Privacy & Policy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Privacy Policy for Friendme.ca

Effective Date: June 28, 2026

Welcome to Friendme.ca. Your privacy, data autonomy, and safety are our highest priorities. This Privacy Policy outlines how Friendme.ca (collectively, “the Service,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, stores, discloses, and protects your personal information.

This policy is designed to ensure strict compliance with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), and applicable Canadian privacy standards. By creating an account, interacting with the platform, or using Friendme.ca, you explicitly consent to the data collection, utilization, and protective practices described in this policy.

1. Age Eligibility and Protection of Minors

Friendme.ca is strictly intended for individuals who are at least eighteen (18) years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect, solicit, or maintain personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If we discover or are notified that an individual under 18 has created an account, we will immediately terminate the account and permanently purge all associated personal data from our systems without prior notice.

2. Information We Collect

To provide intentional connection services, we collect the following categories of information:

• Registration Data: Your name, email address, date of birth, gender, and geographical location.

• Profile Data: Photos, interests, biographical details, and connection preferences that you voluntarily choose to display publicly on your profile.

• Sensitive Data: Information regarding your sexual orientation (orientation), personal beliefs, background, or religion. This information is provided entirely at your discretion for the sole purpose of enhancing your matchmaking compatibility.

• Technical and Usage Data: Your Internet Protocol (IP) address, device type, operating system (OS), and essential system logs. We utilize “cookies” and similar session identifiers strictly to maintain your active secure login, manage user chat sessions, optimize site performance, and protect against automated security threats. We do not utilize tracking cookies for behavioral profiling or advertising.

3. How We Use Your Information & Our Communication Policy

Friendme.ca operates under a strict minimal-communication model. We do not engage in email marketing, third-party promotional campaigns, tracker-based external advertising, or newsletter distribution.

We use your data strictly to:

• Create, maintain, authenticate, and secure your user account.

• Display your profile safely to compatible members within the platform environment.

• Ensure the safety, security, and operational integrity of our users and platform.

• Communicate with you solely for critical, account-specific administrative purposes. This includes vital communications regarding your account status, safety or security alerts, fraud prevention, password resets, direct administrative inquiries related to your profile, or systemic issues directly impacting your user experience. By creating an account, you consent to receive these essential, transaction-based administrative communications.

4. Data Storage, Cross-Border Transfers, and Disclosures

• Data Residency and Cross-Border Transfers: Your personal data is stored on secure, access-controlled servers. To maintain structural performance and hosting security, your data may be processed on or transferred to servers located outside of Canada. When data is processed outside of Canadian jurisdiction, it may be subject to the lawful access requirements of local government authorities, courts, or law enforcement agencies within those foreign jurisdictions.

• Third-Party Service Providers: We do not sell, rent, trade, or distribute your personal data to third parties for marketing, commercial, or advertising purposes. We share data exclusively with trusted third-party technical service providers (such as secure web hosting, database infrastructure, encryption services, and payment gateway processors) who require access to perform vital site infrastructure functions. These providers are contractually and legally bound to protect your privacy to the same standards outlined in this policy and are forbidden from using your data for any independent purposes.

• Legal Disclosures: We reserve the right to disclose your personal information if required to do so by law, court order, or lawful government request, or if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to protect our legal rights, defend against liability, or ensure the personal safety of our users or the general public.

5. Data Retention, Deletion, and Accountability Protocol

• User-Initiated Deletion: You may request the permanent closure and deletion of your account at any time through your account settings panel. Upon submitting a deletion request, your profile will be immediately hidden from public view.

• Permanent Purging & Retention Exceptions: Your personal data will be systematically purged or irreversibly anonymized from our active databases. However, you acknowledge and agree that we may retain specific transactional, communication, or account history records for a reasonable, limited window if strictly necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve active disputes, prevent ongoing fraud, or enforce our platform’s Terms of Service (ToS).

• Absence of Email Confirmation: To maximize data security and ensure that no further electronic footprint or communication is tied to a closed account, Friendme.ca does not issue an automated email confirmation upon the completion of account deletion. The successful execution of the deletion command inside your user dashboard is final and binding.

6. Third-Party Links and Embedded Content

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or integrated plugins (such as payment processing modules). This Privacy Policy applies solely to Friendme.ca. We do not exercise control over, and assume no responsibility or liability for, the content, privacy policies, or data handling practices of any third-party websites, frameworks, or external links. We encourage you to read the privacy statements of any external site you choose to visit.

7. Limitation of Liability and “As-Is” Data Disclaimer

While we implement robust, industry-standard administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, loss, or theft, no method of data transmission over the internet or electronic storage system is one hundred percent (100%) secure.

Consequently, we cannot guarantee or warrant the absolute, infallible security of your data. You acknowledge that you provide your personal information at your own discretion and risk. Friendme.ca, its owners, and its operators shall not be held liable for any unauthorized access, data intercept, or third-party breach that occurs outside of our direct, negligent control.

8. Your Legal Rights (Alberta Personal Information Protection Act [PIPA] & Canada Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act [PIPEDA])

Under Canadian privacy legislation, you possess distinct, legally protected rights regarding your personal information. You may request to:

• Access the specific personal information we hold about you.

• Request a correction to any inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete data on your profile.

• Withdraw your consent for data processing at any time. Please note that because our service relies inherently on processing your profile data to function, withdrawing consent will result in the immediate closure and deletion of your account.

9. Statutory Breach Notification

In the highly unlikely event of a data security breach that poses a “real risk of significant harm” to our users, Friendme.ca will notify the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) of Alberta, federal Canadian authorities where applicable, and all affected users without unreasonable delay, in strict accordance with statutory reporting laws.

10. Changes to this Privacy Policy

Friendme.ca reserves the right to modify, amend, or restructure this Privacy Policy at any time entirely at our sole discretion. Any modifications will be made public by updating the “Effective Date” prominently displayed at the top of this document. It is the user’s responsibility to periodically review this page. Your continued maintenance of an active account following a posted policy update constitutes explicit, legally binding acceptance of the revised privacy practices.

11. Contact Our Privacy Officer

If you have any questions about this document, wish to report a privacy or data security concern, or want to formally exercise your data access or correction rights under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) / Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), please reach out directly to our designated Privacy Officer. You can contact them through the Contact form link located permanently in the footer of our website.