LezFindr Privacy Policy
Effective Date: March 27, 2025
URL: lezfindr.com/privacy
1. Introduction
Welcome to LezFindr! This Privacy Policy explains how Utopian Creations LLC ("LezFindr," "we," "us," or "our"), operator of the LezFindr mobile application and related services (collectively, the "Service"), collects, uses, shares, and protects information about you when you use our Service.
We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in an open and transparent manner. This Privacy Policy should be read in conjunction with our Terms of Service (available at [Link to Your Terms of Service - e.g., lezfindr.com/terms]). By using our Service, you agree to the collection, use, disclosure, and procedures this Privacy Policy describes. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Service.
LezFindr is based in Daly City, California, USA. Our contact details are provided at the end of this policy.
2. Information We Collect
We collect information to provide and improve our Service, ensure safety, and personalize your experience. The types of information we collect include:
A. Information You Provide Directly:
Account Registration: When you create an account, we collect information such as your chosen login credential (e.g., phone number or email address managed via Firebase Authentication), password (hashed), date of birth (for age verification), username, and potentially basic location (e.g., city/state).
Profile Information: You may choose to provide additional information for your public profile, such as photos, gender identity, pronouns, sexual orientation, relationship status/preferences, height, interests, an "About Me" description, and other details to help others connect with you. Note: Information like sexual orientation may be considered "Sensitive Personal Information" under laws like the CCPA/CPRA.
Identity Verification Information: To ensure community safety and authenticity, we require users to undergo an identity verification process. As part of this, you will be asked to provide a selfie image taken through the app's camera function. This image is used solely for the verification purposes described in Section 3.
User Content: Information you post or generate through the Service, including messages exchanged with other users (while we don't typically monitor messages, they are processed through our systems, including Firebase infrastructure) and information related to events you post or indicate interest in.
Communications: Information you provide when you contact our support team or communicate with us in any other way.
B. Information Collected Automatically:
Usage Information: We collect information about your activity on the Service, such as features you use, profiles you view, interactions with other users, swipes/matches (if applicable), filters applied, time and date of activities, and frequency of use.
Device Information: We collect information from and about the device(s) you use to access our Service, including hardware model, operating system and version, unique device identifiers (e.g., IDFA for iOS, AAID for Android), IP address, browser type, language, and mobile network information.
Location Information: We may collect your device's location (e.g., using GPS, Wi-Fi, or cellular triangulation) if you grant us permission, or derive coarse location from your IP address or information you provide (like city/state). You can typically control location permissions through your device settings.
Cookies and Similar Technologies: If we operate a website or use SDKs that employ them, we may use cookies and similar technologies (e.g., pixels, web beacons) to collect information about your interaction with our Service or advertisements.
C. Information from Third Parties:
Firebase Authentication: If you choose to log in using a third-party service (like Google or Apple Sign-In) managed via Firebase Authentication, we receive information from that service as permitted by your privacy settings on that service.
Advertising Partners: We may receive information (often aggregated or anonymized, or linked to device identifiers) from partners about your interactions with advertisements on and off our Service to measure ad effectiveness and show more relevant ads.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:
To Provide and Manage the Service: Create and manage your account, display your profile, facilitate connections and communication between users, show relevant profiles based on filters and location, manage event listings.
To Personalize Your Experience: Customize the content and features you see, such as suggesting potential matches or events.
To Improve Our Service: Analyze usage patterns, troubleshoot issues, conduct research and analysis to develop new features and improve functionality.
To Ensure Safety and Security: Conduct identity verification (as detailed in Section 3.A); detect and combat spam, fraud, abuse, and other harmful activity; enforce our Terms of Service; assist law enforcement (where legally required).
To Communicate With You: Respond to your support requests, send service-related announcements (e.g., updates to Terms or features), and potentially send promotional messages (you can opt-out of promotional emails).
To Provide Advertising: Our Service is ad-supported. We use information (potentially including device identifiers, coarse location, profile information segments) to display advertisements, sometimes targeted to your interests, directly or through third-party advertising partners.
To Comply with Legal Obligations: Fulfill legal requirements, respond to lawful requests from public authorities, and protect our legal rights.
For Research: We may use aggregated or de-identified data for research purposes.
3.A. Identity Verification:
We use the selfie image you provide during verification, along with your profile photos and date of birth, specifically to:
Confirm Authenticity: Visually compare your verification selfie with your uploaded profile photos to reasonably ensure they depict the same person.
Maintain Community Guidelines: Help ensure the safety and integrity of our community (LGBTQIA+ women, non-binary, and trans individuals) by visually confirming users are not cisgender males misrepresenting themselves or couples attempting to join via a single profile, based on the images provided.
Verify Age: Confirm that users appear to meet the minimum age requirement of 18+.
Assign Verification Status: Grant a "verified" status to your profile upon successful review.
This visual review is conducted by authorized LezFindr administrators. We do not extract or store biometric data like facial feature points from your selfie; the image itself is used for the visual comparison.
4. How We Share Your Information
We do not "sell" your personal information in the traditional sense, but we do share information in the following circumstances, some of which may be considered "Sharing" or "Sale" under laws like the CCPA/CPRA:
With Other Users: Your public profile information is visible to other users. Users you interact with will see your messages. Use discretion in deciding what information to share.
With Service Providers (including Firebase/Google): We rely on third-party service providers to perform various functions necessary to operate our business. This includes Firebase (a Google service) which we use for critical functions like user authentication, data storage (Cloud Firestore and/or Realtime Database), potentially analytics, crash reporting, and cloud functions. We also use providers for hosting, technical infrastructure, analytics, customer support, content moderation, marketing assistance, and payment processing (if applicable). Your verification selfie image is stored within your user document on Firebase infrastructure, but access is programmatically restricted. These providers only access your information to perform tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for other purposes. For more information on how Google handles data through Firebase, please review Google's Privacy Policy and relevant Firebase privacy documentation.
With Authorized Administrators (for Verification): As described in Section 3.A, your verification selfie image is accessible only to trained, authorized LezFindr administrators during the verification review process. It is not shared with other users or any external third parties.
With Advertising Partners: To support our free service, we work with advertising partners. We may share certain information (such as device identifiers like IDFA/AAID, IP address-derived location, demographic segments inferred from profile data, or technical data) with these partners to help them deliver targeted advertisements within our Service and measure their effectiveness. This may be considered "Sharing" or a "Sale" under CCPA/CPRA. You can typically opt-out of this type of sharing via your device settings (see Section 7).
For Legal Reasons and Safety: We may disclose your information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or if we have a good faith belief that disclosure is reasonably necessary to (a) investigate, prevent, or take action regarding suspected or actual illegal activities or to assist government enforcement agencies; (b) enforce our agreements with you; (c) investigate and defend ourselves against any third-party claims or allegations; (d) protect the security or integrity of our Service; or (e) exercise or protect the rights, property, or safety of LezFindr, our users, personnel, or others.
In Case of Business Transfer: We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business by another company. You will be notified via email and/or a prominent notice on our Service of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information, as well as any choices you may have regarding your personal information.
With Your Consent: We may share your information for other purposes if you provide your explicit consent.
5. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you the Service. We may retain certain information after you close your account if necessary to comply with our legal obligations (e.g., retaining records for tax or fraud prevention), resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, or for backup and archival purposes within technical limitations. When you delete your account, we take steps to delete your profile information from active view, subject to these retention needs.When you delete your account, we take steps to permanently delete your profile information, including your verification selfie image, from our active systems, subject to necessary legal or operational retention needs (e.g., anonymized usage logs, legal holds).
6. Your Privacy Choices and Rights
You have certain rights and choices regarding your personal information:
Access and Update: You can access and update most of your profile information directly within the App settings.
Account Deletion: You can delete your account at any time through the App settings. Deletion is subject to our data retention practices (Section 5).
Location Permissions: You can grant, adjust, or revoke location permissions through your mobile device settings.
Promotional Communications: You can opt-out of receiving promotional emails from us by following the unsubscribe instructions in those emails. You may still receive essential service-related communications.
Advertising Choices: You can often limit ad tracking and opt-out of interest-based advertising through your mobile device settings (e.g., "Limit Ad Tracking" on iOS or "Opt out of Ads Personalization" on Android). This uses your device's advertising identifier (IDFA/AAID). Opting out does not mean you won't see ads, just that they may be less relevant.
Region-Specific Rights:
If you are a California Resident (CCPA/CPRA Rights):
Right to Know: You have the right to request details about the specific pieces and categories of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of collection, the purposes for collecting/selling/sharing, and the categories of third parties we have disclosed it to.
Right to Delete: You have the right to request the deletion of personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions (e.g., necessary to provide the service, comply with legal obligations).
Right to Correct: You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: You have the right to opt-out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information, primarily in the context of sharing data with advertising partners for cross-context behavioral advertising. You can exercise this right via [Describe Method - e.g., a "Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information" link/setting in the app/website, or via device settings as described above. Be specific!].
Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information (SPI): You have the right to limit our use and disclosure of SPI (like sexual orientation or precise location, if collected) to that which is necessary to perform the services reasonably expected. You can exercise this right via [Describe Method - e.g., a specific setting or contact method. Be specific!].
Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA/CPRA rights.
Shine the Light: California residents may request information regarding the disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. We do not share your personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes without your consent.
How to Exercise CA Rights: To exercise your rights to Know, Delete, or Correct, please contact us using the details in Section 12. We will need to verify your identity before processing your request. You may designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf.
If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, or Switzerland (GDPR/UK GDPR Rights):
Legal Basis: We process your personal data based on contract necessity (to provide the Service), legitimate interests (e.g., improving the service, security, advertising), consent (where obtained, e.g., for certain data or marketing), and legal obligation.
Your Rights: You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing of, and obtain data portability for your personal data. You also have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
How to Exercise EU/UK Rights: Please contact us using the details in Section 12.
7. Security
We implement technical, administrative, and physical security measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, use, and modification. We leverage security features provided by our service providers, like Firebase. However, no security system is impenetrable, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials.
8. Children's Privacy
Our Service is strictly intended for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 18, please contact us.
9. International Data Transfers
LezFindr is operated in the United States. If you are located outside the United States, please be aware that information we collect will be transferred to, processed, and stored in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction. By using the Service or providing us with any information, you consent to this transfer, processing, and storage of your information in the United States. For transfers from the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses where required.
10. Third-Party Links
The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services (e.g., event ticket sites, advertiser sites). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any information to them.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you through the Service (e.g., in-app notification), by email, or other means before the change becomes effective. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, or if you wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at:
Utopian Creations LLC Attn: Privacy Team 850 Campus Drive #103 Daly City, CA 94015 USA Phone: 628.282.2893 Email: info@utopiancreations.one