SAWA ("we", "our") is a dating and matching service for adults. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, and the choices you have. By creating an account you agree to the processing described here.
Account: email address and password. Profile: your name, age, city, origin, bio, languages, preferences and photos. Messages and media you send, likes, passes, super likes, favorites, and feedback you submit. If you choose to verify your profile, we process a live selfie to confirm you are a real person; selfie frames are deleted from our servers immediately after the check, whatever its result.
Location, only with your permission: your approximate location to show people nearby, plus precise coordinates used solely to calculate the distance between you and other users. Your exact position is never shown to other users and never shared as an address — they only see a rounded distance in kilometres. We also collect device type and app version, push notification tokens, and basic usage data needed to operate the service.
To run and improve the app: matching you with others, delivering messages and notifications, moderating photos and profiles, preventing abuse and fraud, and providing support. We do not sell your personal information.
Profile photos are checked by an automated moderation system to remove nudity, violence, spam and low-quality images, and to confirm a clear human face. Religious head coverings (hijab, niqab, turban) are never a reason for rejection. Selfie verification uses face-matching technology (AWS Rekognition) to confirm the selfie matches your profile photo. Photo moderation uses OpenAI. Only the images needed for each check are sent to these providers, and all selfie frames are deleted from our servers immediately after the check, whatever its result.
Other users see your profile name, age, city, origin, bio, languages, photos, and your verified status. If you fill in the optional "More about me" details (such as height, body type, hair and eye colour, education, occupation, religion, smoking, drinking, children, and relationship goal), these are shown on your profile by default so others can get to know you. Any detail you set to "Prefer not to say" is cleared and not shown. Your email address, password and exact location are never shown to other users. When you like, super like, pass or message someone, only the relevant action is visible to that person.
Photos, videos, GIFs and voice messages shared in chat are automatically deleted from our servers after 24 hours. Text messages are kept while the conversation is active.
To help protect your privacy and deter the unauthorized sharing of images, photos you share in chat and photos shown on other users’ profiles are overlaid with a faint watermark that contains the unique ID of the person viewing them. If a screenshot or copy of a photo is later shared without consent, that watermark can help identify who leaked it. This watermark is applied automatically on the web app and is part of the content we process to keep the service safe.
We use service providers to operate the app: hosting and database (Supabase), push notifications (Expo), AI photo moderation (OpenAI) and selfie verification (AWS Rekognition), and email delivery (Amazon SES). These providers may process your data only to provide those services. We do not sell your data.
You can delete your account at any time from Settings → Delete account. This permanently removes your profile, photos, messages and other personal data. One exception: if another user has reported you, a copy of the conversation between you and the person who reported you is kept for one month after deletion, together with the details of the report, so that our safety team can review it. That copy is used only for moderation and safety, is never shown to other users, and is deleted automatically after that month. Some records may also be retained where required by law or to prevent fraud. Blocked and reported content is kept for moderation and safety purposes.
Depending on where you live (e.g. the EU/EEA under GDPR, Egypt under Law 151/2020, or other laws), you may have the right to access, correct, or delete your data, to object to or restrict processing, and to data portability. You can exercise most rights in the app (edit profile, delete account) or contact us at the address below.
SAWA is strictly for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you believe a user is under 18, report them in the app or contact us and we will investigate and delete the account.
We use industry-standard security: encrypted connections, hashed passwords, and row-level access controls in our database. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, but we work to protect your data.
We may update this policy as the service evolves. Material changes will be notified in the app. Continued use after changes means you accept the updated policy.
Questions or requests: support@sawabase.com or via the in-app feedback form. We respond to privacy requests as soon as possible.