Your privacy

1. Who we are

woords.social is the controller of personal data processed through the platform unless this policy says otherwise. This means we are responsible for deciding how and why your personal data is used in connection with the service.

2. What we collect

We may collect personal data that you provide directly, data generated through your use of the platform, and limited technical information required to operate and secure the service.

• Account data, such as your name, username, email address, profile details, and login credentials.
• Content and communications, such as posts, replies, direct messages, reports, and support enquiries.
• Technical and usage data, such as IP address, browser type, device information, session activity, and logs.
• Transaction data, if paid features are offered, such as billing status, subscription level, and payment-related records.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data to provide and maintain woords.social, authenticate users, protect accounts, deliver features, moderate misuse, respond to support requests, improve the service, meet legal obligations, and keep the platform secure.

• To create and manage accounts.
• To provide social features, communications, and profile functionality.
• To detect abuse, fraud, spam, and security incidents.
• To moderate content and enforce our terms.
• To administer subscriptions or paid features where applicable.
• To comply with legal obligations and handle complaints or disputes.

4. Lawful bases

We rely on one or more lawful bases under UK data protection law depending on the purpose of processing. These may include performance of a contract, compliance with legal obligations, legitimate interests, and consent where consent is the appropriate basis.

• Contract: where processing is necessary to provide your account or the services you request.
• Legal obligation: where we must process data to comply with the law.
• Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for platform security, moderation, improvement, or administration, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Consent: where we ask for permission for a specific use and you can withdraw it.

5. Sharing your data

We do not sell personal data. We may share data where necessary with service providers, professional advisers, payment providers, hosting or infrastructure partners, and public authorities where required by law or where necessary to protect rights, safety, or the platform.

• Service providers who help us host, secure, support, or operate the platform.
• Payment processors, where paid services are used.
• Legal, regulatory, or law enforcement bodies where disclosure is legally required or justified.
• Professional advisers where reasonably necessary for legal, compliance, or operational purposes.

6. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including providing the service, maintaining security, preventing abuse, resolving disputes, complying with legal obligations, and establishing or defending legal claims.

Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason we hold it. Where UK law requires longer retention, we may retain information for that period. When data is no longer needed, we will delete it, anonymise it, or securely restrict its use as appropriate.

7. Security

We use technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal data. This includes access controls, monitoring, and other safeguards appropriate to the nature of the service. Chats are encrypted at rest in the database. No method of transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we aim to apply appropriate protections throughout the platform lifecycle.

8. International transfers

If we transfer personal data outside the UK, we will do so only where permitted under applicable law and with appropriate safeguards in place. Where required, we will use recognised transfer mechanisms or equivalent protections.

9. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights in relation to your personal data, including the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, object to processing, and, in some cases, receive a copy of certain data in a portable format.

• Right of access.
• Right to rectification.
• Right to erasure.
• Right to restriction of processing.
• Right to object.
• Right to data portability where applicable.
• Right to withdraw consent where consent is relied on.

10. Age requirement

woords.social is not intended for children under the age of 16. You must be at least 16 to create an account or use the platform. If we believe an account is being used by someone under 16, we may take steps to restrict or remove that account.

11. Account deletion

You may request deletion of your account, subject to any legal, security, fraud-prevention, or operational reasons that require us to retain certain information for longer. Deleting an account may remove or disassociate profile information, content, and access to platform features.

• Some data may remain in backups or secure logs for a limited period.
• Some information may be retained where required by law or for legitimate legal or security reasons.
• Content already shared with others may remain visible where technically or operationally necessary.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect legal, technical, or operational changes. Where appropriate, we will update the effective date and take reasonable steps to bring material changes to users’ attention.

13. Contact and complaints

If you have questions about this policy or want to exercise your rights, please contact us at privacy@woords.social. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully.