Privacy Policy

Welcome to Azdawaj ("we", "us", or "our"). We operate the matrimonial platform at azdawaj.com (the "Service") designed exclusively for the Shia Muslim community worldwide.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Service. Please read this policy carefully. If you disagree with its terms, please discontinue use of the Service.

We are committed to full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, the Indian Personal Data Protection Act, and other applicable privacy laws in jurisdictions where we operate.

2.1 Information you provide directly:

• Registration details: full name, email address, date of birth, gender, and password.
• Profile information: photos, biography, education, occupation, location, and partner preferences.
• Sect and religious affiliation (Ithna Ashari, Ismaili, Zaydi, Bohra, or other).
• Identity verification documents: government-issued ID (passport, national ID, driving licence) — used only for verification, not stored after review.
• Communications: messages sent through our platform and enquiries sent to our support team.
• Payment details: processed securely by our payment provider; we do not store raw card numbers.

2.2 Information collected automatically:

• Device information: IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers.
• Usage data: pages visited, features used, time spent, and clickstream data.
• Log data: server logs including access times and error reports.
• Location data: approximate location derived from your IP address (not GPS unless explicitly permitted).

2.3 Sensitive personal data:

We collect information about your religious beliefs and sect affiliation, which constitutes sensitive personal data under GDPR. We process this only with your explicit consent and solely for the purpose of facilitating compatible matches within the Shia Muslim community.

We use your information for the following purposes:

• To create and manage your account and provide access to the Service.
• To facilitate matches by showing your profile to other verified members based on compatibility.
• To enable messaging between mutually matched users.
• To verify your identity and ensure the authenticity of our community.
• To send you notifications about matches, messages, and account activity.
• To send marketing communications (only with your explicit consent, which you may withdraw at any time).
• To process payments and manage your Premium subscription.
• To improve our Service through analytics and user feedback.
• To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent activity, abuse, and violations of our Terms.
• To comply with our legal obligations.

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

4.1 With other members:

Your public profile (name, age, photos, bio, location, and preferences) is visible to verified members of Azdawaj according to your privacy settings. Your email, phone number, and identity documents are never shared with other members.

4.2 With service providers:

We share data with trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating the Service, including:

• Cloud hosting providers (for data storage and infrastructure)
• Payment processors (for billing and subscription management)
• Email and notification service providers
• Analytics providers (aggregated, anonymised data only)
• Identity verification services

All service providers are contractually bound to protect your data and may only use it for the specific services they provide to us.

4.3 Legal requirements:

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or government authority, or where we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Azdawaj, our members, or the public.

4.4 Business transfers:

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal data:

• All data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.3 and at rest using AES-256 encryption.
• Messages between matched users are end-to-end encrypted — not even Azdawaj staff can read them.
• Access to personal data within our organisation is strictly limited on a need-to-know basis.
• We conduct regular security audits and penetration testing.
• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt with a high cost factor and are never stored in plain text.
• Two-factor authentication is available and recommended for all accounts.

Despite these measures, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security and encourage you to use a strong, unique password and enable two-factor authentication.

Under GDPR and applicable privacy laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@azdawaj.com. We will respond within 30 days. Identity verification may be required before we can process your request.

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on Azdawaj.

Types of cookies we use:

• Essential cookies: required for the Service to function (authentication tokens, session management). Cannot be disabled.
• Functional cookies: remember your preferences (language, notification settings).
• Analytics cookies: help us understand how you use the Service (aggregated, anonymised data). You can opt out.
• Marketing cookies: used to show relevant content. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.

You can manage or disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the Service.

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy:

• Active account data: retained for the duration of your account plus 30 days after deletion.
• Messages and match history: deleted immediately when you or your match requests deletion, or within 30 days of account closure.
• Identity verification documents: permanently deleted within 7 days of successful verification.
• Payment records: retained for 7 years as required by financial regulations.
• Security logs: retained for 12 months to detect and investigate potential fraud.
• Anonymised analytics: may be retained indefinitely as they cannot identify you.

When you delete your account, we initiate permanent deletion of all your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

Azdawaj is strictly intended for adults aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.

If we become aware that a minor has provided us with personal data, we will immediately delete their account and all associated data. If you believe a minor has created an account, please contact us at support@azdawaj.com immediately.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other reasons. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
• Send you an email notification at your registered email address.
• Display a prominent notice within the app for at least 30 days.

Your continued use of Azdawaj after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact our Data Protection team: