Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

lahorechitchat.com is a chat and community platform based in Lahore, Pakistan. lahorechitchat (lahorechitchat.com) is owned and operated by Asad Khalil, who also publishes the official lahorechitchat apps for iPhone and Android. This privacy policy explains what we collect, why, and what you can do about it. Contact: jaunty.mellifluous@gmail.com

2. Information we collect

When you sign up:

• Email address (for account login and notifications)
• Display name and nickname (visible to other users)
• Your confirmation that you're 18 or older (you tick it before signing in), and your age only if you choose to add it to your profile — it must be 18 or over
• City, if you add it (shown on your profile)
• Profile photo (visible to other users)
• Bio and interests (visible to other users)

When you use the site:

• Chat messages you send (stored to display in chat history)
• Direct messages to other users (stored 24 hours by default, then auto-deleted unless saved)
• Voice messages (auto-deleted after 24 hours unless saved)
• IP address and approximate location (used for moderation and abuse prevention)
• Browser type and device info (for security logs)
• Login times and activity timestamps
• Basic usage events — which room you opened, when you sent a message — recorded with a session identifier so we can see how the site is actually used

When you sign in with Google:

• Your email address and name from your Google account
• We never see or store your Google password

When you sign in with Apple:

• Your name and email address from your Apple Account
• If you choose Hide My Email, Apple gives us a private relay address instead of your real one — we never see your real address, and mail we send is forwarded by Apple
• We never see or store your Apple Account password

3. How we use your information

• To provide the chat rooms and direct messages
• To keep the community for adults: everyone confirms they're 18 or older when they join
• To enable other users to find and connect with you
• To send you notification emails (you can turn these off in settings)
• To moderate the platform and respond to reports
• To improve the platform based on usage patterns
• When a room message is deleted, moderators keep a private copy for up to 90 days so they can deal with abuse and improve the safety rules. It's removed sooner if you delete your account.
• To send safety alerts if your account is at risk

4. Who can see your data

• Other users: Your display name, nickname, age, city, photo, bio, and interests are visible to other logged-in users
• Your private messages: Only you and the recipient can see them
• Voice messages: Only you and the recipient can play them. After 24 hours they're deleted unless saved
• Our staff: Admins can review messages flagged via the report system
• Service providers: Supabase (database), Bluehost (hosting), OpenAI/Google (AI-generated content for blog only)

We do not sell your data to advertisers or third parties. There are no ads on the site that share your data.

5. How long we keep your data

• Account data: Kept while your account is active
• Chat room messages: Kept indefinitely unless you delete them or your account
• Direct messages: Kept indefinitely unless either user deletes or 24 hour auto-expiry for voice messages
• Deleted accounts: Removed within 30 days, except for legal/safety records (e.g. abuse reports) which may be kept longer

6. Your rights

You can:

• Access your data — email us anytime to request a copy
• Edit your profile and information from your account settings
• Delete your account by emailing jaunty.mellifluous@gmail.com (we'll process within 7 days)
• Block other users from contacting you (in DMs and chat)
• Report abuse or violations using the 🚨 button on any message
• Opt out of email notifications in My Account settings

7. Cookies, analytics and tracking

We use cookies and browser storage to keep you logged in, remember your preferences (rooms, blocked users, notification settings), and detect abuse. Browser storage data stays on your device.

We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used — which pages and rooms are popular, and how people find us. It sets a cookie containing a randomly generated identifier, and records your approximate location, browser and device type. We have turned off Google Signals and advertising data sharing, so this information is used for our own analytics only and not to build advertising profiles about you. You can opt out entirely using Google's opt-out browser add-on.

We do not use third-party advertising trackers, we do not show ads, and we never sell your data.

8. Security

We use industry-standard practices to protect your data: HTTPS encryption for all traffic, secure password hashing via Supabase, JWT-based authentication, and database-level access controls. However, no system is 100% secure. If you suspect your account has been compromised, contact us immediately.

9. Age requirement

lahorechitchat.com is for users 18 years of age and older only. Everyone confirms they're 18 or older before signing in, and an age added to a profile must be 18 or over (we check it on our server). We don't ask for your date of birth. If you're under 18, do not create an account. If we discover an account belongs to someone under 18, we will delete it immediately.

10. Children's privacy

We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, please report it to jaunty.mellifluous@gmail.com and we'll remove it.

11. International users

lahorechitchat.com is primarily for users in Pakistan. By using the site you consent to your data being processed and stored on Supabase servers (located outside Pakistan).

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy occasionally. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top. If changes are significant, we'll notify you via email or in-app notification.

13. Contact us

Questions, requests, or complaints? Email us at jaunty.mellifluous@gmail.com. We respond within 7 days.