Privacy Policy & Child Safety Standards

Last updated: December 2024

Room8 ("we," "our," or "us") operates the Room8 mobile application. This Privacy Policy informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data when you use our Service and the choices you have associated with that data.

1. Information We Collect

Unlike many apps, we prioritize your privacy. However, to provide a safe roommate-matching service, we must collect the following:

Personal Identity Information: Name, email address, date of birth, and gender.
User Content: Profile photos, bio descriptions, and lifestyle preferences (e.g., smoking habits, pets).
Verification Data: To ensure safety, we may request a photo of a government-issued ID. Note: ID images are used strictly for one-time verification and are permanently deleted from our servers immediately after the verification decision is made.
Communications: Messages sent via our in-app chat feature.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use the collected data for the following purposes:

To provide and maintain the Service (matching you with roommates).
To notify you about changes to our Service.
To provide customer support.
To monitor the usage of the Service.
To detect, prevent, and address technical issues and fraud.

3. Data Storage and Security

We use Google Firebase (a service by Google) as our backend infrastructure. Your data is stored securely on servers located within the EU (or compliant with GDPR standards).

Encryption: Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest.
Retention: We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.

4. Your Rights (GDPR)

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights:

The right to access: You can request copies of your personal data.
The right to deletion: You can request that we delete your account and all associated data directly within the app settings.
The right to rectification: You can request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate.

5. Third-Party Services

We may employ third-party companies to facilitate our Service ("Service Providers"), such as:

Google Firebase: For authentication, database, and hosting.
Google ML Kit: For on-device text recognition (ID processing).

6. Children's Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 18 ("Children"). We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with Personal Data, please contact us.

7. Child Safety Standards (Prohibition of CSAE)

Room8 is committed to maintaining a safe environment and strictly complies with Google Play’s Child Safety Standards policy.

Prohibition of CSAE
Room8 strictly prohibits Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE). We have a zero-tolerance policy for any content or behavior that sexually exploits, abuses, or endangers children. This includes a strict ban on the solicitation, promotion, or distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).

Reporting and Removal of CSAM
If Room8 identifies or is alerted to the presence of CSAM on the platform, we will:

Immediately remove the content.
Suspend or ban the responsible account.
Report the content and user details to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and relevant law enforcement authorities as required by law.

Child Safety Point of Contact
For specific inquiries or reports regarding child safety, please contact our dedicated safety team at: room8.contactteam@gmail.com

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

By email: room8.contactteam@gmail.com