1. Information We Collect

We collect only the data essential to deliver and enhance the Mella experience. The categories of information we may collect include:

• Account credentials. When you sign up, we ask for a username, email address, and optionally a profile photo. You may later update these details through your account settings.
• User-generated content. Any posts, direct messages, comments, images, or videos that you upload are stored so they can be displayed to you and to other users you choose to share with.
• Activity logs. We track your interactions with the platform—such as features accessed, session durations, and actions taken—to better understand usage and improve the service.
• Device & network data. Information like device model, operating system version, unique identifiers, IP address, and connection type, used for diagnostics, performance tuning, and fraud prevention.
• Approximate location. With your permission, we may derive a general city or region from your IP address. We do not collect precise GPS coordinates without explicit consent.
• Support correspondence. Records of any messages you send to our support team, including questions, bug reports, and feedback.
• Payment data. For any paid offerings, transactions are handled by secure third-party processors. We do not store complete payment card details.

2. How We Use Your Information

We process your data only for specific, lawful purposes:

• Service delivery. Creating and managing your account, enabling social interactions, and displaying your content to intended audiences.
• Personalisation. Tailoring content suggestions, connection recommendations, and interface preferences to make your experience more relevant.
• Safety and integrity. Monitoring for spam, abuse, fraudulent activity, and policy violations through automated and manual analysis.
• Communication. Sending you important service notifications, security alerts, and responses to your inquiries. Marketing messages are sent only if you have opted in.
• Product improvement. Analysing trends, debugging issues, and developing new features based on aggregated, non-personal insights.
• Legal compliance. Responding to valid legal requests and fulfilling regulatory obligations where required.

3. When We Share Information

We treat your personal data with care and disclose it only in the following situations:

• With your explicit consent. When you authorise a third-party integration or choose to share data with another user or service.
• With trusted service providers. Vendors that perform services on our behalf—such as hosting, analytics, push notifications, and customer support—receive only the data necessary for those tasks and are contractually bound to protect it.
• For legal reasons. We may share information when required by law, court order, or governmental request, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect rights, safety, or property.
• Business transitions. In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user data may be transferred, provided that the acquiring entity maintains equivalent privacy protections.
• Emergency situations. To prevent imminent harm to individuals or the public, we may share relevant data with appropriate authorities.

In all cases, we share only the minimum necessary and require our partners to uphold robust privacy and security standards.

4. Third-Party Services and SDKs

Mella incorporates third-party software development kits (SDKs), APIs, and services to enable features like analytics, advertising, and payment processing. These external parties may collect or receive data about your use of the service under their own privacy policies.

We are not responsible for the practices or content of any third-party service. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any such services before using them in connection with Mella.

5. How We Protect Your Data

We employ industry-standard safeguards to protect your information:

• Encryption. Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256).
• Access control. Only authorised personnel with a legitimate need can access user data, and access is logged and audited.
• Vulnerability management. We conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests to identify and address potential weaknesses.

While we strive for the highest level of security, no online platform can be entirely risk-free. In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected users and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

6. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data, including:

• Access and correction. You can view and update most of your account information directly within the app’s Settings.
• Data portability. You may request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Deletion. You may request permanent deletion of your account and associated data, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Opt-out. You can unsubscribe from promotional communications at any time and adjust app permissions via your device settings.
• Restriction or objection. In some cases, you may ask us to limit processing or object to certain uses, such as direct marketing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email address above. We will respond within the legally required timeframe and may verify your identity before processing the request.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy, or as mandated by law.

• Active accounts. Data is retained while your account remains active.
• After account deletion. We will delete or anonymise your data within a reasonable period, except where we are legally required to retain it (e.g., for fraud prevention or regulatory compliance).
• Backup copies. Residual copies may persist temporarily in backup systems as part of routine disaster-recovery procedures, but these are securely overwritten over time.

When data is no longer needed, we securely dispose of it through deletion or anonymisation.

8. Children's Privacy

Mella is designed for users who are at least 18 years old. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18.

• Age restriction. We actively block registration by individuals under 18 and may implement additional age-verification procedures.
• Accidental collection. If we become aware that we have inadvertently received data from a minor, we will delete it promptly, typically within 24 hours.
• Parental contact. Parents or guardians who believe their child has provided data to us should contact us immediately so we can take appropriate action.

9. Content Moderation and Reporting

Mella combines automated filtering, machine learning, and human review to detect and remove content that violates our community guidelines, including harassment, hate speech, spam, and child safety issues.

Users can report concerning content or behaviour via the in-app "Report" feature on any profile, post, or message. Our safety team reviews all reports and prioritises those related to CSEA, investigating them as quickly as possible.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence, including the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

If you are located outside the United States and choose to use Mella, you consent to the transfer, storage, and processing of your data in the United States and other countries where we operate. We take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is handled securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

11. Updates to This Policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. If we make material changes, we will notify you through an in-app alert, email, or both, and we will update the effective date at the top of this page.

Your continued use of Mella after the effective date constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. If you do not agree with the changes, you should stop using the service and delete your account.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please reach out to us at:

When contacting us, please include your username or registered email address and provide a clear description of your inquiry. We aim to respond within 30 days. For complex issues, we may require additional time and will inform you accordingly.

We value your trust and are committed to protecting your privacy.