PRIVACY POLICY
Last updated: January 30, 2026
OnlyDeaf (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application designed for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
OnlyDeaf operates in two modes: Social Mode (our primary social networking experience) and Dating Mode (optional dating features). This policy covers both modes.
1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT
Personal Information:
- Name, age, gender, and date of birth
- Email address and phone number
- Profile photos and videos
- Intro verification videos (required within 72-hour grace period)
- Location data (with your permission)
- ASL proficiency and communication preferences
- Hearing status and accessibility needs
- Dating preferences and interests (if using Dating Mode)
Social Content (Social Mode):
- Posts (“gossip”), stories, reels, and threads you create
- Comments, likes, and reactions
- Direct messages and conversations
- Event details and RSVPs
- Marketplace listings and transactions
- Hashtags and topics you engage with
Usage Information:
- App usage patterns and interactions
- Messages and communication data
- Feed engagement (views, likes, comments, shares)
- Video watch time and content preferences
- Device information and identifiers
- Push notification tokens
- Dating swipe patterns and match information (if applicable)
2. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
We use your information to:
- Create and maintain your profile(s)
- Verify user authenticity through intro videos
- Display your social content to other users
- Power the “For You” algorithmic feed based on your interests
- Facilitate connections with other users
- Improve our matching and recommendation algorithms
- Send you notifications about activity, matches, and messages
- Provide customer support
- Ensure platform safety and security
- Process subscription payments and creator payouts
- Send important updates about our service
- Moderate content for community guideline violations
3. AI-POWERED FEATURES
We use Claude AI (by Anthropic) to enhance your experience:
- Profile Summaries: AI analyzes your recent posts to generate “About this creator” insights
- Trending Analysis: AI summarizes what’s trending across the community
- Content Categorization: AI helps tag and categorize content for discovery
- Algorithm Summaries: AI generates personalized “Lately you’ve been into...” insights
AI processing is performed via secure Cloudflare Workers. Your content is analyzed to improve your experience but is not used to train AI models. AI-generated content is cached temporarily (6-24 hours for trending, 7 days for profile summaries).
4. AUTOMATED CONTENT (NEWS BOTS)
OnlyDeaf features automated news bot accounts that post content sourced from external platforms (such as Twitter/X). These accounts are clearly marked as bots and provide curated news relevant to the deaf community. Bot-posted content originates from public social media sources and is adapted for our platform.
5. CREATOR MONETIZATION
If you participate in the Creator Program:
- We track view counts on your content (premium viewers only, 3+ second views)
- We calculate your share of the monthly revenue pool
- We process creator subscription payments
- We maintain records of earnings and payouts
- We may verify your identity for payout processing
Creator earnings data is kept confidential and used only for revenue calculations and tax reporting purposes.
3. AI-POWERED FEATURES
We use Claude AI (by Anthropic) to enhance your experience:
- Profile Summaries: AI analyzes your recent posts to generate “About this creator” insights
- Trending Analysis: AI summarizes what’s trending across the community
- Content Categorization: AI helps tag and categorize content for discovery
- Algorithm Summaries: AI generates personalized “Lately you’ve been into...” insights
AI processing is performed via secure Cloudflare Workers. Your content is analyzed to improve your experience but is not used to train AI models. AI-generated content is cached temporarily (6-24 hours for trending, 7 days for profile summaries).
4. AUTOMATED CONTENT (NEWS BOTS)
OnlyDeaf features automated news bot accounts that post content sourced from external platforms (such as Twitter/X). These accounts are clearly marked as bots and provide curated news relevant to the deaf community. Bot-posted content originates from public social media sources and is adapted for our platform.
5. CREATOR MONETIZATION
If you participate in the Creator Program:
- We track view counts on your content (premium viewers only, 3+ second views)
- We calculate your share of the monthly revenue pool
- We process creator subscription payments
- We maintain records of earnings and payouts
- We may verify your identity for payout processing
Creator earnings data is kept confidential and used only for revenue calculations and tax reporting purposes.
Information Sharing, Data Security, User Rights
6. INFORMATION SHARING
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information. We may share information:
- With other users as part of the social/matching service
- With service providers who help operate our platform (listed below)
- When required by law or to protect our rights
- In connection with a business transfer or merger
- With your explicit consent
Third-Party Service Providers:
- InstantDB: Real-time database and storage
- Cloudflare R2: Media storage (photos, videos, stories, reels)
- RevenueCat: Subscription management and payment processing
- Apple App Store: Payment processing and app distribution
- Sentry: Error tracking and crash reporting
- Giphy: GIF search and integration (for threads)
- NSFW.js: Content moderation for uploaded images
7. DATA SECURITY
We implement appropriate security measures to protect your personal information:
- Encryption of data in transit and at rest
- Regular security audits and updates
- Access controls and authentication
- Secure payment processing through Apple/RevenueCat
- Regular backup and recovery procedures
- Intro videos are reviewed only by authorized admins
- Video data is stored securely and deleted upon account termination
- Row-level security rules for database access
8. YOUR RIGHTS AND CHOICES
You have the right to:
- Access, update, or delete your personal information
- Delete your account entirely (in-app, no email required)
- Control your privacy settings (public/private profile)
- Opt out of non-essential communications
- Request data portability
- Withdraw consent for data processing
- File complaints with regulatory authorities
- Block other users from viewing your content
- Report content or users for violations
Location Data, Multi-Account, Accessibility
9. LOCATION DATA
We use location data to:
- Show you potential matches in your area (Dating Mode)
- Display local events and content
- Enable location tagging on threads
You can:
- Enable or disable location services in your device settings
- Control location sharing in the app
- Choose to share approximate rather than precise location
- Delete location history from your profile
10. MULTI-ACCOUNT SUPPORT
OnlyDeaf allows up to 2 social accounts per user:
- Accounts are linked via parent user ID
- Each account maintains separate subscription status
- Account data may be shared for fraud prevention
- Switching accounts is logged for security purposes
11. ACCESSIBILITY AND DEAF COMMUNITY FOCUS
Our app is designed specifically for the Deaf community:
- We prioritize visual communication features
- ASL video messaging is supported
- Text-based communication is optimized
- Accessibility features are built-in
- We respect cultural aspects of Deaf identity
- All user videos require captions
Children’s Privacy, Data Retention, International Transfers
12. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY
Our service is restricted to users 18 years and older.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, we will delete such information immediately.
13. DATA RETENTION
- Active accounts: Data retained while account is active
- Deleted accounts: Personal data deleted within 30 days
- Stories: Auto-expire after 24 hours (archived for premium users)
- Chat messages: Retained per conversation settings
- Content violations: Records retained for safety purposes
- Financial records: Retained as required by law
14. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS
Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers in accordance with applicable privacy laws.
Policy Updates, Contact, California Privacy Rights
15. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy in the app and updating the “Last updated” date.
16. CONTACT US
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
Email: theonlydeaf@gmail.com
For accessibility accommodations or ASL interpretation, please indicate your communication preference when contacting us.
17. CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS
California residents have additional rights under CCPA:
- Right to know what personal information is collected
- Right to delete personal information
- Right to opt-out of sale of personal information (we do not sell data)
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights