Legal

TRIBES Privacy Policy

Last updated: 15 October 2026.

1. General Information

TRIBES is a gamified social discovery and community-perception service for adults. Through TRIBES, users can view profiles, categorize other users into community “Tribes,” see community-perception results, send Flames, form matches, practise with AI-generated profiles, and share guessing challenges about AI-generated profiles with friends.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and share it, how long we keep it, and the choices and rights available to you.

2. Name and Address of the Data Controller

The controller for the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), other data protection laws applicable in Member States of the European Union, and other provisions related to data protection is:

Neu Outsource UG (haftungsbeschränkt) & Co. KG
Lettenweg 18, 95367 Trebgast
Germany
Email: privacy@tribes-app.net
Website: https://tribes-app.net

In this Privacy Policy, "we", "us" and "our" refer to Neu Outsource UG (haftungsbeschränkt) & Co. KG.

3. Personal Data Processed

Depending on how you use TRIBES, the following categories of personal data are processed.

a) Authentication and account information

When you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive information needed to authenticate your account, such as an account identifier and email address. TRIBES does not maintain its own account password.

b) Birthdate and age eligibility

Birthdate is required and stored to check the 18+ age requirement. Birthdate is not displayed to other users. This check uses the birthdate you provide, not an identity-document verification.

c) Country and location information

You can select your country manually or allow TRIBES to use your device location to determine it. If you choose location-based country detection, your location is used only for that purpose and is not kept as location history. Your country is shown to other users.

d) Profile and photo data

We process the profile photos and other profile information you provide so that your profile can be shown through TRIBES discovery and interaction features. Content you make visible to other users may be saved or shared by them.

e) Tribes and community activity

We process the Tribes you select for yourself, categorizations you make or receive, and related Community results. Categorizations are not anonymous: users can see who categorized them. The Tribes each person selects are not shown to the categorized user individually. They appear only in combined Community results once enough people have categorized that user and, when two users match, each can see the Tribes the other selected for them. Users who categorize someone may also see a combined summary of how others have categorized that person. The Tribes you select for yourself are not shown to other users.

We may generate community-perception results and other information derived from categorizations and interactions within the service. These results reflect user activity and community perception and are not independently verified characteristics about a person.

f) Flames and matches

We process Flames and matches so these features can work and so we can maintain the related interaction history.

g) External social handles

You may optionally provide external social handles, including services such as Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, ROMEO, or SCRUFF. These handles are shown to users with whom you have matched. Entering a handle does not give us access to your messages or other account content on that service.

h) Tasks and practice mode

We process task progress, stars, experience points, levels and related rewards to operate TRIBES gamification features. Practice mode and Spot the Tribe use labelled AI-generated profiles. Activity there does not create real matches or contact a real person.

i) Safety and moderation

We process blocks, reports, report descriptions, moderation decisions, and related information to help keep TRIBES safe and enforce our rules. Some information may be retained where needed for safety, moderation, or legal reasons.

j) Notifications

If you enable notifications, we process your notification preferences and information needed to deliver them.

k) Technical and usage information

When you use TRIBES, we may process technical and diagnostic information such as device information, app activity, crash reports, error information, and server logs. We use this information to operate, secure, monitor, and improve the reliability of TRIBES.

l) AI chat in Practice

In Practice, you can choose to chat with an AI-generated profile. This is optional, and we ask for your consent before your first chat. The messages you write in the chat are sent to OpenAI to create the profile’s replies, and OpenAI processes them under its own terms. We do not store the text of your messages. We store only what is needed to run the chat, such as which profile you chatted with and how many messages were used. The AI profile is not a real person. Please do not share personal or sensitive information in the chat.

m) Tribe Guess Challenges

After reading an AI-generated profile in Practice, you can share a challenge link. The link shows that profile’s photo and, after someone has guessed, the Tribes you picked and your score. It does not show your name or photo. Anyone with the link can play on our website without an account. For people who play, we store their guesses and score together with a random identifier saved in their browser. Links work for 7 days. Challenges and the guesses made on them are deleted 30 days after the link ends, or earlier when the person who shared it deletes their account.

4. How We Use Information

We use personal information to:

• Create and manage accounts;
• Confirm age eligibility;
• Provide profiles, discovery, Tribe categorizations, community results, Flames, matches, tasks, notifications, the AI chat in Practice and shareable challenges;
• Provide country-related functionality;
• Prevent abuse and support reporting, blocking, moderation and safety measures;
• Maintain the security, reliability, and technical operation of TRIBES;
• Diagnose technical issues;
• Understand, evaluate, and improve how TRIBES is used.

We do not currently sell personal information or use advertising networks.

5. How We Share Information

We may share personal information:

• with other users where necessary to provide TRIBES features, including profile information, categorizations, community results, and optional social handles as described above, and with people who open a challenge link you shared, as described in section 3 m);
• with service providers that help us operate TRIBES, as described under Service Providers below; and
• where required by law or reasonably necessary to protect the rights, safety, or security of TRIBES, our users, or others.

6. Sensitive Information

Some information you choose to provide, and some information generated through your use of TRIBES, including profile information, Tribes, categorizations, Flames, matches, and community results, may reveal or allow inferences about sensitive characteristics, including sexual orientation.

Where applicable law requires consent for processing sensitive personal information, we will obtain the required consent before processing that information for the relevant purpose. You may withdraw consent where applicable, although doing so may affect features that depend on that processing. In the app, you can withdraw this consent by deleting your profile.

We record relevant consent and acceptance information where required, including when consent or acceptance was provided.

7. Legal Basis for Processing

The legal basis we rely on depends on the information being processed and the purpose for which it is used.

We may process personal information because it is necessary to provide TRIBES and its features, because you have given consent, because we have legitimate interests such as security, moderation, abuse prevention, and service reliability, or because processing is required by law.

For example, optional location-based country detection is based on your consent. Where applicable law requires consent for processing sensitive personal information, we rely on that consent for the relevant processing. Security, moderation, fraud and abuse prevention, and service reliability may be based on our legitimate interests or legal obligations, depending on the circumstances. The AI chat in Practice is based on your consent, which you can withdraw by not using the chat.

8. Service Providers

We use service providers to help operate TRIBES. These providers process information only as needed to provide their services to us.

a) Google

For Google authentication.

b) Apple

For Apple authentication.

c) Geoapify

For temporary coordinate-to-country lookup when you choose location-based country detection.

d) Firebase Cloud Messaging

For push notification delivery where enabled.

e) Sentry

For error monitoring and technical diagnostics.

f) OpenAI

For creating the replies of AI-generated profiles in the optional AI chat in Practice.

9. How Long We Keep Information

We retain personal information for as long as your account remains active and as necessary to provide TRIBES and fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Tribe Guess Challenges and the guesses made on them are deleted 30 days after the challenge link ends.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information, the purpose for which it is processed, and applicable legal requirements.

After account deletion, information associated with the account is deleted or anonymized unless continued retention is necessary for a legitimate reason, such as complying with legal obligations, maintaining security, preventing fraud or abuse, resolving disputes, enforcing our Terms, or preserving necessary moderation and safety records.

Where information is retained for statistical or analytical purposes, we apply appropriate safeguards and, where reasonably possible, use aggregated, anonymized, or de-identified information.

10. Account deletion requests

In the app

You can delete your TRIBES account from Settings → Delete Profile.

Other ways to request deletion

You may also request account deletion through our account deletion page at https://tribes-app.net/privacy/#account-deletion or by contacting privacy@tribes-app.net.

Verification

We may ask for limited information to identify and verify the account. If Apple Hide My Email was used, include the relay address if available. Never send your password or sign-in codes.

Processing time

Account deletion requests submitted outside the app will normally be completed within 14 days.

Retained information

Certain information may be retained after deletion where necessary for the reasons described under How Long We Keep Information.

11. Security

We use appropriate technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.

While we take reasonable steps to protect personal information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. International Data Transfers

We and our service providers may process personal information in countries other than the country where you live. Where required by applicable law, appropriate safeguards are used for these transfers. This includes OpenAI, which processes AI chat messages in the United States.

13. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to the processing of your personal information, request data portability, and withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You may also have the right to complain to the data-protection or privacy authority responsible for your jurisdiction.

Privacy and data-protection requests may be sent to privacy@tribes-app.net. We may request limited information where necessary to verify your identity and locate the relevant account or records.

14. Age Requirement

TRIBES is intended only for adults aged 18 years or older. Birthdate is required to check this age requirement. If you believe an account belongs to someone under 18, report it in the app or contact support@tribes-app.net.

15. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when TRIBES introduces new features, processing activities, service providers, legal requirements, or other changes affecting how personal information is handled.

If we introduce a materially new purpose for processing personal information, including new research or analytical activities, we will provide appropriate notice and, where required by applicable law, obtain consent before that processing begins.

Material changes to this Privacy Policy will be communicated through an appropriate channel as required by applicable law.

Privacy and data-protection inquiries may be sent to privacy@tribes-app.net. General service and support inquiries may be sent to support@tribes-app.net.