Privacy Policy
Aivara is a dating app for Hindi-speaking singles in India. This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and your rights under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act).
If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use Aivara.
1. Who we are
Aivara is operated by Sathish Nagaraj, an independent developer, who acts as the data fiduciary under the DPDP Act for the data described here. For questions, complaints, access, correction or deletion requests, contact smewritingagency@gmail.com.
2. What we collect
2.1 Information you provide
| Data | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile number (+91) | Sign-up (required) | Account identity, WhatsApp OTP verification, preventing duplicate accounts |
| Email address and Google account name | Google Sign-In | Authentication |
| First name or display name | Onboarding | Shown on your profile |
| Date of birth | Onboarding | Confirming you are 18+, and age-based matching |
| Gender and who you want to meet | Onboarding | Matching |
| State and district | Onboarding | Location-based matching |
| Profile photos | Onboarding, profile edit | Shown to other members |
| Verification selfie | Onboarding (required) | Confirms you are a real person and your photos are of you |
| Interests and values | Onboarding | Matching and profile completeness |
| Bio, occupation, languages, height | Optional | Profile completeness and matching |
| Religion or community | Optional | Matching preferences |
| Messages to Aivara Support | When you contact support in the app | Answering your request |
| Reports you file | When you report someone | Safety investigation |
2.2 Sensitive personal information
Some of this is sensitive: your religion or community, your age, and information that reveals your sexual life (who you are looking to date). We process it only with your consent, given when you complete onboarding, and only to operate matching. Religion and community are optional and matching works without them. We never sell or disclose sensitive personal information for advertising.
2.3 Biometric data (verification selfie)
Verification is a short live check. The app asks you to do one or two simple
actions in front of the camera (for example, turn your head or smile), which shows
the selfie is live and not a photo of a photo. We then use Amazon Rekognition
(DetectFaces and CompareFaces) to:
- confirm the actions were done and the face is clear;
- compare the selfie with your profile photos (a similarity score);
- check that the selfie is consistent with the gender on your profile. If it does not appear to be, we ask you to confirm or correct your gender. We never change it automatically.
The results are used only to decide whether your profile is verified. We do not use your face to identify you elsewhere, build a face database, or share face data with advertisers. Your verification selfie is stored privately and is deleted when you delete your account. If you do not wish to provide a verification selfie, please do not create an account.
2.4 Information collected automatically
| Data | Source | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Approximate location | Device, with permission | Fills in your district and state during onboarding |
| Device and app diagnostics | Firebase Crashlytics | Fixing crashes and bugs |
| App integrity signals | Firebase App Check | Blocking bots and unofficial clients |
| Likes, passes, matches, message timestamps, credits spent | App activity | Operating the feed, matching and credits |
| Purchase and subscription status | Google Play Billing | Unlocking premium features |
You can decline location permission and enter your district and state yourself. We do not track your location in the background or while the app is closed.
2.5 What we do not collect
- We do not read your contacts, SMS or call logs.
- We do not track you across other apps or websites.
- We do not sell personal data.
- We do not store your Google password.
3. Phone-number verification
Your mobile number is verified with a one-time code sent over WhatsApp. We also store a one-way hash of it to prevent duplicate accounts and ban evasion. Your number is never shown to other members.
4. What other members can see
| Visible to signed-in Aivara members | Never visible to other members |
|---|---|
| Display name, age, district and state | Your mobile number |
| Profile photos | Your email address |
| Bio, occupation, languages, height | Your exact location |
| Religion or community, if you add it | Your verification selfie |
| Verified badge | Credit balance, trust score, purchase history |
| Interests, values and dating prompts | Reports you have filed |
Aivara profiles are kept separate from other apps we operate. An Aivara profile is never shown in Anril, Cheruva, Thammil or Liyag.
5. Who we share data with
| Processor | Data | Purpose | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase | Account data, profiles, photos, chats, diagnostics | Sign-in, database, storage, chat, crash reporting, app integrity | India (Mumbai) and Singapore |
| Amazon Web Services Rekognition | Verification selfie and profile photos | Liveness, face comparison and gender consistency check | Mumbai, India |
| OpenAI | Uploaded photos, profile text and reported message text | Automated moderation of explicit or abusive content | United States |
| MSG91 | Mobile number | WhatsApp OTP delivery | India |
| Google Play Billing | Purchase tokens and subscription status | In-app purchases | Google Cloud |
| Google AdMob | Ad interaction signals | Optional rewarded ads | Google Cloud |
We may also disclose information where required by law, court order or a lawful request from competent authorities, or where necessary to investigate fraud, abuse or a threat to someone's safety.
5.1 Cross-border processing
Data may be processed in India, Singapore and the United States as described above. By using Aivara, you consent to this processing, subject to the protections that apply under Indian law.
6. Retention
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account and profile data | Until you delete your account |
| Photos and verification selfie | Until you delete your account |
| Chat messages | Until the match ends or the account is deleted |
| Reports and moderation records | As needed for safety and legal defence |
| Purchase records | As required by tax and accounting rules |
| Crash logs | Up to 90 days |
Accounts inactive for 90 days may be deleted along with their chats. See how to delete your account.
7. Your rights under the DPDP Act
- Be informed about why we process your data.
- Access a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Correct inaccurate personal data.
- Delete your account and personal data, subject to lawful retention.
- Withdraw consent for optional processing such as location.
- Obtain grievance redressal.
- Nominate someone to exercise your rights if you cannot.
Selfie and phone verification are conditions of having an Aivara account, so withdrawing consent for them means deleting your account.
Email smewritingagency@gmail.com to exercise these rights. We aim to respond within 15 working days and may ask you to confirm your identity. You can delete your account any time in Profile → Delete Account.
8. Security
- App traffic is encrypted with TLS.
- Firebase Security Rules restrict who can read and write each record.
- Credits, subscriptions, verification status and trust score are controlled on our servers, not in the app.
- Server credentials are never shipped in the app.
- Firebase App Check helps block tampered or unofficial clients.
No system is perfectly secure. If a breach creates a real risk of serious harm, we will notify you as required by law.
9. Children
Aivara is strictly for adults 18 years and older. We refuse under-18 sign-ups and delete accounts we learn belong to minors. We have zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation. See our Child Safety Standards.
10. Advertising
Aivara may show optional rewarded video ads through Google AdMob. We never pass profile data, photos or messages to advertisers. AdMob may use your device's advertising ID, which you can reset or limit in Android settings under Settings → Google → Ads.
11. Changes
We will update this page and its date when our practices change, and tell you in the app before significant changes take effect where required.
12. Contact
Email: smewritingagency@gmail.com
Expected response: within 15 working days