Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to NDFriends ("NDFriends," "we," "our," or "us"). NDFriends is a social app designed for autistic users and related communities to connect, communicate, and share experiences.

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and otherwise process your information when you use the NDFriends mobile application, related services, and associated features (collectively, the "Services").

By using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

2. Eligibility

NDFriends is intended only for individuals who are 18 years of age or older.

We do not knowingly permit individuals under 18 to create an account or use the Services. During registration, users must provide their date of birth, and our systems are designed to restrict registration by users under 18.

If we learn that an individual under 18 has created an account or provided personal information, we may suspend or delete the account and associated information.

3. Scope of This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to information we collect through:

• the NDFriends iOS application;
• communications between you and NDFriends regarding the Services; and
• limited NDFriends website pages, where applicable.

4. Information We Collect

We collect information that you provide directly, information generated through your use of the Services, and certain technical information collected automatically.

4.1 Information You Provide to Us

When you register for an account or use the Services, we may collect the following:

Account Information

• email address;
• password;
• username;
• email verification information;
• confirmation that you agreed to this Privacy Policy and our Service Agreement.

Profile Information

• date of birth;
• age derived from your date of birth;
• gender;
• sexual orientation;
• profile photo or avatar;
• interests and hobbies;
• connection goals, such as friendship or soulmate;
• profile description or biography;
• mood-related profile content you choose to share.

Health and Sensitive Information

You may choose to provide certain information that may be considered sensitive personal information, including:

• autism-related information;
• ADHD-related information;
• anxiety-related information;
• other health conditions or related personal information you choose to provide.

Only your health conditions may be displayed to other users as part of your profile. Other sensitive information is processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and the design of the Services.

User Content

We may collect content you create, upload, send, receive, or share through the Services, including:

• private messages;
• private message images;
• private voice or audio messages;
• chatroom messages;
• Mood Feeds titles, text, images, mood selections, energy status, and tags;
• reports you submit about users, chatrooms, or content;
• Future Letters content;
• profile edits, deleted content, and related submissions before deletion is fully processed.

4.2 Location Information

With your permission, we may collect your precise device location (GPS).

We use location information to support app functionality and profile-related features. While we may collect and store precise location coordinates in our backend systems, we only display general location information to other users, such as city, state, and country. We do not display your precise GPS coordinates to other users.

Location access is optional and subject to your device settings and permissions. We do not collect continuous background location data.

4.3 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Services, we may automatically collect certain technical and usage information, including:

• IP address;
• device identifiers;
• device type and operating system;
• app usage information;
• login timestamps;
• feature interaction data;
• operational logs;
• anti-abuse and security logs;
• real-time messaging or session-related tokens, where applicable.

4.4 Nest Feature Information

The Nest feature may include:

• meditation-related usage activity;
• Future Letters created by you for future in-app delivery;
• optional self-assessment tools related to ADHD, autism, or anxiety.

Meditation features are not linked to a medical profile.

For self-assessment tools, answers and results are not saved to your account, are not publicly displayed, and are provided for informational purposes only.

5. How We Use Your Information

We may use your information for the following purposes:

• to create and manage your account;
• to authenticate users and verify email addresses;
• to provide, operate, maintain, and improve the Services;
• to display your profile and content within the app;
• to enable messaging, chatrooms, Mood Feeds, Future Letters, and other features;
• to provide customer support and respond to inquiries;
• to maintain the safety, integrity, and security of the Services;
• to review reports, investigate abuse, and enforce community rules;
• to detect, prevent, and address spam, harassment, fraud, or harmful activity;
• to comply with legal obligations;
• to protect the rights, safety, and property of NDFriends, our users, and others.

We may also use limited account and activity information, such as age, interests, and recent Mood Feeds, to support certain personalized or supportive in-app experiences, including AI-assisted encouragement or wellness-oriented messaging.

We do not currently use your information for third-party behavioral advertising or cross-app tracking.

6. How We Use Sensitive Information

Because NDFriends is designed for autistic users and related communities, users may choose to provide information relating to autism, ADHD, anxiety, and similar conditions.

We process this information to:

• allow users to create more meaningful profiles;
• enable users to share information they choose to disclose within the app;
• support community-oriented features;
• provide certain supportive in-app experiences where applicable.

We do not use this information to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, or clinical services.

We do not sell sensitive personal information.

7. Content Moderation, Reports, and Safety

To help keep NDFriends safe, we may review user content and account activity when necessary for safety, moderation, or legal compliance purposes.

This may include reviewing:

• private messages;
• chatroom activity;
• Mood Feeds;
• user reports;
• account behavior associated with abuse, harassment, or rule violations.

At this time, reports are reviewed primarily through manual review. We may remove content, restrict accounts, suspend users, or ban users when appropriate.

8. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share information only in the following circumstances:

8.1 Service Providers

We may share information with vendors and service providers that help us operate the Services, such as providers supporting:

• email delivery and verification;
• infrastructure and storage;
• security and operational support;
• limited AI-assisted messaging features.

Examples may include:

• Resend for email delivery and verification;
• Backblaze B2 or similar infrastructure/storage providers;
• OpenAI for limited AI-assisted supportive messaging features.

These providers may process information only as necessary to provide services to us, subject to applicable agreements.

8.2 Legal and Safety Reasons

We may disclose information if we believe doing so is necessary to:

• comply with applicable law, legal process, or lawful requests;
• enforce our Service Agreement or policies;
• investigate, detect, prevent, or address fraud, abuse, security issues, or illegal activity;
• protect the rights, safety, and property of NDFriends, our users, or others.

8.3 Business Transfers

If NDFriends is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, sale of assets, reorganization, or similar transaction, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

If you delete your account:

• your account will be deactivated promptly;
• your profile will no longer be available through the active Services;
• your messages and related message content will be deleted;
• backups and certain logs may be retained for up to 6 months;
• certain information may be retained longer if required for legal, security, fraud prevention, abuse prevention, or compliance purposes.

Information that may remain in backups or logs for up to 6 months may include:

• account-related records;
• technical logs;
• moderation or abuse-prevention logs;
• report-related records;
• stored backups.

10. Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account through the app settings.

When you delete your account:

• your account is deactivated immediately;
• your messages and related message content are deleted;
• some data may remain temporarily in backup systems and logs for up to 6 months;
• certain information may be retained if necessary for legal compliance, security, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, or enforcement of our policies.

11. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on applicable law, you may have rights regarding your personal information.

For users in the United States, including California where applicable, you may request:

• access to certain personal information we hold about you;
• correction of inaccurate information;
• deletion of eligible personal information.

You may also:

• update certain profile information in the app;
• update your email address and password;
• update your date of birth, gender, and other profile details;
• delete your Mood Feeds;
• delete your account.

We do not currently offer in-app data export functionality.

To make a privacy-related request, contact us at: support@ndfriends.com

12. California Privacy Notice

If you are a California resident, you may have certain rights under California law, subject to exceptions and verification requirements.

NDFriends does not currently sell personal information and does not currently share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

California residents may submit privacy requests by contacting: support@ndfriends.com

We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.

13. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet, mobile networks, or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

14. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Because NDFriends is primarily an iOS mobile app, we do not rely on traditional website cookies for core app functionality. However, we may use similar technologies, device-based identifiers, local storage, or related technical tools where applicable to operate, secure, and improve the Services.

Our limited website pages, if any, may use cookies or similar technologies.

15. Third-Party Services and Links

The Services may contain links to third-party websites, services, or content. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third parties, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies separately.

16. Nest Wellness and Self-Assessment Disclaimer

Any ADHD, autism, anxiety, or similar self-assessment tools made available through the Nest feature are provided for informational and self-reflection purposes only.

They:

• are not medical advice;
• are not diagnostic tools;
• do not replace professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, or therapeutic evaluation or treatment.

If you have questions about your mental health, medical condition, diagnosis, or treatment, you should consult a qualified healthcare professional.

17. United States Use

NDFriends is intended for users in the United States. Our Services are operated in connection with servers and providers intended to support U.S.-based operations.

18. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above. If required by law, we will provide additional notice.

Your continued use of the Services after an updated Privacy Policy becomes effective means you acknowledge the revised Privacy Policy.

19. Contact Us

If you have questions, comments, or privacy requests, please contact us at: