Photo verification is optional. If you choose it, we use biometric data to confirm that you are the person in your profile photos. This notice is our written policy under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS 14), the Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code §503.001), Washington RCW 19.375, and similar laws.
1. What we collect
When you verify, you take a short live selfie copying a randomly chosen pose. Our verification system (and, where configured, a vendor acting on our behalf) creates a mathematical representation of facial geometry ("face template") from the selfie and from your profile photos to compare them. A trained reviewer may also compare the selfie with your photos visually.
2. Purpose
Solely to verify that you match your profile photos, award the verified badge, and prevent impersonation and fake accounts. We do not use biometric data for advertising, to identify you to other members, or for any other purpose, and we never sell, lease, trade or otherwise profit from it.
3. Written consent
Before collecting any biometric data, we show you this notice and ask for your explicit consent in the app. You can decline and still use MeantMee without a verified badge.
4. Retention and destruction schedule
- Face templates are deleted as soon as the comparison is complete.
- Verification selfies are deleted within 30 days after a verification decision, or when you delete your account, whichever comes first.
- In all cases, biometric identifiers are permanently destroyed no later than the earlier of 30 days after verification or account deletion, or when the purpose of collection has been satisfied, and never later than allowed by law (in Illinois, within 3 years of your last interaction with us).
- We keep only the result (verified or not, and the date).
5. Disclosure
We disclose biometric data only to service providers performing verification on our behalf under contracts requiring equivalent protection and destruction, or when required by law or valid legal process.
6. Security
We store and transmit biometric data using a reasonable standard of care, at least as protective as how we handle other confidential and sensitive information, including encryption in transit and at rest and restricted staff access with audit logging.
7. Withdrawing consent
You can withdraw consent at any time in Settings → Verification or by emailing privacy@meantmee.com. We will delete any biometric data we still hold and remove your verified badge.