Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

BLEND ("we", "us", "our") is a dating and social platform operated from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We are committed to protecting your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Contact: privacy@bl-nd.nl

2. What data we collect

When you use BLEND, we collect:

• Account data: email address, password (encrypted), authentication provider
• Profile data: name, age, gender, neighborhood, bio, interests, photos, coffee order, profile song, prompt answers
• Usage data: likes, passes, matches, date scheduling, chat messages
• Waitlist data: email address and city
• Technical data: device type, browser, IP address (via Firebase Analytics)

3. Why we collect it

We use your data to:

• Provide the BLEND service (show profiles, create matches, plan meets)
• Select a suitable café based on your and your match's neighborhoods
• Enable pre-meet chat functionality
• Send service-related notifications (new matches, upcoming meets)
• Improve the platform and user experience

Legal basis: contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

4. How we store and protect it

Your data is stored on Google Firebase (Firestore, Storage, Authentication) with servers in the EU. All data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest. Access to your data is restricted through Firebase Security Rules — users can only access their own profile and matches they participate in.

5. Who we share it with

We do not sell your data. We share limited data with:

• Other BLEND users: your profile information (name, age, photos, bio, interests, prompts, coffee order) is visible to other authenticated users
• Google Firebase: our infrastructure provider for data storage, authentication, and analytics
• Vercel: our hosting provider

We do not share your data with advertisers or other third parties.

6. Your rights (GDPR)

You have the right to:

• Access: request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: correct inaccurate data via your profile settings
• Erasure: delete your account and all associated data
• Portability: receive your data in a structured format
• Object: object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Withdraw consent: at any time, without affecting prior processing

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@bl-nd.nl or delete your account directly in the app under Profile → Delete account.

7. Data retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, we permanently delete your profile data, photos, matches, and chat messages within 30 days. Anonymized usage data may be retained for analytics.

8. Cookies and analytics

We use Firebase Analytics to understand how the app is used. This may involve cookies or similar technologies. We do not use advertising cookies or trackers.

9. Age requirement

BLEND is intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If we learn that a minor has created an account, we will delete it immediately.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes via the app or email. Continued use of BLEND after changes constitutes acceptance.

11. Contact

Questions or complaints? Contact us at privacy@bl-nd.nl.

You also have the right to file a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) at autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl.