Privacy Policy
Effective date: May 31, 2026
Welcome to Alternative's Privacy Policy. We appreciate that you trust us with your information and we intend to keep that trust. This starts with making sure you understand the information we collect, why we collect it, how it is used, and your choices regarding your information.
Alternative is a dating service for transgender and cisgender adults. Some information people choose to add to their profiles, including identity, pronouns, sexuality, dating preferences, dating intentions, and relationship goals, may be considered sensitive in some places. We process that information to provide the service and with the protections described below.
Consumer Health Data
If you are looking for information about consumer health data, see our Consumer Health Data Privacy page. If you are a California resident, additional privacy disclosures may apply.
1. Who We Are
Alternative is responsible for the personal data processed through the Alternative app, website, events, customer support channels, and related services. Depending on where you live, the data controller may be Alternative, LLC or another Alternative group company named in a regional notice.
2. Where This Privacy Policy Applies
This Privacy Policy applies to websites, apps, events, and other services operated by Alternative. For simplicity, we refer to all of these as our "services." Some services may have their own privacy notices, and those notices will apply to those services.
3. Personal Data We Collect
It goes without saying that we cannot help you develop meaningful matches without some information about you. We also collect information generated as you use the service and information from third parties, such as when you access Alternative through another account.
| Data category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Data you provide | Account details, profile information, photos, videos, prompts, pronouns, gender identity, sexuality, relationship goals, dating intentions, preferences, messages, support requests, survey answers, and event registrations. |
| Purchase data | Payment confirmation, product purchased, subscription status, app store transaction details, and limited billing records. |
| Content and communications | Messages, profile content, reports, support conversations, moderation notes, and content you publish or send through the service. |
| Usage and device data | Log data, IP address, device identifiers, browser type, app version, crash data, pages viewed, features used, interactions, cookies, and similar technologies. |
| Location data | Approximate location from your device or network and, with permission, precise geolocation used for location-based features. |
| Verification and safety data | Age, identity, photo, liveness, device integrity, fraud, spam, abuse, and security signals. Where permitted, this may include government ID information or face geometry. |
| Third-party data | Information from social login providers, advertising partners, analytics providers, affiliates, safety partners, and other members who interact with you or report content. |
4. Why and How We Use Personal Data
We use personal data to operate Alternative, help transgender and cisgender members match with each other, keep the service safer, improve our product, and meet legal obligations.
| Purpose | Examples of use | Typical legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Provide the service | Create accounts, display profiles, recommend potential matches, enable messaging, process purchases, and provide customer support. | Contract performance and legitimate interests. |
| Personalize Alternative | Tailor discovery, show relevant transgender or cisgender profiles, remember settings, and present features that may be useful to you. | Consent where required, contract performance, and legitimate interests. |
| Safety and integrity | Detect fraud, spam, harassment, impersonation, underage use, harmful content, and violations of our rules. | Legitimate interests, legal obligations, vital interests, and substantial public interest where applicable. |
| Marketing and measurement | Send service messages, measure campaigns, run promotions, and show relevant advertising where allowed. | Consent where required and legitimate interests. |
| Improve and develop features | Analyze how members use Alternative, troubleshoot issues, test new features, train safety systems, and improve matching. | Legitimate interests and consent where required. |
| Legal and compliance | Respond to lawful requests, exercise rights, defend claims, maintain business records, and enforce our agreements. | Legal obligations and legitimate interests. |
5. How We Share Personal Data
| Recipient | Reason for sharing |
|---|---|
| Other members | Your profile, photos, content, and selected settings may be visible to other members according to the product features and privacy controls you use. |
| Service providers | Hosting, storage, customer support, payments, analytics, moderation, security, communications, marketing, and technical operations. |
| Affiliates | Shared operations, safety, reporting, infrastructure, analytics, fraud prevention, legal compliance, and product improvement. |
| Advertising and analytics partners | Campaign measurement, ad delivery, audience analytics, and conversion reporting, subject to your choices and applicable law. |
| Authorities and legal parties | To comply with law, respond to legal process, protect rights, prevent harm, investigate safety issues, or enforce our agreements. |
| Business transaction parties | In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, restructuring, bankruptcy, sale of assets, or similar corporate transaction. |
6. Cross-Border Data Transfers
Alternative may process and transfer personal data in countries other than where you live. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, data processing agreements, or similar lawful mechanisms.
7. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, know, port, correct, delete, object to, restrict, or withdraw consent for certain processing. You may also have the right to opt out of targeted advertising, sale, or sharing where those concepts apply.
| Choice | How it works |
|---|---|
| Access or portability | Request a copy of certain personal data associated with your account. |
| Correction | Update profile and account details in the app or ask us to correct data. |
| Deletion | Delete your account or submit a deletion request, subject to lawful retention needs. |
| Consent withdrawal | Withdraw permissions such as location access through device settings or in-app controls. |
| Advertising choices | Use cookie, device, and account settings to manage personalized advertising where available. |
We may ask you to verify your identity before we respond to a request. You may also have the right to complain to a data protection authority.
8. How Long We Retain Personal Data
We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy and as permitted by law. After account closure, we may retain limited data for safety, fraud prevention, legal compliance, tax and accounting, customer care, disputes, consent records, enforcing bans, and protecting members.
9. Children's Privacy
Alternative is restricted to adults 18 and older. We do not knowingly allow anyone under 18 to use the service. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us so we can take appropriate action.
10. Privacy Policy Changes
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When changes are material, we will provide notice as required by law before the changes take effect.
11. How to Contact Us
For privacy questions, complaints, or rights requests, contact Alternative support. If a regional representative or data protection officer is required for your location, their details will be listed in the applicable regional notice.