Data Protection Policy

1. Overview

Adam & Hawa is committed to protecting your personal data and complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy describes the principles we follow and how we fulfil our obligations as a data controller.

2. Data Protection Principles

All personal data we process must be:

• Processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently
• Collected for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes
• Adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary
• Accurate and kept up to date
• Retained only as long as necessary
• Processed securely

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process personal data on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

• Consent — for profile data and notifications
• Explicit consent (Article 9(2)(a)) — for special category data relating to religious beliefs
• Contract performance — to provide the Service
• Legal obligations — where required by law
• Legitimate interests — for security and fraud prevention

4. Special Category Data

Because Adam & Hawa is a matrimonial platform for Muslims, we process information about users’ religious beliefs and practices. This constitutes special category data under Article 9 of the UK GDPR and is processed exclusively on the basis of users’ explicit consent. Users may withdraw this consent at any time by deleting their account.

5. Data Subject Rights

Users have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or port their data, and to object to processing or withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@adamhawa.com. We will respond within one calendar month.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures, including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Access controls and authentication
• Secure cloud infrastructure (AWS, Google Firebase)
• Incident response procedures, including ICO notification within 72 hours of a reportable breach

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary:

• Active accounts — data is held for the duration of the account
• Deleted accounts — profile data is removed immediately; residual data required for legal or accounting purposes may be retained for up to 6 years
• Transaction records — retained for 6 years in accordance with UK accounting requirements

8. International Data Transfers

Some of our service providers may process data outside the UK. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the ICO.

9. Data Protection Contact

For data protection enquiries, subject access requests, or complaints, please contact us at:
Email: info@adamhawa.com
Address: Leicester, United Kingdom

10. Complaints

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority:

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113