Privacy Policy

Rut is a location-based social and dating app for adults. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use and share it, and the choices you have. Please read it alongside our Terms of Service. By creating an account or using Rut, you agree to the practices described here.

1Who we are

Rut (“Rut,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is operated by Reflecting Pool Software LLC, based in the United States. You can reach us about privacy at rutapp@proton.me. Rut is currently offered only to users in the United States.

2Age requirement

Rut is strictly for adults 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly allow anyone under 18 to create an account or provide us with personal information. If we learn that someone under 18 has used Rut, we will terminate the account and delete their information. Rut is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13.

3Information we collect

Information you provide

• Account details: your email address, a password (stored only in encrypted/hashed form), your display name, and your date of birth (used to confirm you are 18+ and to show your age).
• Profile content: photos you upload (public profile photos and any private-album photos), and optional details you choose to add — such as pronouns, height, weight, body/position preferences, what you’re looking for, kink/fetish and “tribe” tags, interests, relationship status, and a bio.
• Messages and interactions: the content of messages you send to other users, and actions such as favorites, taps/waves, blocks, and reports.
• Support and feedback: information you send us through in-app feedback or by email.

Information collected automatically

• Precise location: with your permission, we collect your device’s GPS location to show you people nearby and to place you on the map. Your location is obfuscated before it is shown to other users (displaced and rotated so others see only an approximate area, never your exact position), and you can hide or freeze your map location in Settings.
• Device and connection data: device type, operating system, app version, a push-notification token, and your IP address (used for delivering notifications and for security, fraud, and abuse prevention such as rate-limiting sign-ups).
• Usage and activity: your online/last-active status and in-app activity such as profiles you view, which help operate discovery and safety features.

Information from third parties

• Sign-in providers: if you sign in with Apple or Google, we receive basic account information (such as your email address and name) from that provider.
• Payments: if you purchase a subscription (for example, ad-free access), the transaction is handled by the Apple App Store or Google Play. We receive confirmation of your purchase and subscription status, but we do not receive your full payment card number.

4Sensitive information

5How we use information

• Operate the app: create and manage your account, show you nearby users and the map, power discovery filters, and enable messaging.
• Safety and integrity: verify your email, screen public profile photos with automated content moderation, detect bots and abuse, enforce our rules, and respond to reports and blocks.
• Communications: send push notifications (for example, new messages) and service emails such as verification codes. You control push notifications in your device settings.
• Advertising: show ads to users on the free tier (see Advertising & your choices).
• Improve Rut: understand how features are used and fix problems.
• Legal: comply with law and protect the rights, safety, and property of our users and Rut.

6How we share information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We share information only as described below.

• With other users: your public profile (display name, age, photos, and the details you add), your approximate/obfuscated location, and your online status are visible to other users. Private-album photos are shared only with people you specifically grant access to.
• With service providers who process data on our behalf, under contract, only to provide their service to us:

• For legal and safety reasons: to comply with law, respond to lawful requests, enforce our Terms, or protect the safety and rights of users and the public.
• Business transfers: if Rut is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

7Advertising & your choices

Rut is free to use and supported by ads for users who are not on a paid, ad-free plan. Our advertising partners — currently Google AdMob and Meta — may use a mobile advertising identifier and limited device and usage information to show and measure ads. Depending on settings, this may be considered “sharing” of personal information under California law (see below).

You have choices:

• iOS App Tracking Transparency: on Apple devices, you will be asked whether Rut may track you across other apps and websites; you can decline, and you can change this any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
• Limit ad personalization: you can reset or limit your advertising identifier in your device settings (iOS: Settings → Privacy & Security → Apple Advertising; Android: Settings → Google → Ads).
• Go ad-free: subscribing to an ad-free plan removes ads.

8Your choices & rights

• Access and edit: view and update your profile information at any time in the app.
• Delete your account: you can delete your account in Settings → Delete account. This removes your profile and associated content, subject to the limited retention described below.
• Location: you can turn off location permission in your device settings, or hide/freeze your map position in the app — though some features won’t work without location.
• Notifications: control push notifications in your device settings.

9California residents

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (as amended) gives you rights over your personal information. In the past 12 months we have collected the categories described in Section 3 — including identifiers, account and profile information, sensitive information (such as precise geolocation and information about sexual orientation), commercial information (subscriptions), internet/usage activity, and user content — for the purposes in Section 5.

Your rights include the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect and how we use and share it;
• Access and delete your personal information;
• Correct inaccurate personal information;
• Opt out of “sharing” of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising;
• Limit the use of your sensitive personal information to what is necessary to provide the service; and
• Not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.

We do not sell personal information for money. To exercise any of these rights — including to opt out of ad-related “sharing” — email us at rutapp@proton.me with the subject “California Privacy Request,” or decline tracking / limit your advertising identifier as described in Section 7. We will verify your request using information associated with your account.

10Data retention

We keep your personal information while your account is active. When you delete your account, we delete or de-identify your profile and content, except where we need to retain certain information for a limited period to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, prevent abuse or ban evasion, or maintain security — and except for routine backups, which are overwritten on a rolling basis.

11Security

We protect your information with measures including encryption in transit, hashed passwords, and access-controlled storage — private-album photos are served only through short-lived, signed links after an access check. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12Children

Rut is for adults 18 and older only and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. See Section 2.

13Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app. Your continued use of Rut after an update means you accept the revised policy.

14Contact us

If you have questions or requests about this Privacy Policy or your information, contact us at rutapp@proton.me.