Privacy Policy

Effective Date: March 1, 2026

Kindred ("we", "our", "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights.

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

• Phone number: Used solely for SMS verification during sign-up. Encrypted at rest and never shared with other users.
• Date of birth: Collected to verify you are 18 or older. Encrypted at rest and never displayed to anyone, including Kindred staff.
• Nickname: A display name you choose during setup, visible to conversation partners.

Usage Data

• Session metadata: Duration, number of prompts discussed, conversation mode. Used to improve matching and prompt selection.
• Analytics events: Collected via Firebase Analytics to understand app usage patterns (e.g., session starts, queue times). No personally identifiable information is included in analytics events.
• Crash reports: Collected via Firebase Crashlytics to identify and fix bugs. Crash reports include device model, OS version, and stack traces. They do not include message content or personal information.

Communication Data

• Live conversation audio: Real-time voice conversations are transmitted via WebRTC (LiveKit) using encrypted peer connections. We do not record or store live conversation audio except as described in the Audio Moderation section below.

Session Reviews

After each conversation, you can record a short structured review — a feeling rating and an optional decision to share your profile with your partner. Session reviews are stored privately in your user account, never shared with other users, conversation partners, or Kindred staff, and visible only to you in the History tab.

2. Audio Moderation

For your first 5 sessions, short audio samples (up to 30 seconds) may be processed by an automated content moderation system to detect prohibited content (harassment, hate speech, etc.). These audio clips are:

• Processed automatically — no human listens to them unless a violation is detected
• Deleted within 30 days
• Never used for advertising, training, or any purpose beyond safety moderation

After 5 completed sessions, audio moderation is disabled for your account.

3. How We Use Your Data

• Matching: Queue position and conversation mode preference are used to pair you with another user.
• Prompt selection: Aggregate engagement scores (not tied to individuals) help us choose effective conversation prompts.
• Safety: Reports and automated moderation help us maintain a safe environment.
• Improvement: Anonymized, aggregated analytics help us improve the app experience.

4. What We Never Do

• We never share your phone number, date of birth, or real identity with other users.
• We never sell your data to third parties.
• We never use your data for targeted advertising.
• We never allow conversation partners to see your user ID, device information, or location.

5. Third-Party Services

• Firebase (Google): Authentication, database, storage, analytics, crash reporting, and push notifications. See Firebase Privacy.
• LiveKit: WebRTC infrastructure for real-time voice conversations. See LiveKit Privacy.
• Apple Push Notification service (APNs): Delivers push notifications to your device.

6. Data Retention

• Account data: Retained while your account is active.
• Audio moderation clips: Deleted within 30 days.
• Analytics data: Retained for up to 14 months per Firebase Analytics defaults.
• Crash reports: Retained for 90 days.

7. Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account and all associated data at any time by contacting us at support@chatkindred.com. Upon request:

• Your account will be deactivated immediately.
• All personal data (phone number, date of birth, session reviews, connections) will be permanently deleted within 30 days.
• Anonymized, aggregated analytics data may be retained as it cannot be linked back to you.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Object to or restrict processing of your data
• Data portability

To exercise any of these rights, contact support@chatkindred.com.

9. Children's Privacy

Kindred is not intended for anyone under the age of 18. We verify age during sign-up and do not knowingly collect data from minors. If we learn that a user is under 18, their account will be immediately terminated and their data deleted.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes via in-app notification or push notification. Continued use of Kindred after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

For privacy questions or concerns, contact us at support@chatkindred.com.