Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 27, 2026 · Effective immediately

1. Who This Applies To

This Privacy Policy applies to all users of 38E ("the App", "we", "us"). By using 38E, you agree to the practices described here.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect data in two ways: what you give us directly, and what's generated when you use the app.

Category	Data	Why
Account	Name, email address, password (hashed)	To create and secure your account
Profile	Display name, age, gender, pronouns, bio, location (city), photos, sexual orientation, relationship type, interests	To show your profile to potential matches
Values	Your answers to 5 values questions	To calculate compatibility scores
Activity	Swipes (likes/passes), matches, messages sent and received	To power discovery and messaging
Presence	Last seen timestamp (updated on each request)	To show online/activity status on profiles
Safety	Reports submitted, blocks applied	To enforce community safety
Technical	IP address, device type, browser (via standard server logs)	For security monitoring and abuse prevention

3. Location Data

We ask for your city or region (e.g., "Montréal") as a text field — you type it in. We do not collect precise GPS coordinates. We do not track your device location in the background.

4. Photos

Photos you upload are stored on our servers and displayed to other users as part of your profile. We compress photos client-side before upload to reduce file size. Your photos are never used in advertising, sold, or shared with third parties.

5. Messages

Messages you send to matches are stored in our database to enable the messaging feature. Messages marked as deleted are replaced with "[Message deleted]" — the content is removed. We do not read your private messages except when required to investigate a safety report.

6. How We Use Your Data

• Matching — Show your profile to compatible users and calculate compatibility scores based on shared values
• Communication — Deliver messages between matched users
• Recommendations — Order discovery results by compatibility
• Safety — Investigate reports, enforce blocks, detect fraud and abuse
• Service — Send transactional emails (password reset, account notifications)
• Analytics — Understand how the app is used in aggregate (no individual tracking for advertising)

7. Data Sharing

We do not sell your data. We do not share your personal data with third parties for advertising or marketing purposes.

Limited data sharing occurs only in these cases:

• Other users — Your profile (name, age, photos, bio, values) is shown to other users in discovery and matches. This is the core function of a dating app.
• Infrastructure providers — Our hosting (Render), database (Neon PostgreSQL), and email service providers process data on our behalf under confidentiality agreements. They cannot use your data for their own purposes.
• Legal requirements — We may disclose data if required by law, court order, or to protect against imminent harm (e.g., CSAM reports to authorities).

8. Cookies and Analytics

The app itself uses localStorage to store your authentication token (JWT) and session state. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.

Our landing page uses a minimal first-party analytics beacon to count visits. No personal data is collected — only an anonymous visitor ID stored in localStorage.

9. Data Security

We protect your data with:

• HTTPS encryption for all data in transit
• Bcrypt hashing for passwords (never stored in plaintext)
• JWT tokens for authentication (expire after 30–90 days)
• Parameterized SQL queries to prevent injection attacks
• Access controls limiting who can access production data

No security is perfect. If you discover a vulnerability, please report it to hello@38e.co.

10. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access — Request a copy of the data we hold about you
• Correction — Update inaccurate data via Settings → Edit Profile
• Deletion — Delete your account and all associated data via Settings → Delete My Account. This is immediate and permanent.
• Portability — Request your data in a portable format by emailing us

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@38e.co.

11. Data Retention

We keep your data for as long as your account is active.

• Active accounts — Data retained while your account exists
• Deleted accounts — Your profile, photos, messages, and personal information are deleted from active databases immediately. Backup systems may retain data for up to 30 days before purging.
• Safety records — Reports you've filed may be retained longer to prevent circumvention of bans

12. Children

38E is strictly for users 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If we discover an underage account, we delete it immediately.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy. When we do, the date at the top changes. Continued use of 38E after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy. For significant changes, we'll make reasonable efforts to notify you.

14. Contact

Privacy questions or requests: hello@38e.co

We're based in Montréal, Québec, Canada.