Privacy Policy

Effective Date: April 15, 2026
Last Updated: April 15, 2026

Introduction

Walima ("we," "our," or "us") is an AI-powered matrimonial platform designed to help Muslim individuals and families find verified, compatible life partners through intelligent matchmaking technology rooted in Islamic values. The platform is accessible via our website (walima.app) and our mobile applications available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store (collectively, the "Platform").

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal data you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, how we protect it, and what rights and choices you have. It applies to all users of the Platform, whether you are browsing, creating a profile, using our AI matching features, communicating through our chat system, or making payments.

By accessing or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

1. Applicable Laws and Standards

This Privacy Policy is designed to comply with:

The Personal Data Protection Ordinance (PDPO) 2025 of Bangladesh
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union and United Kingdom
The California Consumer Privacy Act and California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA)
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of the United States
Google Play Developer Program Policies, including Data Safety requirements
Apple App Store Review Guidelines, including App Privacy labels and privacy manifests
Other applicable regional data protection laws, including LGPD (Brazil), PDPA (Singapore), and PIPEDA (Canada)

2. Information We Collect

We collect information to provide, improve, and secure our matchmaking services. The types of information we collect fall into three categories.

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you register, create a profile, or interact with the Platform, you voluntarily provide:

Account Registration Data: Full name, email address, phone number, password, date of birth, and gender. During registration, you complete phone OTP verification and email verification.
Profile Information: Country, city or district, marital status, height, weight, complexion, blood group, religious information, educational qualifications, profession, income range, working sector, and a personal bio.
Family Details: Father's name and occupation, mother's name and occupation, number of siblings, family type, and family financial status.
Partner Preferences: Preferred age range, location, education level, profession, marital status, religious practices, and deal-breakers for your ideal life partner.
Photos and Media: Profile photos and any other content you choose to upload, subject to product limits and privacy settings.
Identity Verification Documents: National ID card (NID) or passport images, and a real-time selfie photograph for identity verification, where verification is enabled.
Guardian or Family Profile Data: If a parent, guardian, or family member creates a profile on behalf of a user, we collect the guardian's relationship to the user and contact information.
Communication Data: Messages you send and receive through our real-time chat system.
Payment Information: Payment details are processed through integrated payment gateways. We do not directly store your full credit or debit card numbers, bank account details, or PINs. We may retain transaction IDs, payment amounts, gateway references, subscription details, and payment status.
Success Stories: If you choose to share your success story, we collect the story text and any photos you submit, published only with your explicit consent.
Messages, feedback, and support requests you send to our customer service team or AI chatbot.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Platform, certain information is collected automatically:

Device Information: Device type, model, operating system and version, unique device identifiers where applicable, screen resolution, language settings, and browser type.
Usage and Activity Data: Features used, profiles viewed, interests sent and received, matches made, search queries, filters applied, pages visited, session duration, login timestamps, and in-app actions.
Log Data: IP address, access times, referring URLs, error logs, crash reports, and API response metrics.
Location Data: With your explicit consent, we may collect approximate location data to provide location-relevant features such as district-based matching and nearby profile suggestions.
Chat Metadata: Message timestamps, delivery and read status, and connection metadata for our real-time messaging system.

2.3 Information from Third-Party Sources

Social Login: If you register or sign in using Google Sign-In or Apple Sign-In, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture as authorized by you through the respective service.
Payment Gateway Confirmations: We receive transaction status confirmations, payment verification responses, and webhook notifications from payment providers.
Analytics Services: We receive aggregated and anonymized usage analytics from integrated third-party services.

3. Sensitive Personal Data

Given the nature of a matrimonial platform, certain data we collect may be classified as sensitive personal data under various privacy laws. This may include:

Religious beliefs and practices
Ethnic origin and cultural background
Identity documents
Selfie verification photographs
Financial information such as income range and payment transactions
Health-related data such as blood group, if provided

We process sensitive personal data only with your explicit consent where required. You may withdraw your consent at any time, though this may limit our ability to provide certain services.

4. How We Use Your Information

4.1 Core Matchmaking Services

To create, display, and manage your matrimonial profile on the Platform
To operate our AI-powered matching algorithm, including preference filters, compatibility scoring, and behavioral learning
To generate AI match recommendations
To facilitate sending and receiving interests, creating matches, and unlocking chat between matched users
To display compatibility scores and AI-generated compatibility summaries between profiles
To power AI-assisted features including bio generation, icebreaker suggestions, and smart reply suggestions

4.2 Account and Identity Management

To register, authenticate, and manage your user account
To verify your identity through document review and selfie comparison
To detect and prevent duplicate, fraudulent, or fake profiles
To manage guardian or family profiles created on behalf of users

4.3 Communication and Notifications

To deliver real-time chat messages between matched users
To send push notifications, email notifications, and SMS notifications for interests, matches, profile activity, and payment confirmations
To operate AI-powered customer support with escalation to human support when needed

4.4 Payment and Subscription Processing

To process premium subscription purchases through integrated payment gateways
To activate, manage, renew, and expire premium subscriptions
To maintain transaction records and financial compliance records
To process refund requests in coordination with payment gateways

4.5 Safety and Moderation

To moderate user content using automated and human review processes
To enforce anti-spam protections and abuse prevention measures
To process user reports and support block functionality
To detect and prevent fraud, unauthorized access, and violations of our Terms of Service

4.6 Improvement and Analytics

To analyze usage patterns, user behavior, and platform performance to improve our services
To improve our AI matching systems through aggregate behavioral learning
To conduct testing, auditing, and security reviews
To improve recommendation diversity and relevance

4.7 Legal Compliance

To comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, and governmental requests
To enforce our Terms of Service and protect our legal rights

4.8 Marketing With Consent

With your explicit opt-in consent, to send promotional communications about new features, special offers, or platform updates

5. AI and Automated Decision-Making

Walima uses artificial intelligence and machine learning in several aspects of the Platform.

AI Matching Algorithm: Our matching system uses hard filters based on your stated preferences, weighted compatibility scoring across multiple profile attributes, and machine learning-based behavioral learning to improve match quality over time.

AI Content Generation: Our AI bio generator creates personalized profile descriptions from your profile data. AI icebreaker and smart reply features suggest contextually relevant messages. These are suggestions only. You always choose what to send.

AI Moderation: AI systems may flag potentially inappropriate photos, detect fake profiles, and identify harassment or spam in chat messages. AI-flagged content is subject to human review before enforcement action is taken.

AI Customer Support: Our AI chatbot handles common queries in Bangla and English and may escalate unresolved issues to human support agents.

No solely automated decision significantly affecting your rights is made without human oversight. Where applicable under law, you may request human review of automated decisions that significantly affect you.

6. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties. We share your information only in the following limited circumstances.

6.1 With Other Users

Your profile information may be displayed to other registered users of the Platform as part of the matchmaking service. You control the visibility of your photos through our privacy settings. Your contact details are not displayed publicly and are only shared through product flows that explicitly support such sharing. Chat messages are visible only to the matched parties involved in the conversation.

6.2 With Service Providers

We engage trusted third-party service providers who process data on our behalf under strict contractual obligations. These may include:

Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers
Payment gateways
Email delivery services
SMS delivery providers
Push notification services
Analytics and crash reporting providers
AI or machine-learning processing services
Application performance monitoring providers

All service providers are bound by data processing agreements or comparable safeguards.

6.3 For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information when required by law, legal process, court order, or governmental request. We may also disclose information where we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Walima, our users, or the public.

6.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you where required before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

6.5 With Your Consent

We may share your data with third parties when you give us explicit consent to do so, such as when you submit a success story for publication.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Typical retention periods include:

Active Account Data: Retained for the duration of your active account and, where applicable, a limited period after deactivation to support reactivation.
Deleted Account Data: Upon permanent account deletion, personal profile data, photos, and chat messages are deleted within operational timelines, unless legal retention is required.
Payment and Transaction Records: Retained as required by financial and tax regulations.
Identity Verification Documents: Retained only as long as necessary for verification, compliance, fraud prevention, or legal obligations.
Support Communications: Retained for a limited period for quality assurance and training purposes.
Audit Logs: Retained for compliance, accountability, and security purposes.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or irreversibly anonymized.

8. Your Rights and Choices

We provide you with tools to manage your data directly through the Platform. Depending on your location, you may have specific legal rights.

8.1 Rights Available to All Users

Access and edit your profile information through the Platform
Control your photo visibility settings
Manage notification preferences
Block and report other users
Deactivate your profile for later reactivation
Permanently delete your account and associated personal data, subject to legal retention requirements

8.2 Rights Under Bangladesh PDPO 2025

Right of ownership over personal data
Right to give or withdraw explicit consent for data processing
Right to access personal data we hold about you
Right to correction of inaccurate data
Right to deletion, subject to legal retention requirements
Right to grievance where supported by law

8.3 Rights Under GDPR for EEA and UK Users

Right of access
Right to rectification
Right to erasure
Right to restriction of processing
Right to data portability
Right to object, including objection to certain profiling
Right not to be subject to solely automated decision-making where applicable
Right to withdraw consent at any time
Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

8.4 Rights Under CCPA and CPRA for California Residents

Right to know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell
Right to delete personal information
Right to opt out of sale or sharing, if applicable
Right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights
Right to correct inaccurate personal information
Right to limit use of sensitive personal information where applicable

8.5 How to Exercise Your Rights

You may exercise your rights by:

Using the in-app tools in Settings > Privacy
Contacting us at privacy@walima.app
Submitting a request through customer support channels

We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

9. Account Deletion

In compliance with applicable app marketplace requirements, you can permanently delete your account and associated personal data through the following methods:

In-App Deletion: Go to Settings > Account > Delete Account.
Email Request: Send an email to privacy@walima.app from the email address associated with your account.

Upon deletion:

Your profile, photos, bio, and personal details will be removed within operational timelines
Your chat messages will be deleted or removed according to system behavior and retention rules
Verification images will be securely destroyed where applicable
Payment transaction records may be retained as required by law
Anonymized, aggregated data that cannot identify you may be retained for analytics

Account deletion is irreversible.

10. Third-Party SDKs and Integrations

The Platform integrates third-party software development kits (SDKs) and services. Each processes data according to its own privacy policy.

Analytics and Performance

Google Analytics for Firebase
Firebase Crashlytics
Sentry
New Relic or Datadog, where applicable

Communication

Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)
SendGrid or equivalent email delivery tooling
SMS delivery providers used for OTP or notification flows

Payment Processing

SSLCommerz
bKash
Nagad
Stripe

AI and Machine Learning

AI model providers used for chatbot or assistive features
Internal ML services for matching and behavioral learning

Advertising, If Applicable

Google AdMob or similar ad services, if ads are displayed

We aim to keep platform privacy disclosures aligned with actual integrations.

11. Data Security

We implement technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data.

Encryption

Data in transit is encrypted using TLS or SSL
Sensitive data at rest is encrypted where applicable
Passwords are hashed and never stored as plaintext

Access Controls

Role-based access control is applied to privileged systems
Administrative actions may be recorded in audit logs
Authentication and session controls are applied to reduce unauthorized access risk

Infrastructure Security

Rate limiting and abuse prevention on relevant endpoints
Domain and origin restrictions where appropriate
Security scanning, testing, and vulnerability assessment practices
Session expiry and monitoring controls

Payment Security

Payment provider verification controls
Duplicate transaction prevention mechanisms
Reliance on payment partners for PCI-aligned card handling

Incident Response

We maintain a data breach response plan. In the event of a breach affecting personal data, we will notify affected users and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

While we implement industry-standard safeguards, no system is completely immune to security threats.

12. International Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence, including countries where our infrastructure, payment gateways, and service providers operate. We use appropriate legal and contractual safeguards where required.

13. Children's Privacy

The Walima Platform is strictly intended for adults only. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18.

If we discover that a user under 18 has created an account, we will suspend the account and delete associated data as appropriate. If you believe a minor has registered on the Platform, contact us at privacy@walima.app.

14. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our web application uses cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

Essential Cookies: Required for platform functionality, authentication, security, and session management
Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Platform and diagnose issues, where consent is required
Preference Cookies: Remember your settings such as language preference and theme selection

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings or cookie consent tools where available.

15. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

We honor applicable privacy signals where legally required, including Do Not Track (DNT) or Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals where supported.

16. Data Safety and App Privacy Disclosures

In compliance with Google Play's Data Safety section and Apple's App Privacy labels, we disclose relevant data collection, usage, sharing, security, and deletion practices according to current platform requirements.

17. Consent Management

We provide granular consent controls, including where applicable:

Consent for profile data processing for matchmaking purposes
Separate consent for location data collection
Consent-based analytics or advertising collection where required
Separate opt-in consent for marketing communications

You may review and update consent preferences through Settings > Privacy where available.

18. Third-Party Links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or services not operated by us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties.

19. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the Last Updated date and provide notice where required by law.

20. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, without overriding mandatory rights you may have under the laws of your jurisdiction.

21. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:

Walima

Email: privacy@walima.app

Support: support@walima.app

Website: https://walima.app/privacy

USA Address: WALIMA LLC, 30 N Gould St Ste R Sheridan, Wyoming 82801, USA

Bangladesh Address: House 1361, Avenue 10, Mirpur DOHS, Dhaka-1216, Bangladesh

For GDPR-related inquiries, you may also contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO):

Email: dpo@walima.app

Complaints may be directed to:

National Data Governance Authority, Bangladesh, once operational under PDPO 2025
Your local EU or UK data protection supervisory authority
The California Attorney General's Office, where applicable
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), United Kingdom, for UK users

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