Privacy Policy

Introduction

ChatSalon is an interest-based social platform for video, audio, and text chat. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect and how we use it. On our mobile app, an account (via Sign in with Apple) is required. On the web, you may use ChatSalon without an account.

Information We Collect

• •Account information (mobile app) — when you sign in with Apple, we receive your Apple ID, display name, and email address (if shared). This is stored securely to manage your account.
• •Profile information — display name and selected interests, used for interest-based matching.
• •Temporary session IDs — randomly generated and discarded when you disconnect.
• •IP address — used solely to determine your approximate country for display purposes via a third-party geolocation service. Not stored persistently.
• •Push notification tokens — if you grant permission on mobile, we store your device push token to send engagement notifications. You can disable this at any time in your device settings.
• •Block and report data — if you block or report a user, we store this information to enforce blocks and investigate reports.
• •Camera and microphone streams — transmitted peer-to-peer via WebRTC. We do not record, store, or have access to your audio or video streams.

How We Use Information

• •Match you with other users for chat sessions.
• •Display approximate location (country) to chat partners.
• •Send push notifications when someone is waiting to chat (mobile only).
• •Investigate and act on user reports for content moderation and safety.
• •Maintain and improve the service.

Camera & Microphone

ChatSalon uses your device camera and microphone for video and audio chat. Media streams are transmitted directly between users via WebRTC (peer-to-peer) and are not routed through or recorded by our servers. You can revoke camera and microphone permissions at any time through your device or browser settings.

Push Notifications

On mobile devices, we may request permission to send push notifications. These notifications inform you when someone is looking for a chat partner. Push tokens are stored on our server and associated with a temporary session ID. You can disable notifications at any time in your device settings or in the app settings.

Data Retention

Chat messages are held in server memory only during an active session and are not persisted to any database. Session data (IDs, connection info) is discarded when you disconnect. Account data (mobile app) is retained until you delete your account. Block lists and user reports may be retained for a reasonable period to support content moderation and safety.

Third-Party Services

• •Apple Sign-In — for account authentication on the mobile app.
• •ip-api.com — for IP-based geolocation (country lookup).
• •Expo Push Notification Service — for delivering push notifications to mobile devices.
• •STUN/TURN servers — for establishing peer-to-peer WebRTC connections.

These services may process your IP address or device tokens in accordance with their own privacy policies.

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may disclose information in the following limited circumstances:

• •To comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request.
• •To enforce our Terms of Service, including investigation of potential violations.
• •To detect, prevent, or address fraud, security, or technical issues.
• •To protect against harm to the rights, property, or safety of ChatSalon, our users, or the public as required or permitted by law.
• •To report suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and/or relevant law enforcement, as required by law.

Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your data:

• •Right to access — request a copy of any personal data we hold about you.
• •Right to deletion — request that we delete your personal data. See our Data Deletion page or email privacy@chatsalon.com.
• •Right to correction — request that we correct inaccurate data.
• •Right to opt out — you may opt out of push notifications at any time via your device settings.
• •Right to non-discrimination — we will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@chatsalon.com. We will respond within 30 days.

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). We do not sell personal information. You may request to know what personal information we collect, request deletion, and opt out of any future sale of personal information. To exercise these rights, email privacy@chatsalon.com.

European Users (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, our legal basis for processing your data is legitimate interest (providing and securing the service). You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, data portability, and to object to processing. To exercise these rights, email privacy@chatsalon.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Children's Privacy

ChatSalon is intended for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18. If you believe a minor is using the service, please report them immediately using the in-app report feature and selecting "Underage user." We will take prompt action, which may include terminating the session and reporting to the appropriate authorities.

Law Enforcement

We may preserve and disclose information if we believe in good faith that doing so is necessary to comply with a law, regulation, or legal request; to protect the safety of any person; to address fraud, security, or technical issues; or to protect ChatSalon's rights or property. We will report any apparent child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to NCMEC and relevant law enforcement as required by law.

Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data. WebRTC connections use DTLS-SRTP encryption for all media streams. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected in the app and on our website. Continued use of ChatSalon after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this privacy policy or your data, please contact us at privacy@chatsalon.com.