating connections and communication between members.
- Delivering personalized match suggestions based on your preferences.
- Processing payments and managing your subscription.
- Providing customer support and responding to your inquiries.
- Developing new features and improving existing functionality.
3.2 Safety and Security
- Detecting and preventing fraud, spam, abuse, and other harmful activities.
- Verifying your identity and enforcing our community guidelines.
- Monitoring for and responding to security incidents.
3.3 Communications
- Sending you service-related notifications (e.g., new messages, match alerts).
- Providing important updates about policy changes or service interruptions.
- Sending promotional emails and offers, if you have opted in to receive them (you may opt out at any time).
3.4 Legal Compliance
- Complying with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
- Enforcing our Terms of Use and other agreements.
- Protecting the rights, property, or safety of PositiveSingles, our members, or others.
3.5 Research and Analytics
We use aggregated, anonymized data to understand usage trends, measure the effectiveness of our features, and conduct internal research to improve our Platform. This data cannot be used to identify you individually.
4. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell your personal information. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:
4.1 With Other Members
Information you include on your public profile, such as your display name, photos, bio, location (city/region), and any health status you choose to share, will be visible to other registered members. You control what appears on your profile.
Private messages between members are not shared with other members or third parties, except where required by law or to protect safety.
4.2 With Service Providers
We share information with trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating the Platform, including:
- Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers.
- Payment processors (e.g., Stripe) who handle billing securely.
- Email delivery services for transactional and marketing communications.
- Analytics platforms (with anonymized or aggregated data only).
- Customer support tools.
All service providers are contractually obligated to use your data only for the purposes we specify and to maintain appropriate security measures.
4.3 For Legal Reasons
We may disclose your information if we believe disclosure is required by law, subpoena, court order, or other legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of PositiveSingles or others.
4.4 Business Transfers
If PositiveSingles is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you by email and/or a prominent notice on our Platform before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
4.5 With Your Consent
We may share your information in other ways if you have given us explicit consent to do so.
5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our Platform. Here is what you should know:
5.1 Types of Cookies We Use
| Cookie Type | Purpose | Can You Opt Out? |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Required for the Platform to function (e.g., keeping you logged in, security tokens). | No, necessary for core functionality. |
| Preference | Remember your settings and preferences (e.g., language, notification choices). | Yes, via browser settings. |
| Analytics | Help us understand how the Platform is used so we can improve it. Data is aggregated and anonymized. | Yes, via our cookie consent tool. |
| Marketing | Used to show relevant ads to potential new members on other platforms. We do not use these to target existing logged-in members with ads. | Yes, via our cookie consent tool. |
5.2 Managing Cookies
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our Platform. You can also use our cookie consent banner to manage your preferences at any time.
5.3 Do Not Track
Our Platform currently does not respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals. We will update this policy if our practices change.
6. Data Security
We take the security of your personal information very seriously, especially given the sensitive nature of health-related data on our Platform. Our security measures include:
- Encryption: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using TLS (Transport Layer Security). Sensitive data at rest is encrypted using AES-256.
- Access Controls: Access to personal data is restricted to authorized employees and contractors who need it to perform their job functions.
- Regular Audits: We conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing of our systems.
- Secure Infrastructure: Our Platform is hosted on secure, industry-leading cloud infrastructure with multiple layers of physical and digital security.
- Incident Response: We have procedures in place to detect, respond to, and notify you of data security incidents in accordance with applicable laws.
While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password and to log out of your account when using shared devices.
7. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Specifically:
- Active Accounts: We retain your data for as long as your account remains active.
- Deleted Accounts: When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal profile data within 30 days. However, some data may be retained for longer periods where required by law (e.g., financial records for tax purposes) or for legitimate business reasons (e.g., safety-related data to prevent re-registration by banned users).
- Backups: Deleted data may persist in backup copies for up to 90 days before being permanently purged.
- Communications: Private messages may be retained for a period after deletion to comply with legal obligations and to address abuse reports.
8. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
8.1 Rights Available to All Members
- Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Deletion: Request that we delete your personal data (subject to certain legal exceptions).
- Portability: Request that we provide your data in a machine-readable format so you can transfer it to another service.
- Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the "unsubscribe" link in any email, or by updating your notification preferences in your account settings.
8.2 Rights for EEA/UK Residents (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to object to processing, the right to restrict processing, and the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
8.3 Rights for California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)
California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to delete, the right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights.
8.4 How to Exercise Your Rights
To exercise any of the rights described above, please contact us at privacy@positivesinglescom.com or through our Contact page. We will respond to your request within 30 days (or within the timeframe required by applicable law). We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
9. Children's Privacy
Our Platform is intended for adults aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at privacy@positivesinglescom.com. We will take prompt steps to delete such information from our systems.
10. Third-Party Links
Our Platform may contain links to third-party websites, apps, or services. This Privacy Policy applies only to our Platform. When you click on a link to a third-party site, you are subject to that site's privacy policy and practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party sites.
11. International Data Transfers
PositiveSingles is operated in the United States. If you are located outside the U.S., please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the U.S. or other countries where our servers or service providers are located. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country.
When we transfer personal data from the European Economic Area, the UK, or Switzerland to countries that have not been deemed to provide an adequate level of data protection, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.
12. Policy Changes
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes, we will:
- Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy.
- Send you an email notification if the changes are significant.
- Display a prominent notice on our Platform for a reasonable period after significant changes.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Platform after any changes have been posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please reach out to us:
PositiveSingles Privacy Team
Email: privacy@positivesinglescom.com
Website: positivesinglescom.com/contact
Mailing Address:
PositiveSingles Inc.
Privacy Department
123 Connection Avenue, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94105
United States
We are committed to working with you to resolve any privacy concerns you may have. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.