Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Mawadda is built privacy-first: what you keep private stays private, and nothing about you is shown to another member until you’ve chosen to make it visible to them. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

2. Information we collect

We collect the information you provide directly, and some information automatically:

• Account and profile information — your name, date of birth, gender, photos, and the answers you fill in about your faith, background, and marriage preferences
• Location — your device’s approximate location, used to show you nearby and local matches
• Support requests — the messages, and any photos or videos, you send to our support team, kept with your request so we can help you
• Messages and content — the photos, messages, and profile answers you share with other members
• Calls — voice and video calls you make to a match. We don’t record calls or store their audio or video; we keep only basic details like who called whom and when
• Purchase information — handled by the app stores or our web payment processor; we never see or store your card number
• Device and safety information — a device identifier used to help detect fraud and ban evasion, and which filters or features you use
• Identity verification, if you choose to verify — a government-issued ID and a live selfie, checked automatically by a third-party verification provider, or just a selfie reviewed by a staff member if you choose that option instead
• App activity — actions you take in the app, such as sending a like or message or completing a purchase, used to understand how the app is used and to improve it
• Referral and campaign information — if you arrive from an ad or a link carrying campaign tags, or from another website, those campaign tags and the referring site’s domain (not the full web address) are remembered for 90 days in a first-party cookie on this site, and attached once to the account you create and to our waitlist sign-up analytics event
• Trusted contacts — if you add a trusted contact, the name and phone number you enter are stored until you remove them or delete your account, and used only so you can reach that person; we never share them

3. How we use your information

We use your information to operate Mawadda: to show you compatible profiles and show your profile to others per the visibility you’ve chosen, to enable messaging and calling between matches, to keep the platform safe (screening photos and messages, investigating reports, detecting fraud and repeat offenders), to process purchases, to send you notifications about activity on your account, and to maintain and improve the app.

4. What we don’t do

We don’t sell your personal information. We don’t show another member your exact date of birth, your exact location, or a precise timestamp of when you were last active — this kind of information is always simplified before it’s shared, for example "under 5 miles away" instead of an address, or "active this week" instead of an exact time. We don’t show your photo or profile to anyone until you’ve made it visible to them at the privacy level you choose, and photos are reviewed before they’re shown to anyone at all.

5. Who we share information with

We work with a small number of service providers to operate Mawadda, and share only what each one needs to do its job:

• An authentication provider — account sign-in and security
• App stores and a web payment processor — processing purchases
• A subscription-management service — keeping your subscription and purchase status in sync
• A third-party identity verification provider — if you choose automatic identity verification, checking your government ID and live selfie
• A cloud storage provider — securely storing photos and message attachments
• Image and text moderation vendors — screening photos and messages for safety issues
• A push-notification service — delivering notifications to your device
• A mapping service — resolving your general area for location-based filters
• A product-analytics service — product-usage analytics, tied to an internal account ID rather than your name or contact details, to help us understand how the app is used
• Website analytics and advertising services (Google Analytics, Google Ads, and the Meta Pixel) — on our public marketing website only, to measure aggregate visitor traffic and how well our ads perform; these set cookies in your browser and are not used inside the app itself. Where the law requires it (for example in the EEA and UK), these stay off until you accept them in the cookie banner shown on your first visit, and you can decline them there
• A calling service — connecting voice and video calls between matches

If you invite a wali, guardian, or trusted family member, they can only see what you’ve specifically chosen to share with them, and every access they make is logged and visible to you — you can revoke their access at any time. This applies both ways — a match’s own wali may similarly be able to read your conversation with them, if that match has granted them access. We may also share information if required by law, to protect the safety of our members, or as part of a merger or sale of the business. We never disclose who reported another member, and a member you block is never told.

6. Content moderation

Photos are reviewed — by automated screening, and by a person when needed — before they’re shown to anyone. Messages are automatically screened for a limited set of safety issues, such as harassment or sharing contact information before you’ve had a chance to build trust with someone. This automated screening doesn’t involve a person reading your messages unless you report them. We do not use your messages, photos, or profile to train AI models. Automated safety checks send reported content and photos to third-party providers only to review them, and those providers do not use it to train their models.

7. How long we keep your information

You can request deletion of your account at any time from Account settings. There’s a short cooling-off window before deletion is final, after which your account is anonymized — matches, messages, and safety reports involving you are preserved so they remain meaningful to the people on the other side of them, but no longer identify you. Deletion may be delayed if your account is part of an active safety investigation. You can also request a copy of your own data at any time through Support in the app (choose "Request my data") or by emailing us at the address in Section 13. If you no longer have access to the app, email [email protected] to request deletion of your account and associated data.

8. Your choices and rights

You can correct or update your profile, control your visibility (pausing or hiding your profile, browsing incognito, choosing a privacy level for each part of your profile, protecting individual photos), manage notifications, and delete your account, all from within the app. To receive a copy of the data we hold about you, open a request from Support in the app and choose "Request my data", or email us at the address in Section 13.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights over your information — for example, California residents have rights under the CCPA to know, delete, and opt out of the sale of personal information. Mawadda does not sell personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of.

9. Children’s privacy

Mawadda is restricted to adults 18 and older and isn’t directed at children. If we learn that a minor has created an account, we’ll remove it.

10. Security

Photos and messages are stored privately, and access to member data is limited to what a given system or staff member needs to do their job. A small number of vetted staff can access member content — including private notes you write for yourself in the app — when it’s needed for safety, legal, or support reasons, and every such access is logged.

11. International users

Mawadda is operated from the United States. If you use Mawadda from another country, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We’ll update the date at the top when we do, and let you know in the app about any material change.

13. Contact us

Questions about this policy, or a request about your own data? Reach us at [email protected].