Privacy Policy

PingMee – Privacy Policy

PingMee – Privacy Policy This Privacy Policy explains how PingMee Ltd (“PingMee”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses and shares your personal data when you use the PingMee mobile application and related services (the “App”). We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in accordance with:
  • The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR); and
  • The Data Protection Act 2018. GOV.UK+1
Please read this Policy carefully. By using the App, you acknowledge that you have read and understood it.

What data we collect

Depending on how you use the App, we may collect the following categories of data:

Account and profile data

  • Name, username or display name
  • Date of birth / age (to confirm you are 18+)
  • Email address and/or phone number
  • Password (stored as a secure hash, not in plain text)
  • Profile photo(s)
  • Bio or other details you add to your profile
  • Gender and visibility preferences (e.g. which genders you want to be seen by / see)

Interests and filters

  • Interests and categories you select (e.g. anime, football, books, etc.)
  • Filters you apply (who can see you, who you want to see, distance radius etc.)
These can reveal or imply information about your lifestyle, preferences and, in some cases, potentially sensitive information. We treat these as higher-risk profile data and apply appropriate safeguards.

Location Data

PingMee is a location-based app. With your permission, we may collect:
  • Approximate or precise location from your device (via GPS, Wi-Fi or mobile networks); Apple+1
  • Location “pings” or places where you choose to appear;
  • Time and date of your location updates.
You can control the App’s access to location via your device settings (e.g. “Allow only while using the app”, “Approximate location”, or turning off location entirely).

Government ID and verification data

To verify your identity and age, we may collect:
  • Type of ID document (e.g. passport, driving licence);
  • Images or scans of your ID;
  • ID number, issuing country and expiry date;
  • A selfie or video selfie to match your face to the document;
  • Verification results or status from our identity verification provider.
We use specialist third-party providers for this where necessary. We do not sell or share your ID documents for marketing.

Usage and Technical data

  • Device information (device model, operating system, app version);
  • Unique device identifiers and mobile advertising IDs (if used in future for analytics/ads);
  • IP address, time zone and language;
  • Log data (app open/close times, features used, error logs);
  • Interactions with other users (views, likes, matches, blocks, reports).

Communications and Support

  • Messages you send to us (support requests, feedback);
  • In-app communications content where necessary for safety, moderation,or to investigate reports and technical issues.

How We Collect Data

  • Directly from you when you create an account, edit your profile, change your settings, upload content or contact us;
  • Automatically when you use the App, through cookies/SDKs and similar technologies; TermsFeed+1
  • From your device with your permission (e.g. location, camera, photo library);
  • From verification and fraud-prevention providers when we perform ID or safety checks.

4. Why we use your data (purposes and legal bases)

Under UK GDPR we must have a legal basis for using your data. ICO+1 We process your data for the purposes and on the bases set out below:

4.1 To provide and operate the App – contract

  • Creating and managing your account;
  • Displaying your profile to others and showing you nearby users;
  • Applying your filters (who you see, who sees you, gender and interest preferences);
  • Enabling chat and other features;
  • Providing customer support.
Legal basis: Processing is necessary to perform our contract with you (the Terms & Conditions).

4.2 To verify your identity and age – legitimate interests / legal obligation

  • Confirming you are 18+;
  • Reducing fake accounts, bots and harmful behaviour;
  • Meeting regulatory or platform requirements where applicable.
Legal bases: Our legitimate interests in keeping the platform safe and trustworthy; and, where relevant, compliance with legal obligations.

4.3 To personalise your experience – legitimate interests / consent (for sensitive aspects)

  • Showing you users within a radius (up to 15 miles) and with compatible filters;
  • Recommending profiles based on your preferences and behaviour;
  • Adjusting how visible you are to others based on your settings.
Legal basis: Our legitimate interests in providing a relevant and engaging service. Where personalisation involves more sensitive inferences (e.g. potentially revealing intimate preferences), we will rely on your explicit consent via your settings.

4.4 Location-based features – consent

  • Showing you and others that you are in a general area;
  • Displaying other users around you;
  • Filtering based on distance or location.
Legal basis: Your consent, given through your device’s location permissions and in-app settings. You can withdraw this at any time by changing your device or app settings (though some features may not work without location).

4.5 Safety, security and moderation – legitimate interests / legal obligation

  • Detecting and addressing harassment, hate, spam, scams, and misuse;
  • Investigating reports and enforcing our Terms;
  • Protecting our users and our rights;
  • Preventing, detecting and responding to fraud or illegal activity.
Legal bases: Our legitimate interests in keeping the platform and its users safe; compliance with legal obligations where applicable.

4.6 Analytics and service improvement – legitimate interests

  • Understanding how users interact with the App;
  • Fixing bugs, improving performance and designing new features;
  • Measuring and improving engagement and retention.
Legal basis: Our legitimate interests in running and improving our business, provided we balance this against your privacy rights and minimise the impact.

4.7 Marketing (if used) – consent / legitimate interests

  • Sending you emails or in-app messages about new features, updates, or promotions;
  • Showing you non-intrusive recommendations related to the App.
We will ask for your consent where required by law (e.g. certain direct electronic marketing). You can opt out at any time via the unsubscribe link or app settings.

4.8 Legal and compliance – legal obligation

  • Keeping necessary records;
  • Responding to lawful requests from authorities;
  • Enforcing or defending legal claims.

5. Automated decision-making and profiling

We use automated processing to:
  • Decide which users to show you in the App (based on distance, preferences, interests);
  • Decide who can see your profile (based on your filters).
These processes affect your in-app experience but do not involve decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects for you. You can influence this by adjusting your settings, changing filters, or deleting your account.

6. Who we share your data with

We may share your data with:

6.1 Service providers

Trusted third parties who help us operate the App, such as:
  • Cloud hosting and storage providers;
  • Analytics and crash-reporting services;
  • Content moderation and safety tools;
  • Identity verification and fraud-prevention providers;
  • Communication tools (email, push notification services).
These providers act on our instructions and are bound by contracts that protect your data.

6.2 Other users

Some information is visible to other users, depending on your settings, such as:
  • Your username and profile photo;
  • Your bio, interests, and other profile details;
  • Your approximate location area or presence in an area (not your exact address);
  • Whether you are online or recently active.
Messages are generally only visible to the participants, except where accessed by us as described in Section 2.6 and 4.5 for safety and moderation.

6.3 Law enforcement and legal requests

We may share data with law enforcement, regulators or other authorities if:
  • We are legally required to do so; or
  • We believe it is reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of PingMee, our users or the public.

6.4 Business transfers

If PingMee is involved in a merger, acquisition, restructuring or asset sale, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will take reasonable steps to ensure your rights remain protected.

7. International data transfers

Our service providers may be located outside the UK, including in countries that may have different data protection laws. Where we transfer your data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:
  • The UK’s approved Standard Contractual Clauses; and/or
  • Adequacy regulations or equivalent legal mechanisms.
You can contact us for more information about these safeguards.

8. How long we keep your data

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including: For as long as you have an active account;
  • For a reasonable period afterwards (e.g. [up to 6 years]) to deal with
  • potential disputes, legal claims or required record-keeping.
More specifically:
  • Profile and account data: retained while your account is active. If you delete your account, we generally remove your profile from view and then delete or anonymise related data after a reasonable period, subject to legal/legitimate retention.
  • Government ID: stored no longer than necessary to verify your identity and comply with legal requirements. Where possible, we retain only a verification token or status instead of full document copies.
  • Safety and moderation records (e.g. reports, serious breaches): may be retained longer to protect users, enforce our Terms, and handle legal issues.

9. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. knowsley.gov.uk+1 Subject to certain conditions, you have the right to:
  • Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Erasure (“right to be forgotten”): request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
  • Restriction: ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
  • Portability: receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and/or ask us to transfer it to another controller.
  • Object: object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including profiling, and to direct marketing.
  • Withdraw consent: where we rely on consent (e.g. location, some personalisation, marketing), you can withdraw it at any time via settings or by contacting us.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [privacy@pingmee.com]. We may need to verify your identity before responding. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we handle your data. The ICO’s website is available at https://ico.org.uk.

10. Children

PingMee is strictly for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect or process data from anyone under 18. If we become aware that a user is under 18, we will take reasonable steps to close the account and delete or anonymise the data, subject to legal requirements.

11. Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction or alteration. These include:
  • Encryption in transit and at rest where appropriate;
  • Access controls and least-privilege principles;
  • Regular monitoring and logging.
However, no system is completely secure. You are responsible for keeping your password and device secure.

12. Cookies and similar technologies

If and when we provide a website or use analytics/advertising SDKs, we may use cookies or similar technologies to:
  • Remember your preferences;
  • Understand how the App is used;
  • Improve performance and user experience.
Where required by law, we will ask for your consent to non-essential cookies and provide more detail in a separate Cookie Notice or within the App.

13. Third-party services

The App may contain links to third-party websites, apps or services. This Policy does not apply to them. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. You should review their policies before providing your data.

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top indicates when the latest changes were made. If we make material changes, we will take reasonable steps to notify you (for example, via the App or by email). Your continued use of the App after the updated Policy takes effect means you acknowledge the changes.

15. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact: PingMee Ltd Email: [privacy@pingmee.com]