Privacy Policy

This document describes what data we collect about you when you use ThaiSparks, what we do with it, who we share it with, and how you can manage or remove it. It is written in plain language so you can decide whether you want to sign up.

Who we are

ThaiSparks is operated by Demo Labs Pty Ltd (Melbourne, Australia). We are the data controller for personal information you provide to us. Privacy questions: [email protected].

Where this policy applies

This policy applies to ThaiSparks and any other website, app, or service operated by us under the ThaiSparks brand. ThaiSparks is operated for users physically located in Thailand. We do not accept signups from outside Thailand.

What we collect

When you sign up and use ThaiSparks, we collect:

• Account information — your email address (required to sign in), your chosen username, and an account creation timestamp. You can use any username you like; your real name is not required on your profile and your email is never shown to other members.
• Profile information — your display name, age, gender, who you are looking to meet, your city, and any optional fields you fill in (bio, prompts, lifestyle answers).
• Photos — the photos you upload to your profile. We generate resized variants and strip image metadata such as embedded GPS coordinates and camera identifiers before storing them.
• Selfie-comparison data (optional) — if you choose to use our selfie-comparison feature, we collect a short selfie image and derive a numeric "face print" from it. The selfie image and face print are stored to verify subsequent photo uploads against your own face. We do not share these with other members.
• Attribution data — UTM parameters from the link that brought you here, the referring page, and the path you first landed on.
• Security signals — a salted hash of your IP address (we do not store raw IP addresses) and your browser's user-agent string, captured at signup, signin, and other security-relevant moments.
• Usage events — product analytics events describing actions you take inside the app (pages viewed, buttons clicked, profiles browsed). You can opt out of analytics in Settings.
• Messages and reports — the messages you send to other members and any reports you file. We may review these if a member reports you or if our automated systems flag content for moderator review.
• Payment information — if you upgrade to Premium, our payment processor handles your card details directly. We receive a customer reference and the receipt details (last 4 digits of the card, amount, currency, date). We never store your full card number, expiry, or CVV.

Why we collect it

• Matching — showing you other members and letting them see your profile.
• Communication — sending you the sign-in link you request, notifications you have opted into, and operational messages about your account.
• Abuse prevention — detecting and stopping fraud, automated signups, harassment, and other behaviour that violates our Terms.
• Analytics — understanding which parts of the product people use, where they get stuck, and which marketing channels are worth our time.
• Customer support — responding to your questions and resolving issues you report.
• Billing — processing Premium subscription payments and issuing receipts.

Sensitive information

Some of the information you give us is classified as sensitive personal information under the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), which has stricter rules than ordinary personal information. The sensitive information we collect from you is:

• Gender and who you are looking to meet — these can imply sexual orientation. Required to use the matching service.
• Selfie image and biometric face print — only if you choose to complete the selfie-comparison feature. Optional.

We collect this information only with your consent. You give consent when you create your profile (for gender and looking-for) and when you tap to start the selfie-comparison feature (for the selfie and face print). We use this information only to operate the dating service.

You can withdraw consent for the selfie-comparison feature at any time by removing the data in Settings, or by deleting your account. You can withdraw consent for matching by deleting your account (matching is the core service so we cannot run your account without this information).

Who we share it with

By using ThaiSparks, you authorise us to share your personal information with third-party service providers as needed to operate the service. The categories of service providers we use include:

• Cloud infrastructure and content delivery — to host the service, deliver pages and media to your device, and protect against attacks.
• Email delivery — to send sign-in codes, notifications you have opted into, and receipts.
• Payment processing — to take Premium subscription payments and issue receipts.
• Analytics and error tracking — to understand product usage and diagnose bugs.
• Advertising measurement — to measure whether our advertising leads to signups or subscriptions, on our marketing, signup, and payment surfaces only.
• Moderation — to review reported content and enforce our Community Guidelines.
• Law enforcement — where we are required to comply with a lawful request such as a court order or subpoena, or where we believe disclosure is necessary to prevent imminent harm.

Some of our service providers process data outside Australia, including in the United States and Europe. Where they do, we take reasonable steps to ensure they handle your information consistently with this policy.

We do not sell your personal information. On our marketing pages, the signup flow, and the payment screens, we share a limited amount of data — a hashed version of your email address, an account reference, advertising-click identifiers, and your browser type — with advertising partners so we can measure how well our advertising works. This does not happen inside the app while you are browsing or messaging. See our Cookie Policy for details and how to decline.

Email communications

We send you two kinds of email:

• Transactional emails — sign-in codes, receipts, security notices, and important policy or service changes. These are required to operate your account and you cannot unsubscribe from them.
• Marketing emails — product news, weekly digests, and tips. Opt-in only. Every marketing email contains a one-click unsubscribe link, and you can manage marketing preferences in Settings → Notifications & Privacy at any time.

We comply with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). Unsubscribing from marketing email takes effect within five business days; transactional email continues so we can deliver your account service.

Photo verification — what we do and do not do

ThaiSparks does not verify members. We offer an optional selfie-comparison feature that members can choose to complete. If a member has a "selfie-matched" badge, it means only that they completed this optional feature — it does not guarantee identity, age, intent or trustworthiness. We make no representations to other members about you based on whether you have completed this feature.

The selfie image and derived face print are stored on our infrastructure for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, they are deleted with the rest of your data (see retention below).

Showcase consent

If you choose to enable Showcase during onboarding or in Settings, your card photo, first name, age, and city are displayed on our public homepage as part of a social-proof grid of members. The grid does not link back to your profile or expose your full name, date of birth, or contact details. You can turn Showcase off at any time in Settings; turning it off removes you from the public grid within a few minutes.

How long we keep your data

• Account data — kept while your account is active. After you request deletion, we retain a minimal anonymised record for 30 days for fraud-defence purposes, then it is removed.
• Photos — deleted when you delete a specific photo, when you delete your account, or when an account is removed for serious violations.
• Selfie-comparison data — deleted with the rest of your account data.
• Messages — deleted when you delete your account. Otherwise retained for as long as the conversation exists.
• Audit logs of authentication events — retained for seven years to help us investigate fraud and abuse reports. These contain hashed IP addresses and timestamps; they do not contain photos or message content.
• Banned accounts — if an account is permanently removed for serious violations (including any CSAE finding), we may retain minimal account identifiers for up to one year to prevent the same person from re-joining.
• Billing records — retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.

How to access, correct, or delete your data

Most of the data we hold about you is visible and editable inside the app:

• Profile data — Profile → Edit Profile.
• Account settings — Settings → Account.
• Notification preferences — Settings → Notifications & Privacy.
• Analytics opt-out — Settings → Notifications & Privacy.
• Delete account — Settings → Delete Account, or email [email protected] from the email address registered to the account.

Within 14 days of receiving a deletion request, we remove your profile, photos, and other personally identifying information, retaining only the minimal anonymised records described above.

If you need a copy of something that is not visible in the app, write to [email protected] and tell us what you need.

Security and data breaches

We use industry-standard security practices to protect your data, including encryption in transit, salted password storage (where applicable), hashed IP addresses, restricted internal access, and routine security review. No internet service can guarantee absolute security; please use a strong unique password on your email account and keep your device locked.

If a data breach is likely to result in serious harm to you and we cannot prevent that harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

Age policy

ThaiSparks is strictly for adults aged 18 and over. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 18, we remove it immediately. Photos of any minor are prohibited anywhere on the service, including in profile photos, messages, and selfie comparisons.

Your rights under Australian Consumer Law

Nothing in this policy limits your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. Those rights apply to services we provide and cannot be excluded by contract. If you believe we have not handled your personal information with reasonable care, contact [email protected] and we will respond.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes (changes affecting what we collect, who we share it with, or how long we keep it) will be announced at least 30 days in advance by email and in-app notice. Continuing to use ThaiSparks after a change takes effect means you accept the updated policy.

Contact and complaints

Privacy questions, data access, correction, or deletion: [email protected]. General support: [email protected].

If you believe we have mishandled your personal information, email us at [email protected] first. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or by phone on 1300 363 992.