Privacy Policy
Last updated: 7 November 2026. What changed: we added that authorised staff may review messages, profiles and activity for safety (sections 1, 2 and 3), that reviews are recorded, and how long those records are kept. Members who joined earlier are asked to agree at their next sign-in. We also added the Intropals Android app: what the app collects (section 1), Google as a service provider (section 4) and the transfer to Google in the United States (section 5). We added community features (posts, comments, reactions, groups, group chat, follows, events and notifications), sign-in records and the removal of hidden data from photos (sections 1, 3 and 9). We added country checks for prices: the country of your internet address and of your payment card (sections 1, 2 and 3).
한국어: 개인정보처리방침(한국어)
This Privacy Policy applies from the date this version is first published on intropals.net. The controller of your personal information is Afdalsoft Inc. (주식회사 아프달소프트), Room 620, 6F, 59-59 Seouldaehak-ro, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do 15012, Republic of Korea · Tel. +82-70-4125-5334. Contact for privacy matters (privacy officer): support@intropals.net.
1. What we collect
- Account: e-mail address, password (stored only as a one-way hash), display name, date of birth, country.
- Profile you choose to add: city, about me, languages you speak and learn, interests, photos.
- Use of the service: messages, friend requests, blocks, reports, profile views, sign-in times.
- Safety and security: internet address and a device identifier stored in a cookie, used to detect abuse such as many accounts from one device.
- Safety review: the content of messages, profiles and activity when they are reviewed for safety, suspicion marks made by our automatic rules, and a record of which authorised staff member carried out a review and when.
- Payments: plan, amount, currency, country, the country where your payment card was issued (as reported by the payment provider), the price group used and payment status. Card details are handled by the payment provider and are not stored by us.
- Country checks: the country of the internet address you use, worked out on our own server from the public address lists of the regional internet registries (your address is not sent to anyone for this), kept as one country code per day. Together with your card's country it is used to apply prices fairly and to mark a possible misuse of country prices for staff review.
- Community features: posts, photos in posts and chats, comments, reactions, shares, mentions, follows, group memberships, group chat messages, event sign-ups and notifications. A cover photo if you add one. The country you live in, what you are looking for on Intropals and whether you are open to language exchange, if you choose to add them.
- Sign-in records: the time of each sign-in, the internet address and the browser or device type, and the list of devices where you are signed in.
- Photos: when you upload a photo we re-create it and remove hidden data such as GPS location, camera details and dates.
- Android app: a notification token for your phone (used to send notifications about new messages and friend requests), the phone model, Android version and app version, and your app notification settings. The app does not read your contacts, location or files. A photo is sent only when you choose one from your gallery or take one with the camera.
2. Why we use it and the legal basis
- To provide the service you asked for (contract).
- To keep members safe, prevent scams and abuse and keep records of safety decisions (legitimate interest and legal obligations).
- To keep Intropals safe, we may review messages, profiles and activity to detect and prevent spam, fraud, harassment, child-safety risks and other violations of our Terms and Community Guidelines. Reviews are carried out by authorised staff only and are recorded. (legitimate interest in protecting members, legal obligations, and your consent given when you join or at your next sign-in).
- To process payments and keep transaction records as required by the Act on the Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce (legal obligation).
- To apply the price for the country of your payment card and to mark, for staff review only, accounts whose sign-up country keeps differing from their internet address and card countries. A mark does not change your price or block you; any decision is taken by our staff (legitimate interest in fair pricing and preventing fraud).
- To send optional news only if you agreed (consent, which you can withdraw at any time).
3. How long we keep it
We keep your information while your account exists. When you delete your account we delete your profile, photos, messages, friends and blocks without delay. Payment records are kept for 5 years and records of consumer complaints for 3 years as Korean e-commerce law requires; sign-in records are kept for 3 months as Korean communications law requires. Safety records about serious abuse may be kept for up to 1 year to prevent repeat abuse. Suspicion marks and records of safety reviews are deleted after 1 year. Notifications are deleted after 180 days. Daily activity counts used for statistics are kept for up to 400 days. Daily country codes from country checks are deleted after 90 days.
4. Sharing
Other members see the profile information you choose to show. We do not sell personal information. We use service providers to run Intropals: cloud hosting, e-mail sending (Amazon Web Services), payment processing (the card payment provider we contract with) and, if you choose to verify your identity, an identity verification provider. When you use the Android app, Google LLC (USA) delivers app notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging) and, once in-app payments are turned on, handles them (Google Play billing). They process information only on our instructions.
5. International transfers
Intropals is used worldwide and our servers are located in the Republic of Korea. E-mail may be processed by Amazon Web Services in the Asia Pacific (Seoul) region. Where information is transferred outside your country, we use appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.
If you use the Android app, the information below is transferred to the United States:
| Recipient | Country | Information | Purpose | When and how | How long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; privacy contact: https://support.google.com/policies) | United States | Notification token, phone model, Android version, app version; the notification itself (type and the display name of the member who wrote) | Delivering app notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging) | Sent over an encrypted connection each time a notification is sent | Notification: until delivered, at most 24 hours. Token: until you sign out, delete your account or the token expires |
| Google LLC (as above) | United States | Payment records for in-app purchases: order number, product, price, currency, purchase status | In-app payments (Google Play billing) — only after in-app payments are turned on | Sent over an encrypted connection when you buy in the app | As Google Play terms and the law require; our own payment records are kept for 5 years |
You can refuse this transfer by turning off notifications in the app (Profile › App notifications, or your phone settings) or by using Intropals on the website instead. All features stay available; you will only not receive app notifications.
6. Your rights
- See and download your information: Profile › Download my data.
- Correct your information: Profile › Edit profile.
- Delete your account and information: Profile › Delete account.
- Object to or restrict processing, withdraw consent and complain to a supervisory authority (in Korea, the Personal Information Protection Commission; in the EU, your local data protection authority).
- Ask us anything about your information at support@intropals.net. We reply within 30 days.
7. Cookies
We use only the cookies needed to keep you signed in, remember your cookie choice and protect the service from abuse. We do not use advertising cookies. You will be asked for your cookie choice when you first visit.
8. Age
Intropals is only for people aged 19 and over. If we learn that a member is under 19, we will close the account.
9. Security
Passwords are hashed, connections are encrypted, and access by staff is limited and logged. Sessions end automatically after 30 days, repeated failed sign-ins are slowed down, and you can sign out of all other devices in Profile › Security.