What we collect
- Your phone number (for sign-in)
- Your name, pronouns, photo, interests, and bio
- Your approximate location (city-level only by default)
- Who you say hi to, who replies, and basic usage metrics
How we use it
To match you with nearby Lingerers, show your profile to others in your area, and improve the service. We use industry-standard encryption in transit and at rest.
Who we share with
- Service providers (hosting, SMS, payments) under strict contracts
- Law enforcement only with valid legal process
- Never advertisers, data brokers, or third-party marketing platforms
Your rights
You can export your data, correct anything, or delete your account at any time from Settings → Privacy → Delete account. We honor requests within 30 days.
Location specifics
We never share your exact GPS coordinates. Distance is shown in buckets (<1 mi, 5 mi, etc.) so other users can't triangulate where you live or work.
Children
Linger is not directed to anyone under 18. We delete accounts of minors when reported.
AI use
We use AI behind the scenes for trust & safety operations: triaging reports, flagging scam and catfish patterns during verification, and photo authenticity checks. AI does not write your profile, generate messages on your behalf, or appear as another user. AI processing happens on infrastructure under the same contracts and protections as our service providers above.
Contact
Privacy questions: privacy@linger.city