Privacy | MatchFamilies

The MatchFamilies Application (“the App”) is an app for families, where they can get useful tips, socialize, connect with other families to make friends, form a useful community of families nearby.

The App is developed and operated by MatchFamilies Inc., a Delaware C corp, having its registered office located at: 228 Park Ave S, Pmb 85451, New York, NY, 10003, United States of America and MatchFamilies UG (haftungsbeschränkt), a German limited liability company registered in the Commercial Register of the Local Court of Krefeld under HRB 17916 and having its registered office located at: Am Fischerhof, 1, 47807, Krefeld, Germany (“MatchFamilies UG”). MatchFamilies UG is the data controller.

Your privacy is highly important to MatchFamilies. This is why we have prepared this document, which explains how we will handle your personal data. We have tried to make this Policy as clear and simple as possible. If, despite our efforts, you would still have any questions please feel free to contact us using the contact details in section X.

By registering and using the App you will provide us, and we will collect, information about you, including information used to identify you, in other words - your personal data. Personal data is discrete information about private or objective conditions of a specific or identifiable natural person. Personal data includes, but is not limited to a person's name, birthday or the e-mail address and usage data such as the IP address. Another purpose of the Privacy Policy is to inform you about the data collected, saved and processed and how MatchFamilies UG ensures the protection and safety of your personal data. The personal data that we collect is used for providing and improving the App. We will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy is an integral part of our Terms of Service. It should therefore be read alongside our Terms of Service.

Collecting, processing and using your data is based on the provisions of the data privacy laws, particularly the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) and as of 25 May 2018 - the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

I. WHAT DATA DO WE COLLECT?

In order to operate the App, we collect the information, which you provide to us directly, as well as data which we collect automatically.

Data you provide to us directly:

Registration data: in order to be able to use the App, you must create an account and provide us with the following personal details:

Your first and last name (both of which are not visible to other users).
Your E-mail address: this information will not be visible to other users.
The password that will enable you to log into your account. This data is not visible to other users, and you should never share it with other users, except for your adult family members, should you decide so. It must contain at least 8 alphanumeric characters. It is required to ensure the security of your account.

All this information is mandatory in order for you to create your account on the App.

Alternatively you can also use your existing Google, Apple or Facebook accounts in order to register in the app.

All this information will not be visible to other users.

Your family profile.

Your family name: it can be a nickname, e.g. “Bike-riders” or “Grill-lovers” or “Tom and the team” or simply “Dave, Victoria + 2 kids” etc. Other users will be able to only see your family name/nickname and not your personal first or last name or the ones of your spouse/partner. This information will be visible to other users.
Your family profile pictures: the photos that you choose to use as your family profile pictures must be of you and your family. This will allow other users to identify you and your family on the App and allow us to ensure that people do not use false profiles or pictures, which guarantees not only the security of the App, but your security too. You are free to decide whether you’d like to use pictures of your children (if any) or not. For better anonymity you can also use our blurring filters for your pictures. This information will be visible to other users.
Your location (e.g. city): this information will be visible to other users.
Your date of birth and your spouses’/partner’s date of birth: this information will not be provided to other users, although they will be able to see your age or age group and the age or age group of your spouse/partner. Persons under 18 years old are not permitted to use the App.
Your family interests, e.g. hiking, dining out or picnics etc. This information will be visible to other users.
Purpose of using the App/your family introduction, e.g. “meeting families from same town who like hiking” etc. This information will be visible to other users.

All this information is mandatory in order for you to create your family profile and to register on the App.

You may, if you wish, complete other sections of your family profile (your/your spouse’s/partner’s nationality and religion, occupation, languages your speak, number of kids, smoking/drinking preferences). This information is optional.

You have total control over your profile information and you can access to modify it at any time.

Data concerning your interaction with the App:

If you report a problem to us, request help or exercise your rights, we will process the information you provide to us.

In addition, in case of reasonable doubt as to your age, we may ask you to verify your age and ask you for the following information:

Copy of your ID document (which is not shared with other users and is immediately deleted after verification by our team).

Data concerning your activity on the App:

When you use the App, we can collect and process information such as the date of your registration, the date you last logged in, your interactions with other users (number of likes or dislikes via swipes).

Data concerning your location (geolocation):

Subject to your consent we collect and process data concerning your location. This enables you to include the town/city where you are located in your profile. This information will be visible to other users.

Data concerning content:

Messages exchanged between users remain private and are not forwarded to other users or third parties under any circumstances, except in the event of a judicial inquiry and/or in accordance with the laws and regulations in force.

Data concerning devices and hardware:

We collect information from and on the devices and hardware you use to access the App such as the IP address, type of device, advertising identifier (e.g. Google’s AAID and Apple’s IDFA, both of which are randomly-generated numbers that you can reset by going to your device settings), application bugs, version and language, operating system, etc.

Cameras and photos: in order to be able to upload your photos from your camera, you must give us permission to access them.

Cookies are files with a small amount of data that are commonly used as anonymous unique identifiers. These are sent to your browser from the websites that you visit and are stored on your device's internal memory.

The App does not use these “cookies” explicitly. However, the App may use third party code and libraries that use “cookies” to collect information and improve their services. You have the option to either accept or refuse these cookies and know when a cookie is being sent to your device. If you choose to refuse our cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of this Service.

II. WHAT ARE THE LEGAL REASONS WHY WE COLLECT DATA?

When we collect and process your Personal Data, we may do so for the following reasons:

To enable you to access the App and use the services we provide: this actually means that you are performing the contract we have with you, which corresponds to our Terms of Service, which includes this Privacy Policy. For example, when you use the App, we use your data to operate your family profile, make your profile accessible, suggest matching families, send your messages.

In the legitimate interests of MatchFamilies: we may use your data if we have a legitimate reason to do so. For example, we process data for administrative purposes, to guard against fraudulent and illegal conduct (e.g.: false age), and to ensure that the application remains secure.

III. HOW DO WE USE THE DATA WE COLLECT?

We collect, use and store your Personal Data in order to process your requests, manage our relationship and your use of the App, optimize our services and tools in order to create and maintain a secure environment, and fulfill our legal obligations, as explained below.

Managing our relationship and access to the App:

To create and manage your user account
Geolocation to put you in touch with families nearby
To manage and store messages exchanged between matched users
To send information messages concerning the App services and your interactions with other users (Notifications)
Security and fulfilment of legal and contractual obligations
To respond to requests from administrative and judicial authorities, law enforcement officials and legal officers, and to abide by court decisions
To identify and prevent fraudulent activity and threats to the security of the App pursuant to and in accordance with the law
To analyze reports concerning users who have breached our Terms of Service and/or the regulations in force
To improve the safety and security of our services
To use information collected via cookies or any other technology to improve our services and your user experience
To enforce our Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy
To counter fraud (for example related to age), confirm your identity, and fight against illegal activity

IV. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA FOR?

You can delete your account at any time by clicking on the relevant button in your “Settings” (“Edit profile” section). When you delete your account, you will immediately stop communicating your current and future details to MatchFamilies and your profile will no longer be accessible.

We will only keep your Personal Data for the period of time required to fulfil the purposes for which we process your details unless we are permitted or required by law to keep it for a longer period of time. Generally, we will delete your Data as soon as you delete your account, unless:

We are required to retain it as proof that we comply with the legislation in force (e.g. recordings of consent to our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and other similar consents are retained for five years);

We are required, due to an unresolved issue, claim or dispute, to retain relevant information until the matter has been resolved; or

If the data must be retained in our legitimate commercial interests, for example in order to prevent fraud and improve users’ safety and security. For example, we may be required to retain data in order to prevent a user who has been banned from opening a new account due to their dangerous conduct or a security incident.

If your age is checked, we immediately delete your ID document after verification.

V. WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE DATA WE COLLECT?

The data we collect is intended solely for internal use by MatchFamilies UG and our partners and service providers.

Only certain MatchFamilies authorized managers and employees will process your Personal Data for the above purposes, and they are only permitted to access the data strictly required in order to carry out their work. MatchFamilies may also enter into an agreement with authenticated and reliable service providers and partners who may access and/or process users’ personal data and who guarantee that such data will remain secure and confidential in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

These service providers and partners help us to operate and improve the App, particularly in relation to the hosting of data, studies, analyses, and statistics, the use and/or operation of the application, targeted advertising, the fight against fraud linked to the age of the user, and the assistance required by users.

Links to privacy policies of third party service providers used by the App:

The App is being delivered to the users through Firebase platform (part of Google) and its servers worldwide.

Lastly, the data we process may be forwarded to the police and to the judicial and administrative authorities in order for us to fulfil our legal obligations.

VI. WILL YOUR DATA BE TRANSFERRED OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN UNION?

In order for your Personal Data to be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy, such data may be transferred to one or more other countries that may or may not be within the European Economic Area, including in particular the United States.

We guarantee that such transfers are carried out in such a way as to ensure that the data remains confidential and secure and that it is adequately protected in accordance with the regulations in force for the protection of personal data. In this case, we offer guarantees provided by current regulations, such as standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission, which represent commitments made between companies that transfer Personal Data in order to ensure that such data remains confidential and secure.

Our physical server is located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

VII. HOW IS YOUR DATA PROTECTED?

MatchFamilies will ensure that your data is processed securely and confidentially, including in cases where certain operations are carried out by partners. Accordingly, appropriate technical and organizational measures are implemented to prevent the loss, misuse, alteration and erasure of your Personal Data.

Nevertheless, there is no “zero risk” on the internet and we cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Data 100%.

That’s why it is important to let us know right away if you think you have been a victim of an attack on your Personal Data, by writing to us here.

VIII. YOUR RIGHTS

You have the right to access your Personal Data and to request that it be corrected, completed or updated. You may also request that your Data be deleted (or you can delete your account in the “Settings”, “Edit Profile” section of the App), refuse the processing of your Data, or request that it be limited within the terms of current legislation. You may ask to exercise your right to data portability; in other words, your right to receive your Personal Data in a frequently used structured format and your right to send such data to another processor. As indicated in Section III above, your data is processed with your consent and you can withdraw your consent at any time by going to “Settings”.

IX. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. Thus, you are advised to review this page periodically for any changes. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

This policy is effective as of 29th of September 2020.

X. CONTACT

If you have any questions or suggestions about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us at info@matchfamilies.com.

Or per post: Am Fischerhof, 1, 47807, Krefeld, Germany. MatchFamilies UG.

MatchFamilies Inc., 228 Park Ave S, Pmb 85451, New York, NY, 10003, United States of America