Autism and Friends
Return to welcome

Effective July 21, 2026

Privacy Policy

This policy explains the limited information Autism and Friends needs to operate and the controls members have over it.

What we collect

  • Account information: email address, authentication identifier, email verification status, and sign-in provider.
  • Private profile information: full name, date of birth, country, language, time zone, optional support needs, communication preferences, comfort notes, and accessibility settings.
  • Community information: display name, age band, country, approved profile photos, introduction, interests, and selected communication preferences.
  • Service activity: friend requests, text messages, safety reports, blocks, video session duration, subscription status, and security or abuse-prevention events.

Why we use it

We use information only to authenticate accounts, enforce adults-only community access, provide friendship features, moderate profile photos, process subscriptions, enforce safety controls, prevent abuse, respond to reports, and let members export or delete their data.

Who processes it

Firebase processes authentication, database, file storage, hosting, and server functions. Google Cloud Vision reviews uploaded profile photos for adult, racy, and violent content. ZEGOCLOUD provides accepted-friend video rooms. Stripe processes paid video-minute subscriptions. These providers receive only the information needed to perform their service under their own privacy and security terms.

What we do not do

  • We do not display ads.
  • We do not sell personal information.
  • We do not allow public direct messages or public video rooms.
  • We do not publish full birth dates, full names, email addresses, phone numbers, or exact locations.

Retention

  • Text messages and inactive message threads are scheduled for deletion after 30 days.
  • Pending video approvals, video usage sessions, payment webhook records, and temporary security logs are scheduled for deletion after 30 days unless needed for an active dispute or legal obligation.
  • Profile-photo safety results and safety reports may be retained for up to 365 days to investigate abuse and protect members.
  • Account and active profile information remains until the member deletes the account or it must be retained for security, billing, legal, or dispute purposes.

Your controls

Members can edit profile visibility, block other members, report concerns, download an account data export, cancel billing through the Stripe customer portal, and permanently delete their account from Settings. Account deletion also removes profile photos and cancels an active subscription; safety reports are anonymized so investigations remain intact.

Adults-only access

Autism and Friends is available only to adults age 18 and older. Date of birth is used to enforce the age requirement and is not displayed publicly. Accounts that do not meet the age requirement cannot access community features.

Security and questions

We use verified authentication, least-privilege database and storage rules, server-authoritative friend and billing checks, rate limits, private media access, and safety audit records. No online service can promise absolute security. Use the in-app Safety Center to report a privacy or safety concern.