Privacy Statement
This statement explains what information Qareeb collects when you use the app, how we use it, who can see it, and how you can delete it.
At a glance
| Data | What it is in Qareeb |
|---|---|
| Name | Your display name |
| Photos or Videos | Profile photo; photos and videos you send in halls |
| Other User Content | Chat messages; reports you submit |
| Customer Support | Messages to the Help Team, with basic device information |
| User ID | Anonymous account ID |
| Other Data | Age and gender |
All of this is used only to run the app. It is linked to your anonymous account and is never used for advertising or tracking.
1. About this statement
This statement applies to the Qareeb mobile app. We built Qareeb to need as little personal information as possible: there is no sign-up with a name, email address or phone number.
2. Information we collect
- Account: an anonymous account ID created by Firebase Authentication when you set up your profile.
- Profile: the display name, age and gender you choose, and your profile photo if you add one.
- Messages: the text, photos and videos you send, the hall you sent them in, and the time they were sent.
- Safety: the account IDs of people you block, and any reports you submit (the reported account, the message and the hall).
- Support: messages you send to the Help Team, together with basic device information shown on that screen (operating system and version, app version and your account ID).
- On your device only: your language choice and the profile details above, so the app opens quickly. This stays on your phone and is removed when you delete your account or the app.
3. What we do not collect
We do not collect your real name, email address, phone number, contacts, precise or approximate location, or advertising identifier. Qareeb contains no advertising, does not track you across other apps or websites, and does not sell or share your information for advertising.
4. How we use your information
- To run the chat halls and show your messages and profile to other users.
- To keep the community safe: hiding people you block, reviewing reports and removing content or users that break our terms.
- To answer your support requests.
- To keep the service secure and working, and to prevent abuse.
We process this information because it is needed to provide the service you asked for, and because we have a legitimate interest in keeping Qareeb safe.
5. Who can see your information
Halls are public. Your display name, profile photo and every message, photo and video you send can be seen by anyone using that hall. Your age, gender and support messages are not shown to other users. Reports are seen only by our team. The person you report or block is not told.
6. Service providers and storage
We use Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore and Cloud Storage) to run the app. Google processes this data on our behalf under its data processing terms and does not use it for its own purposes. Our database is hosted in the European Union. Some data may be processed in other countries by Google, under safeguards such as the European Commission's standard contractual clauses. We do not share your information with anyone else unless the law requires it, for example a valid court order.
7. How long we keep it
- Profile, photo and blocked list: until you delete your account.
- Messages, photos and videos: until you delete them (long-press a message → Remove Message), until you delete your account, or until we remove them for breaking our terms.
- Reports and support messages: up to 12 months after they are resolved, unless we need them longer to deal with a safety or legal issue.
8. Deleting your account
Go to My Account → Permanently Remove Account. This immediately deletes your profile, profile photo, blocked list, every message, photo and video you sent in the halls, and your account ID from our servers, and clears the data stored on your device. This cannot be undone.
9. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or receive a copy of your information, and to object to or restrict how we use it. You can edit your profile at any time in My Account and delete your account yourself. For anything else, email qareeb.help@gmail.com or use the Help Team in the app. Because accounts are anonymous, please include your Account ID (shown in My Account) so we can confirm it is your account. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.
10. Security
Information is encrypted in transit between the app and our servers, and access to it is restricted by security rules so that only you can change your profile and blocked list. No system is perfectly secure, so please do not share sensitive personal information in halls.
11. Age requirement
Qareeb is only for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 18, we will delete it.
12. Changes and contact
If we change this statement in an important way, we will tell you in the app before the change takes effect. For any privacy question or request, email qareeb.help@gmail.com or open My Account → Help Team and send us a message.