Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026

FriendsWithBenefits ("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 visit our website FriendsWithBenefits.co.in (the "Platform") or use any of our services. Please read this policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the Platform.

By using the Platform, you consent to the data practices described in this policy. We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time and for any reason. We will alert you about any changes by updating the "Last updated" date of this Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect

We collect information that you provide directly to us, information that is automatically collected when you use our Platform, and information from other sources. The types of information we may collect include:

Personal Information

When you create an account, fill out a profile, or communicate with us, you may provide:

• Identity data: Name or display name, date of birth (to verify you are 20+), gender, and profile photos.
• Contact data: Email address and, if you choose to provide it, phone number.
• Profile data: Your interests, preferences, what you are looking for, your city, and any other information you choose to share on your profile.
• Communication data: Messages you send to other users through our Platform, and messages you send to our support team.

Usage Data

When you access the Platform, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage, including:

• Device information: Browser type, operating system, device type, IP address, and mobile network information.
• Log data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, features used, and the referring URL.
• Location data: Approximate location based on your IP address to show you relevant city-specific content and nearby profiles (where you have enabled this feature).

Information From Other Sources

We may receive information about you from third-party services if you choose to connect your account through them, or from other users (for example, if someone reports a concern about your profile).

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Profile creation and matching: To create and maintain your profile, and to help you discover compatible people in your city based on the preferences you have shared.
• Platform operation: To operate, maintain, and improve the Platform, including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, and feature development.
• Communication: To send you service-related messages (account verification, security alerts, updates to our terms), and to facilitate messaging between users. With your consent, we may also send you newsletters, tips, and community updates.
• Safety and security: To detect, prevent, and address fraud, spam, abuse, and other harmful activity. This includes reviewing reported profiles and messages, and verifying user information where appropriate.
• Improving the service: To understand how people use the Platform so we can make it better. This includes analysing usage patterns, gathering feedback, and identifying which features are most valued.
• Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes, and to respond to lawful requests from public authorities.

Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to provide, improve, and secure our Platform. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help websites remember your preferences and understand how you interact with them.

Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential cookies: These are necessary for the Platform to function properly. They enable core features like account login, security, and session management. The Platform cannot operate without these cookies.
• Analytics cookies: These help us understand how visitors use the Platform — which pages are most visited, how people navigate, and where they spend their time. This helps us improve the experience for everyone. The data collected is aggregate and does not identify individual users.
• Preference cookies: These remember choices you make — such as your city preference or whether you have dismissed a notice — so we can personalise your experience.

Your Cookie Choices

Most web browsers accept cookies by default, but you can usually modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer. Please note that disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of the Platform. You can also clear cookies stored on your device at any time through your browser settings.

We do not currently respond to "Do Not Track" (DNT) signals from browsers, as there is no consistent industry standard for how to interpret them.

Analytics

We may use third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics) to help us understand how the Platform is used. These services collect aggregate data about traffic, page views, session duration, geographic distribution, and device types. This information does not identify you personally.

These analytics providers may use their own cookies and tracking technologies, and their use of your data is governed by their respective privacy policies. We do not share personally identifiable information with analytics providers, and we review the data only in aggregate form to make decisions about improving the Platform.

If you prefer not to be included in analytics tracking, you can use browser extensions or settings to opt out of analytics cookies, or disable JavaScript (though the latter may affect Platform functionality).

Contact Forms

When you submit information through our contact forms — whether to ask a question, report a concern, or request support — we use that information solely to respond to your enquiry. The information you provide through contact forms is:

• Used only for the purpose of addressing your specific enquiry or request.
• Not shared with third parties, except where required by law.
• Retained only as long as needed to resolve your enquiry, after which it is securely deleted or anonymised.
• Not used for marketing purposes unless you have separately and explicitly consented to receive marketing communications.

If you contact us via email at support@FriendsWithBenefits.co.in, your email and any information it contains will be handled with the same level of care.

Your Rights

We respect your rights regarding your personal data. While India's comprehensive data protection framework continues to develop, we are committed to honouring the following principles and rights to the fullest extent possible:

• Right to access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We will provide this in a structured, commonly used format within a reasonable timeframe.
• Right to correction: If the information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you may request that we correct or update it. You can also update much of your profile information directly through your account settings.
• Right to deletion: You may request that we delete your personal data. We will comply unless there is a legal or legitimate business reason requiring us to retain it (for example, to resolve an ongoing dispute or comply with a legal obligation).
• Right to withdraw consent: Where we process your data based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.
• Right to data portability: Where technically feasible, you may request that your data be transferred to another service provider in a commonly used format.
• Right to object: You may object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing. We will honour valid objections wherever possible.
• Right to restrict processing: In certain circumstances, you may request that we restrict the processing of your data while a concern is being investigated.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@FriendsWithBenefits.co.in or through our contact form. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.

Data Retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as it is needed for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by applicable law. Our retention practices include:

• Account data: Your profile information, preferences, and account details are retained for as long as your account remains active. If you delete your account, we will remove your profile information from active databases within a reasonable period. Some data may be retained in backup archives for a limited time before being permanently deleted.
• Communication data: Messages between users are stored for the duration of the conversation. When both users delete the conversation, the data is removed from our active systems. Messages reported to our support team for safety review may be retained as part of the investigation record for a longer period.
• Usage and analytics data: Aggregate, anonymised usage data may be retained indefinitely for analytical purposes. This data cannot be used to identify you individually.
• Legal holds: In some cases, we may need to retain data beyond our standard retention periods — for example, to comply with a legal obligation, resolve a dispute, or enforce our agreements.

Third-Party Services

We may engage third-party companies and individuals to facilitate our Platform, provide certain services on our behalf, or assist us in analysing how the Platform is used. These third parties may include:

• Hosting and infrastructure providers who store and serve our Platform data.
• Analytics providers who help us understand usage patterns (as described in the Analytics section above).
• Customer support tools that help us manage and respond to your enquiries.
• Email service providers that deliver transactional and marketing emails on our behalf.

These third parties have access to your personal data only to perform specific tasks on our behalf and are contractually obligated not to disclose or use your data for any other purpose. Each provider has its own privacy policy governing its handling of data, and we encourage you to review their policies if you have concerns.

Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement industry-standard measures to protect it from unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit (using TLS/SSL) and at rest.
• Access controls that limit who within our team can view personal data, based on their role and need.
• Regular security reviews of our systems and processes.
• Secure development practices to minimise vulnerabilities in the Platform.
• Incident response procedures to address any security concerns promptly.

However, no method of electronic storage or transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with the Platform is no longer secure, please notify us immediately at support@FriendsWithBenefits.co.in.

You also play an important role in keeping your account secure. We strongly recommend that you:

• Use a strong, unique password for your account.
• Do not share your login credentials with anyone.
• Log out of your account when using a shared or public device.
• Notify us immediately if you suspect your account has been compromised.

Adults Only

Our Platform is strictly for adults aged 20 years and over. We do not knowingly collect, use, or disclose personal information from anyone under the age of 18. If we become aware that a person under 20 has provided us with personal data, we will take steps to delete such information from our records as quickly as possible.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child under 20 has provided personal information to us, please contact us immediately at support@FriendsWithBenefits.co.in so we can take appropriate action.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the Platform, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
• Post a prominent notice on the Platform (such as a banner or in-app notification) for a reasonable period.
• Where the changes are significant and we have your contact information, send you an email notification.

Your continued use of the Platform after we post any modifications to the Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. If you do not agree with the changes, you should stop using the Platform and may delete your account. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, we want to hear from you. Please reach out through any of the following channels:

• Email: support@FriendsWithBenefits.co.in
• Contact Form: Visit our Contact page to submit a message directly.

We aim to acknowledge all privacy-related enquiries within 48 hours and provide a substantive response within 14 days. If your concern is urgent, please indicate this in your subject line.

Registered Entity: FriendsWithBenefits
Registered Address: [Address — to be updated]
Company Registration: [Company Registration — to be updated]