Privacy policy

Draft. This page is a working draft for the pre-launch product and has not yet been reviewed by legal counsel. It will be finalised before Ishtam opens to the public.

Why we use personal data

Personal data is any information that could identify you. We use it to run the service you signed up for: creating your account, showing your profile to people you might want to meet, and delivering your messages. We also use it to keep members safe and to meet our legal obligations.

When you create an account you agree to this policy. Some things happen only if you choose them:

• Adding photos and profile answers.
• Appearing on the nearby map.
• Sending a live selfie for photo verification.

You can undo each of these at any time. Undoing a choice does not change what was done before you withdrew it.

Information you give us

• Account details: your first name, username, email address, date of birth and password. Passwords are stored only in hashed form.
• Profile details: gender, who you would like to meet, what you are looking for, bio, town, interests, languages, and the optional answers you choose to give, such as work, education, pets, food, smoking and drinking.
• Photos: up to six profile photos. They are resized and lightly sharpened on your device before upload, and stored privately.
• Verification selfie: only if you ask for photo verification. It is seen by our review team alone and never appears on your profile.
• Likes, passes and matches: the choices you make while swiping, so we can create matches and avoid showing you the same person again.
• Messages: the content you send to your matches, so we can deliver it and investigate reports.
• Support requests: what you send us through the contact form.

Information we collect when you use Ishtam

• Town, not GPS: Ishtam does not read your phone's location. You choose your town or neighbourhood from a list, and we store that place and its approximate map position.
• Usage and device data: basic logs needed to keep the service secure and working, such as IP address, browser type and sign-in times.
• Payment status: if you subscribe, our payment partner processes your payment. We receive the result, not your card details.

How we use it

• To create your account, show your profile to other members and suggest matches.
• To keep members safe: verifying accounts, preventing spam and reviewing reports.
• To provide support and tell you about important changes to the service.

We do not sell your personal data.

What other members can see

• On your profile: your first name, age, photos, bio, town, interests, languages, the optional answers you gave, an approximate distance, and a verified badge if you have one.
• Never shown: your email address, date of birth, password, verification selfie and exact location. Your username is not shown on your profile.
• Your date of birth: used only to work out your age and to confirm you are an adult.
• The nearby map: if you join it, you appear at your town, rounded to roughly one kilometre, and only to other people on the map whose preferences fit yours.
• Your Ishtam code: anyone you show your code or link to can see your profile and connect with you. You can replace the code at any time, and the old one stops working.
• Your messages: visible to you and the match you sent them to. Our team may look at a conversation only to investigate a report or a safety concern.

Emails from us

We email you about your account: confirming your address, login codes, password resets and the code needed to delete your account. We do not send SMS messages or marketing newsletters. If that changes, we will ask for your permission first.

Cookies and storage on your device

Ishtam uses only the cookies needed to keep you signed in and to remember that you have read the safety notice. Your theme and language choices are saved in your browser. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

Companies that help us run Ishtam

• Database, sign-in and file storage: provided by Supabase. Our data is kept in its Mumbai, India region.
• Maps and place search: the map uses OpenStreetMap. When you open the map, your browser loads map images from OpenStreetMap servers, and the place names you type are sent to a place-search service to find matches. Your profile is not sent to them.
• Payments: when paid plans open, payments will be handled by Razorpay.

These providers may process data on our behalf only to deliver their service, and must keep it confidential.

When we may disclose information

• When a law, court order or authorised government request requires it.
• To protect the safety of a member or the public, or to act against a serious breach of our terms.
• If Ishtam is merged with or sold to another company, in which case your data stays protected by this policy and you will be told.

Your choices

• Edit or remove profile information at any time.
• Pause your profile to hide it from other people without deleting anything.
• Leave the nearby map at any time.
• Withdraw consent and delete your account, which removes your profile from Ishtam.
• Ask for a copy or correction of your data, as provided under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Retention and security

We keep your data while your account is open and for a limited period afterwards where the law or safety investigations require it. Data is encrypted in transit, and access is restricted by database-level security rules.

Deleting your account from Settings removes your profile, photos, matches, chats and login. Copies held in routine backups are overwritten on the storage provider's normal schedule.

No online service can promise perfect security. If we learn of a breach that affects your data, we will tell you and the authorities as the law requires.

Age

Ishtam is only for people aged 18 and over. Accounts found to belong to anyone younger are removed.

If you believe a member is under 18, or a parent finds that their child has an account, tell us through the contact page and we will remove the account and its data.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Ishtam develops. When a change is significant we will tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect.

Who we are

Ishtam is operated from Kerala, India. The operator's registered name and address, and the name of the grievance officer, will be published here before Ishtam opens to the public.

Contact

Questions or requests about your data can be sent through our contact page.