Last Update: March 2024
Welcome to MatchMaker.fm’s Privacy and Cookie Policy. MatchMaker.fm is a service provided by Podcasting Limited (Podcast.co). This document applies to all services under the MatchMaker.fm brand and outlines how MatchMaker.fm (“MatchMaker” or “we” or “us”) uses, collects, processes, and shares personal data, including information obtained through the website at https://www.matchmaker.fm.
As a global podcast social networking application, the MatchMaker.fm App allows you to share sensitive information about yourself, including your name, age, gender and general location, with us and other MatchMaker.fm users. This Privacy and Cookie Policy also explains how you can control your personal data. We recommend you read this Privacy and Cookie Policy, and our Terms and Conditions, carefully. You can also use the links below to jump to specific information concerning our privacy practices.
When you use the MatchMaker.fm Services, we collect personal data about you. “Personal Data” means any information that allows someone to identify you as defined under applicable law. Note that not all of the MatchMaker.fm Services collect all of the data listed below
For authentication purposes, we require you to provide an email address and password, or a third-party Single Sign On log-in (e.g., LinkedIn or Google) to use the MatchMaker.fm App or other MatchMaker.fm Services.
When you create a MatchMaker.fm account, you choose to provide us Personal Data about yourself for your public MatchMaker.fm profile.For example, in the MatchMaker.fm App, you may voluntarily provide your Personal Data, such as your photo, “Age Range”, “Gender”, “Social Network Links”, “Interests”, “About Me” and “Headline” elevator pitc and any other information that you add to your profile on the MatchMaker.fm App.
Remember that if you choose to include information in your MatchMaker.fm Guest profile, that information will become public to other MatchMaker.fm users. As a result, you should carefully consider what Personal Data to include in your profile. Additionally, you can review and change your Guest Profile Information at any time by accessing the “Guest Profile” section of the App.
If you provide us feedback or contact us for support, we collect your name and e-mail address and possibly other Personal Data (e.g. IP address), as well as any other content that you send to us in order to reply and address any issue. Our support service is provided by “Crisp IM Sarl”, an EU based company. Personal data may be stored on their systems and is subject to their privacy policy. If you contact us for support, we also collect and retain certain technical diagnostic data, such as your operating system, device brand and browser version. We may keep records of our communication with you, including any complaints we receive from you about other users (and from other users about you).
When you sign up for the MatchMaker.fm Services, we collect your email address to send you MatchMaker.fm news, MatchMaker.fm Services updates, the latest information on products and services, and third-party offers from other Podcasting Limited properties with your consent.
When you send a message using the MatchMaker.fm Services (which could include photos, location, audio, or video) to other users of the MatchMaker.fm Services, we may collect Personal Data that includes the content of the message, including photos.
We use cookies and URL information to gather information regarding the date and time of your visit and your searches. “Cookies” are small pieces of information that a website sends to your computer’s hard drive while you are viewing a website. We may use both session cookies (which expire once you close your web browser) and persistent cookies (which stay on your device until you delete them) to provide you with a more personal and interactive experience on the MatchMaker.fm Services and to improve our marketing efforts, including through the use of targeted advertising.
Persistent cookies may be removed by following instructions provided by your browser. If you choose to disable cookies, some features of the MatchMaker.fm Services may not work properly. For more Information regarding cookies and other tracking technologies, please see Cookie Information below.
If you use or connect to the MatchMaker.fm Site or download the MatchMaker.fm Services through a third-party platform, such as LinkedIn or Google you allow us to access and/or collect certain information(e.g., Name, Email, Profile Photo) from your third-party platform profile/account (“Third-Party Data”). We may also access information contained in cookies placed on your device by the third-party platform. Remember, when you elect to create a MatchMaker.fm account via a third-party, you are also giving them Personal Data, so we recommend you read their privacy policies as MatchMaker.fm does not control how they use your information.
In order to provide the MatchMaker.fm Services and facilitate connections with the community, we use your Personal Data for the purposes described below. Under E.U. and U.K. data protection laws, we may only use your data when we have a lawful basis to do so. The table below provides an overview of the legal bases on which we rely. Where the legal basis is consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time (typically by controlling what data you provide in your MatchMaker.fm Guest profile). Where the legal basis is legitimate interests, you have a right to object to our use of your data. We explain in the relevant sections in this Privacy Policy how you can withdraw consent or opt-out of certain data uses.
We share Personal Data in the following situations
When you sign up for the MatchMaker.fm Services we share your hashed User ID, a portion of your Profile Information, Location Information, and demographic information with analytics partners. These third parties may also collect information directly from you as described in this Privacy Policy through tracking technologies such as cookies.
The privacy policies of these third-party companies apply to their collection, use and disclosure of your Personal Data. For example, our partners are Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity which collect information and report website trends without identifying individual visitors. Information about Google's privacy policy can be found here. See the YOUR CHOICES section of this Privacy and Cookie Policy for information on your ability to opt-out of Google Analytics. Microsoft's Privacy Statement can be found here.
Such user communications allow us to message users based on criteria, such as Location, certain profile information, and/or user activity in the MatchMaker.fm App.For more information on third-party tracking technologies, please see Cookie Information
We share your Personal Data with third-party service providers to: provide you with the MatchMaker.fm Services; conduct quality assurance testing; monitor activity on the MatchMaker.fm Services; provide technical support; and/or to provide other services to MatchMaker.fm.
Except as otherwise stated in this Privacy Policy, these third-party service providers are required by contract not to use your Personal Data other than to provide the services requested by MatchMaker.fm.
If another company acquires our company, business, or assets, that company will possess the Personal Data collected by us and will assume the rights and obligations regarding your Personal Data as described in this Privacy and Cookie Policy.
MatchMaker.fm may preserve or disclose Personal Data in response to a lawful legal request, including: subpoenas, warrants, or court orders, or in connection with any legal process; to comply with relevant laws; to establish or exercise our rights to defend against legal claims; if we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, safety of person or property, violation of our policies, or as otherwise required by law.
The MatchMaker.fm App is a social networking platform that is designed to allow users to connect and share information. When you use the MatchMaker.fm App, your Guest Profile Information is public, and other users of the MatchMaker.fm App can see your Profile Information and other Personal Data (including sensitive personal data) posted by you.
For example, other users can search for you, search for your profile characteristics, see if you’ve viewed their profile, or see you listed as being within their vicinity. Do not include information in your profile that you want to keep private.
You may choose to send messages to other users. If you send messages, you will be providing MatchMaker.fm with your Personal Data as well as the user who views your message.Please don't send messages or share content that you wouldn't want someone to save or share as users may save content or copy it outside the MatchMaker.fm App.
Please note, chat messages are stored locally on devices. Therefore, if you choose to delete your account, any chat messages you sent to another user may still be available on the other user’s device. Do not share your Account Credentials or payment information via chat (or any third-party platforms).
We retain your Personal Data for no longer than is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which the information was collected (as indicated above), or as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law or pursuant to MatchMaker.fm Terms of Service or MatchMaker.fm Community Guidelines.
If you delete your account from within the MatchMaker.fm App, or instruct MatchMaker.fm to delete it on your behalf, your Profile Information and Location Information associated with your account will be removed from our systems within twenty-eight (28) days, unless retention is required for a legal propose. Chat images, user activity, and other Personal Data outlined above is deleted within 120 days of an account deletion. With respect to accounts that have been banned for violations of the MatchMaker.fm Terms of Service and/or Community Guidelines, MatchMaker.fm retains the hashed authentication mechanism used to create the account (e.g., email address, etc.) and limited log information associated with the reason for the ban. In some circumstances, MatchMaker.fm may retain chat messages used for reporting violative behavior resulting in an account’s ban.
At MatchMaker.fm, we take the privacy and security of your Personal Data seriously. We have strict policies in place to help ensure your Personal Data is protected. As such, we do not disclose any specific security tools or techniques we use so that we can better protect your Personal Data as we do not want to unwittingly educate those with malicious intent. That said, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is fully secure, and MatchMaker.fm cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Data. In the event that we are required by law to inform you of any unauthorized access to your Personal Data, we may notify you electronically, in writing, if permitted to do so by law.
You can make the following choices regarding your Personal Data:
When you create a MatchMaker.fm account, you choose to provide us Personal Data about yourself for your public MatchMaker.fm Guest profile. You can review and change your Community Profile Information at any time by accessing the “Edit Profile” section of the App.
You may choose during the registration process to provide us with your email address for the purpose of allowing us to send free newsletters, surveys, offers, and other promotional materials related to MatchMaker.fm and/or the MatchMaker.fm Services. You can stop receiving promotional emails by following the unsubscribe instructions in e-mails that you receive. If you unsubscribe from receiving such promotional emails, we may still send you service-related communications, and our applications may deliver notifications directly to your mobile device in the MatchMaker.fm App.
You have the following rights regarding your Personal Data:
Subject to certain conditions, you may ask us to:
Note that these rights are not unlimited; there may be exceptions to these rights under applicable laws. For example, it will not be possible for us to delete your Personal Data if we are required by law to keep it (e.g., for tax and account purposes), or if we hold it in connection with a contract with you. Similarly, access to your Personal Data may be refused if making the information available would reveal Personal Data about another person or if we are legally prevented from disclosing such information. If we decline your request, we will tell you why, subject to legal restrictions.
Please note that due to MatchMaker.fm’s retention practices, some historical data may not be available as it is no longer held in MatchMaker.fm’s systems. Please see "Data Retention" above for information on MatchMaker.fm's data retention practices. You can submit a request by email to [email protected]. Where necessary, we may request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity prior to processing your request.
If you would like to submit a complaint about our use of your Personal Data or our response to your requests regarding your Personal Data, you may contact us at [email protected].
Please note that in certain situations, MatchMaker.fm may be obligated to disclose Personal Data in response to a lawful request by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements.
MatchMaker.fm is committed to resolving privacy complaints regarding our Personal Data practices. EU and Swiss individuals with inquiries or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy should first contact MatchMaker.fm at [email protected].
EEA individuals also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in the EEA Country where they reside or work, or where the alleged infringement of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”) took place. You can find information about your data protection regulator here. Swiss individuals also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner. For complaints from EEA data subjects or Swiss individuals that cannot be resolved with MatchMaker.fm directly, MatchMaker.fm will cooperate with EEA and Swiss authorities and will implement the advice they provide with respect to such unresolved complaints.
California Civil Code 1798.115(c), 1798.130(a)(5)(c), 1798.130(c), and 1798.140 indicate that organizations must disclose what categories of information are “collected,” “sold,” or transferred for an organization’s business purpose” as those terms are defined under California law. Note that MatchMaker.fm does not necessarily collect all categories of information about you. For example, while we may collect government issued identification as part of authenticating some users that make access requests, we do not collect such information from the majority of MatchMaker.fm users who are California residents.
MatchMaker.fm may collect and transfer for business purposes the following categories of personal information from MatchMaker.fm’s California users: Audio, Electronic, Visual, Thermal, Olfactory, or Similar Information; Characteristics of protected classifications; Commercial information; credit card information; debit card number; Driver’s License Number; Electronic network activity; Email address; Geolocation data; Identifiers (e.g., display name); Online identifiers (e.g., IP address); Passport number; Physical characteristics; Postal address; Signature; Social Security Number; Telephone number; Transaction Information.
Further, you can learn more about the Personal Data we collect and how we use it by reading the “What Personal Data We Collect and Process” and “How and Why We Use Your Personal Data” section of this Privacy Policy. If you would like more information concerning the categories of Personal Data (if any) we share with third parties or affiliates for those parties to use for direct marketing, please submit a written request to us using the Contact Information below.
Note that for California consumers, by clicking that you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy you are directing us to disclose the information described in this paragraph to third-party advertising companies and therefore MatchMaker.fm does not sell your Personal Data. If you are a California resident and wish to exercise your rights under the California Consumers Protection Act (“CCPA”)(as outlined in the Your Rights section of this Privacy Policy), you may contact us by (1) clicking “Support” from within the settings menu in the MatchMaker.fm App or (2) by visiting the “CCPA” section of the MatchMaker.fm Help Center. MatchMaker.fm does not discriminate against California residents who exercise any of their rights described in this Privacy and Cookie Policy.
“Cookies” are small text files placed on your device or browser when you visit a website or otherwise interact with an online service. Cookies collect and store information, which is sent back to our servers or those of third parties. Typically, cookies contain the domain name from which the cookie originated, the “lifetime” of the cookie (i.e., how long it lasts), and a randomly generated unique number or similar identifier. A cookie can also contain information about your device, such as settings, browsing history, and activities while using the MatchMaker.fm Services. To learn more about cookies, we encourage you to visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
There are first-party and third-party cookies in connection with the MatchMaker.fm Services. First-party cookies are cookies placed on your device directly by us. For example, we use first-party cookies to better understand your use of the MatchMaker.fm Services.
Third-party cookies are placed on your device by our partners and service providers. For example, we use third-party cookies to gather performance data or to enable you log on using a third-party social media platform.
All cookies have an expiration date. There are session cookies which only last until you close your browser. We use session cookies for many reasons, including to learn more about your use of the MatchMaker.fm Services during a single browsing session so we can continue to ensure the MatchMaker.fm Services are effective and efficient. Persistent cookies have longer lifespans and are not automatically deleted when you close your browser. These types of cookies are typically used to help expedite your use of the MatchMaker.fm Services and for performance evaluation purposes.
Yes, we use other tracking technologies such as web beacons (also known as pixel tags or clear gifs) or tracking URLs for similar purposes as cookies. Web beacons are tiny graphics files that contain a unique identifier that enable us to recognize when a person visits our Services. Tracking URLs are custom generated links that help us understand where the traffic to our webpages comes from.
As described in greater detail below, we may use cookies for the following purposes:
When you use the MatchMaker.fm Services some or all of the following cookies may be set on your device:
Essential Cookies: these cookies are strictly necessary for the MatchMaker.fm Services to function optimally and provide you with the expected services. We do not allow the option to disable essential cookies, because without them the MatchMaker.fm Services cannot function optimally.
Analytics Cookies: these cookies help us understand how the MatchMaker.fm Services are being used, how effective marketing campaigns are, and help us customize and improve our Services for you. The information they gather is generally aggregated and anonymous, though some of these cookies may send certain pieces of information about you, including your personal data, to third-party service providers (e.g., Google).
Advertising Cookies: these cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you. They perform functions like preventing the same ad from continuously reappearing, ensuring that ads are properly displayed for advertisers, selecting advertisements that are based on your interests and measuring the number of ads displayed and their performance, such as how many people clicked on a given ad. Some of these cookies may send certain pieces of information about you, including your Personal Data, to parties outside of MatchMaker.fm.
Social Networking Cookies: these cookies are used to enable you to login to the MatchMaker.fm Services using a third-party platform. These cookies may be used for advertising purposes as well. These cookies may send certain pieces of information about you to the third-party platform (e.g. LinkedIn).
We may link the information collected by cookies with other information we obtain from you pursuant to this Privacy Policy and may use the combined information in ways as outlined herein. Similarly, the third parties who serve cookies within the MatchMaker.fm Services may link the data they obtain through their cookies within the MatchMaker.fm Services to other information they may have collected about you. Anytime you interact with or provide your Personal Data to a third-party site, we encourage you to consult the site’s privacy policy
There are several options available for you to use in order for you to manage cookies while using the MatchMaker.fm Services.
Most web browsers accept cookies automatically. You also may be able to configure your browser settings to use the MatchMaker.fm Services without some cookie functionality. You can delete cookies manually or set your browser to automatically delete cookies on a pre-determined schedule. For example, in the Microsoft Edge menu bar, select: Tools -> Internet Options -> Browsing History -> Delete to view manual and automatic options.
You may also be able to reset device identifiers through settings on your mobile device. The procedure for managing device identifiers is different for each device. You can check the specific steps in the help or settings menu of your particular device.
We use Google Analytics, a Google service that uses cookies and other data collection technologies, to collect information about your use of the MatchMaker.fm Services. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by downloading the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. Google APIs Privacy Statement.
We use Clarity, a Microsoft service that uses cookies and other data collection technologies, to collect information about your use of the MatchMaker.fm Services. More information can be found in the Microsoft Clarity Privacy Statement.
You agree and consent that the information and data outlined above may be shared with third parties as described throughout this document.
The following additional information relates to our privacy practices:
The MatchMaker.fm Services are intended only for users eighteen (18) years of age and older (or twenty-one (21) years of age in places where eighteen (18) years is not the age of majority).
We have no control over, do not review, and cannot be responsible for the privacy and data handling practices of other websites or applications. Once you click on a link to another website or third-party application, the terms of this Privacy and Cookie Policy do not apply.
If we make a material change to this Privacy and Cookie Policy we will, at a minimum, attempt to notify you of that change either by sending an e-mail to the last e-mail address that you provided to us (if any) or by notifying you when you log into the MatchMaker.fm Services.
In the event there is a discrepancy between this English language version and any translations of this Policy, the English version shall prevail unless otherwise required under applicable law.
For customer support, sales or billing enquiries - please email [email protected]
For business and other enquiries, our correspondence address is: Podcasting Limited, Suite 2A, Basil Chambers, 65 High Street, Manchester, M4 1FS, UK.
Our telephone number is (+44) 161 884 1384.