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Privacy Policy – CouplesForged.com

Effective Date: [2025/08/25]
Last Updated: [2025/08/25]

🔒 Key Privacy Commitments

We believe in transparency and your right to know exactly how your data is handled. Here’s the short version:

  • Chats are encrypted and private – No one at CouplesForged can read your chats in normal circumstances.
  • Police-only access – Chats can only be decrypted and reviewed if police are investigating a criminal matter, and only when legally required.
  • Three-year retention limit – Chat records are kept for 3 years and automatically deleted monthly after that.
  • We don’t sell your data – We only share limited information with Google for analytics and advertising.
  • Some profile previews are public – Basic elements of your profile may be visible in search results or promotions.
  • We’re POPIA compliant – Your privacy rights are protected under South African law.

1. Information We Collect

We collect and process the following categories of personal information:
  • Account Information – Name, email address, username, password, and other information provided during registration.
  • Profile Data – Profile picture, personal descriptions, lifestyle preferences, and any information you voluntarily provide.
  • Chat Messages – All chat communications conducted via CouplesForged.com are securely stored for security and crime-prevention purposes (see Section 5).
  • Technical Data – IP address, device information, browser type, operating system, and usage statistics.
  • Cookies & Tracking – Information collected via cookies, pixels, and analytics tools (see Section 7).

2. How We Use Your Information

We process your personal information for the following purposes:
  • To operate, maintain, and improve our website and services.
  • To facilitate matching and communication between users.
  • To comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.
  • To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent or criminal activities.
  • To personalise advertising and marketing in line with applicable laws.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your information based on:
  • Your consent when you create an account or voluntarily provide information.
  • The performance of our contractual obligations to you.
  • Compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
  • Our legitimate interest in maintaining platform integrity and security.

4. POPIA Compliance

We are committed to complying with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). We:
  • Collect only the minimum necessary personal information.
  • Obtain user consent for data collection and processing where required.
  • Securely store personal data using encryption and access controls.
  • Provide mechanisms for users to request access to, correction, or deletion of their information.

5. Chat Data Storage and Criminal Behaviour Tracking

Retention for Security Purposes

All chat messages exchanged through CouplesForged.com are stored in a secure, encrypted format for the sole purpose of detecting, investigating, and supporting legal authorities in criminal matters.

Restricted Access

Stored chats are not accessible by our staff in any readable form. They can only be downloaded and decrypted in response to a lawful police request and only for the purposes of investigating criminal behaviour.

Retention Period

We retain chat records for three (3) years on a rolling basis. Data older than three years is permanently deleted each month.

6. Information Sharing

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We only share data in the following limited cases:
  • With law enforcement or other government authorities where legally required.
  • With Google for analytics and advertising purposes (see Section 7).
  • With third-party advertising networks for relevant ad delivery.
  • Through limited profile previews, where basic public profile elements may appear in search results or promotional materials.

7. Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising

We use cookies, tracking pixels, and analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Google Ads to:
  • Measure site usage and improve performance.
  • Deliver personalised ads.
  • Understand audience demographics and interests.
You can manage your cookie preferences via your browser settings.

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:
  • Encryption of stored data.
  • Secure transmission via HTTPS.
  • Access control and authentication systems.
  • Regular security audits.

9. Your Rights

You have the right to:
  • Request access to your personal information.
  • Request correction of inaccurate information.
  • Request deletion of personal information (subject to legal retention obligations).
  • Object to certain processing activities.
  • Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
To exercise these rights, contact us at: support@couplesforged.com

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Significant changes will be communicated through the website or via email.

11. Contact Information

For any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact:

CouplesForged.com
Email: support@couplesforged.com
Newcastle, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa