Privacy Policy
1. What This Policy Covers
This policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data when you use Social Muslims on the web, mobile app, support channels, payment checkout, identity verification flows, events, and personal matchmaking services. It is designed for a marriage-focused matchmaking platform, including free profile-book access and paid personal matchmaking services.
2. Who We Are
Online Buzz Marketing Ltd is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy, except where a third party acts as its own independent controller, such as Apple for App Store billing or your payment card issuer.
3. Personal Data We Collect
- Account and onboarding data: phone number, email address if provided, age confirmation, login metadata, account identifiers, device/session data, verification state, and consent records.
- Matchmaking profile data: name, age or date of birth, gender, marital intentions, location, city/region, photos, biography, prompts, preferences, availability, and profile answers.
- Special category data you choose to provide: information revealing religion, ethnicity, and other sensitive profile information where you voluntarily submit it as part of a faith-based matchmaking profile.
- Identity and trust data: verification outcomes, fraud/risk flags, account safety signals, block/report data, moderation notes, and identity-check results from providers we use.
- Communications data: support messages, email/SMS/push delivery records, outreach responses, scheduling responses, and complaint or dispute records.
- Introduction and call data: proposed times, confirmations, cancellations, waiting/join signals, call metadata, event participation, and outcome logs. We do not claim to routinely record private video-call content unless we separately tell you and obtain any consent required by law.
- Commercial data: membership status, credits, purchases, refunds, payment references, invoice/payment status, and transaction identifiers. We do not store full payment card numbers.
- Technical and analytics data: IP address, browser/app version, device information, crash/diagnostic data, authentication logs, performance data, abuse-prevention logs, and usage analytics.
- Marketing preference data: whether you have opted in or out of promotional email, SMS, or similar contact where consent or soft opt-in rules apply.
4. How We Collect Data
- Directly from you when you sign up, build a profile, buy credits or membership, request support, verify identity, attend events, or use matchmaking features.
- Automatically from your device and browser/app when you use the service.
- From service providers that help us operate the platform, including payment, messaging, authentication, hosting, video, and identity-verification providers.
- From other users where they report, block, or otherwise interact with your account.
5. Why We Use Your Data
- To create and manage your account and verify eligibility for a marriage-focused platform.
- To operate profile-book access, personal matchmaking, curated introductions, events, scheduling, and video introductions.
- To surface compatible profiles, rank or recommend introductions, and help human matchmakers review fit, seriousness, timing, and availability.
- To process payments, credits, memberships, refunds, and support requests.
- To send service notices such as verification prompts, safety notices, reminders, support replies, waiting alerts, and payment confirmations.
- To prevent fraud, impersonation, harassment, safety risks, illegal activity, platform abuse, and chargeback abuse.
- To comply with legal obligations, enforce our contractual terms, respond to complaints or legal requests, and protect the rights, safety, and property of users and the business.
- To improve the service, measure reliability, and understand product usage, subject to consent where required by law.
- To send marketing or promotional messages where permitted by law and subject to your choices.
6. Our Legal Bases Under UK GDPR
- Contract: where processing is necessary to provide the service you ask for, including paid matchmaking, profile hosting, introductions, support, and billing.
- Legitimate interests: for fraud prevention, platform security, moderation, dispute handling, analytics, service administration, and improving the quality and safety of the matchmaking service.
- Consent: where consent is required, including certain device permissions, certain analytics/cookie uses, and certain processing of sensitive data or direct marketing.
- Legal obligation: where we must retain, disclose, or process data to comply with applicable law, regulatory obligations, tax/accounting rules, or lawful requests.
7. Special Category Data
Because Social Muslims is a religion-focused matchmaking platform, some profile information may reveal religion and other special category data. Where you choose to provide this type of information for matchmaking, personal profiling, or curated introductions, you expressly request that we use it for those purposes. You should only provide sensitive data that you are comfortable us using to operate the service. Do not upload another person’s sensitive data without lawful authority to do so.
8. Automated Tools and Matchmaking Decisions
We may use automated tools, rules, and ranking systems to help recommend profiles, prioritize compatibility, identify abuse risk, and assist internal matchmaking operations. We may also combine those tools with human review by staff or matchmakers. We do not intend to make solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects on you without appropriate safeguards and human involvement.
9. Direct Marketing, SMS, Email, and Push
We send transactional communications needed to operate the platform, such as sign-in, verification, billing, reminders, matchmaking updates, and safety messages. Where we send promotional or marketing messages, we do so in accordance with applicable UK GDPR and PECR rules and provide opt-out mechanisms where required. You can opt out of marketing messages, but service-critical messages may still be sent where necessary to perform the contract or protect users and the platform.
10. Cookies, Local Storage, and Similar Technologies
Our web services may use cookies, local storage, pixels, SDKs, and similar technologies for authentication, security, fraud prevention, remembering settings, measuring performance, and analytics. Where consent is required by law, we will rely on consent before placing or using non-essential technologies. Blocking essential technologies may prevent the service from working correctly.
11. Who We Share Data With
- Infrastructure and hosting providers for cloud hosting, databases, storage, logging, and delivery.
- Authentication and identity providers for sign-in, account security, and identity verification.
- Payments providers such as Stripe and Apple for billing, fraud checks, refunds, and payment administration.
- Messaging and communications providers for SMS, email, and push notifications.
- Video and event providers for call functionality and event participation where offered.
- Professional advisers, insurers, auditors, or potential acquirers where reasonably necessary for legitimate business purposes.
- Regulators, courts, law enforcement, and public authorities where required by law or where necessary to protect rights, safety, or investigate abuse or unlawful conduct.
We do not sell your personal data.
12. International Transfers
Some suppliers may process data outside the UK. Where personal data is transferred internationally, we use appropriate safeguards where required, such as adequacy regulations, contractual transfer mechanisms, or other legally recognized safeguards.
13. How Long We Keep Data
- Active accounts and profiles: while your account remains active and for a reasonable period after closure to handle reactivation, fraud prevention, disputes, and legal obligations.
- Payment, accounting, and tax records: for the period required by law and normal accounting practice.
- Safety, moderation, and dispute records: for as long as reasonably necessary to investigate abuse, enforce our terms, resolve disputes, or protect users and the business.
- Backups and system logs: for limited retention periods in line with security, disaster recovery, and operational needs.
- Deleted accounts: we aim to delete or irreversibly anonymize data when no longer needed, except where we must retain it for legal, safety, fraud, or evidential reasons.
14. Your Rights
Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, objection, and withdrawal of consent. You may also ask us to review certain processing decisions. Where available, you may use in-app export or deletion tools. You may also contact us at admin@socialmuslims.co.uk.
If you are in the UK, you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with our handling of your personal data.
15. Security
We use technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal data, including access controls, encryption in transit, logging, and least-privilege practices. No service can guarantee absolute security, so you should also protect your password, device access, and any information you choose to share with other users.
16. Children
Social Muslims is for adults aged 18 and over only. We do not knowingly offer the service to children or intentionally collect personal data from children.
17. Third-Party Services and Links
The platform may link to or integrate with third-party services. Those services may have their own terms and privacy notices. We are not responsible for third-party privacy practices we do not control.
18. Changes to This Policy
We may amend this policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, regulation, guidance, product features, service providers, or our operations. The latest version will be posted on this page with the latest update date.
19. Contact
For privacy, data protection, or rights requests, email admin@socialmuslims.co.uk or call +44 7396 824192.