Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Meridian ("we", "us") is a matchmaking service for people seeking marriage. It is operated by [Legal entity name], ABN [ABN], [registered address]. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

Privacy questions and requests: [privacy@domain].

2. What we collect

• Account details - your email address, an optional mobile number, and your password (stored only as a one-way hash we cannot read).
• Profile details - the information you choose to add: name, date of birth, gender, location, photos, education, occupation, languages, height, marital status, family, lifestyle and partner preferences, and who the profile is for (for example a parent creating a profile for their child).
• Community and background - if you choose to add them, details such as your community, religious tradition or cultural background. These are sensitive information under the Privacy Act, and we collect them only with your consent.
• Activity on the service - interests you send and receive, messages between connected members, reports you make, and your notification and privacy choices.
• Payments - if you buy Premium, the plan, amount, date and invoice. Card details are entered on Stripe's page and never reach us.
• Consent records - what you agreed to, which version, and when; and, where our settings allow, the IP address and browser used at the time, as evidence of that agreement.
• Technical information - security and diagnostic logs (for example sign-in attempts). We use only the cookies needed to keep you signed in and protect forms; we do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

3. Why we use it

• To create and secure your account, and verify your email address and mobile number.
• To review profiles before they go live, so members meet real people.
• To show your profile to other approved members - only if you turn on profile visibility - and to show you theirs.
• To deliver interests, messages and the notifications you have chosen.
• To take payment for Premium, issue invoices and handle refunds.
• To keep members safe: investigating reports, enforcing our Terms, and preventing fraud and abuse.
• To meet our legal obligations, including tax and consumer law.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

4. Who can see your information

• Visitors (people who are not signed in) can see your basic card once your profile is approved and your profile visibility is on: your first name, your age range, and your location at the precision you choose. Your photo appears to visitors only if you choose "Everyone" in Privacy settings; otherwise visitors see no photo. Nothing else on your profile is shown to visitors.
• Other members see your profile only after it is approved and only if you have turned on profile visibility. Your photos are visible only if you choose "Signed-in members" in Privacy settings, and your location is shown at the precision you choose (country, state or city). Your email address and mobile number are never shown on your profile.
• Connected members - when an interest is accepted you can message each other. Contact details are shared only if you both choose to share them.
• Our staff see what they need for their role: reviewers see submitted profiles; Trust & Safety sees reports and the content reported; finance staff see payment records. Staff access is logged.

5. Service providers, and information held overseas

We use trusted providers to run the service, under contracts that require them to protect your information:

• Stripe - card payments (Stripe may process data in the United States).
• [Email provider, e.g. SendGrid] - sending account and notification emails (United States).
• [Hosting provider] - servers and databases, located in [Australia].

Where information is disclosed overseas we take reasonable steps under APP 8 to ensure it is handled consistently with the APPs.

6. Keeping it safe, and how long we keep it

We use encryption in transit, hashed passwords, access controls and audit logging. Photos are stored privately and served only to people permitted to see them.

We keep your information while your account is open. When you close your account your profile is removed from the service immediately. Remaining personal information is deleted or de-identified within 30 days, except records we must keep by law - such as payment and tax records (generally five to seven years) and consent records that evidence what you agreed to - and reports other members made about you, which we keep as safety records. Messages you sent stay in the other member's conversation with their text removed, so their side of it still makes sense.

7. Your choices and rights

• Access and correction - you can view and edit most of your information yourself in your profile and Settings. You can also ask us for a copy of what we hold, or to correct it.
• Consent - you can change optional consents (profile visibility, notifications, marketing, contact sharing) at any time in Settings → Consent.
• Close your account - in Settings, at any time.
• Complaints - contact us first at [privacy@domain]; we aim to respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

8. Changes to this policy

Each version of this policy is numbered. If we make a material change we will ask you to read and agree to the new version the next time you sign in.