Cove is built on the idea that your personal life should stay personal. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how we keep it, and who we share it with.
By creating an account, using the service, or otherwise interacting with Cove, you agree to this Privacy Policy and consent to the collection, use, and sharing of your personal data as described here. If you do not agree, do not use Cove.
1. Who is responsible for your data
Cove is the controller of your personal data. The service is operated by the Cove team, reachable at hello@cove.app in Cairo, Egypt. We process your data in accordance with Egyptian Law No. 151 of 2020 on Personal Data Protection and other applicable laws.
2. What we collect
We collect the minimum data needed to run the service safely and honestly.
- Identity and contact data: name, phone number, email address (if you join the waitlist), date of birth, age, gender, and the identifier provided by the authentication service you use.
- Profile data: your area, preferences, interests, answers to any questions we ask, and any photos or other content you choose to upload.
- Sensitive data: information such as religious views and any photos you upload. These may be treated as sensitive personal data under Egyptian law. By submitting your profile, you explicitly consent to our processing of this sensitive data for the purposes below.
- Access and registration data: any credentials, invitations, or codes used to access the service, and the partner or source through which you joined.
- Device and technical data: IP address, browser and device type, operating system, subscription tokens for notifications, and coarse location inferred from your network.
- Usage data: logins, interactions with the service, features you use, messages you exchange after a connection is established, and any reports you submit.
- Communication data: timestamps, durations, and connection status of any real-time interaction. We do not record or store the content of those interactions.
We do not intentionally collect financial information, health records, or precise geolocation. We do not run background checks.
3. Why we use your data
We use your data to:
- create and secure your account and verify that you are at least 18 years old;
- provide and personalize the service, including matching you with other users;
- facilitate communication, media sharing, and other features;
- send reminders, updates, and safety notices;
- improve the service, prevent abuse, and keep users safe;
- enforce our Terms of Service and respond to legal requests;
- produce aggregated, non-identifying statistics.
We rely on your explicit consent, the performance of our agreement with you, our legitimate interest in running a safe service, and compliance with legal obligations.
4. Sharing your data
We do not sell your personal data. Today, we do not share your personal data with anyone except the service providers we need to operate and protect Cove. Those providers act only on our instructions and under confidentiality and security obligations.
In the future, we may share your data with trusted partners, affiliates, or other service providers for the purposes described in this policy or as permitted by law. If the purpose of sharing changes, we will ask for your explicit consent where required by Egyptian law.
We may also disclose your data to comply with a legal obligation, protect our rights or safety, respond to an emergency, or enforce our Terms of Service.
5. International transfers
Our service providers may store or process your personal data outside Egypt. By using Cove, you consent to these transfers. We use appropriate safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses and encryption, and we only work with providers that maintain a reasonable level of data protection.
6. How long we keep your data
We keep your personal data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the service. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your personal data within 30 days, unless a longer period is required for legal, safety, or dispute reasons. Aggregate, de-identified statistics may be kept longer.
7. Security
We use encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and other technical and organizational measures to protect your data. No system is perfectly secure. If we learn of a breach that affects your data, we will notify the Personal Data Protection Center within 72 hours and notify you within three days after that notification, unless prohibited by law.
8. Your rights
Under Egyptian Law No. 151 of 2020, you have the right to:
- access the personal data we hold about you;
- correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
- delete or anonymize your data when it is no longer needed;
- object to or limit certain processing, including for marketing;
- withdraw your consent at any time;
- receive your data in a portable format, where technically feasible;
- be notified of a breach affecting your data.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@cove.app from the address associated with your account. We may ask you to verify your identity. We will respond within the timeframes required by law and may charge a fee only where Egyptian law expressly permits.
9. Marketing and reminders
We send reminders, waitlist updates, and other service messages. You can stop push notifications through your device or browser settings and can unsubscribe from email by following the link in any email. We keep marketing consent records for at least three years as required by Egyptian law.
10. Children
Cove is not for anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we discover that someone under 18 has created an account, we will delete the account and associated data as soon as possible.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as Cove evolves. If we make material changes, we will post the updated policy and, where appropriate, notify you through the app or by email. Your continued use of Cove after the changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.
12. Contact us
For privacy questions, data requests, or complaints, contact us at hello@cove.app.