Legal

Article 1 — Introduction & Acceptance

1.1 These Terms of Service (the "Terms") form a binding legal agreement between you and Howl Dating, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Howl," "we," "us," or "our"), governing your access to and use of the Howl mobile application, the website at www.howldating.com, and any related services, software, content, APIs, or features we provide (collectively, the "Service").

1.2 By creating an account, taking a verification selfie, sending or receiving messages, downloading or installing the Service, or otherwise accessing or using any part of the Service, you accept and agree to be bound by these Terms, the Privacy Policy (Section 2), the Biometric Information Consent (Section 3), the Community Guidelines (Section 4), and any additional terms presented in-app for specific features (collectively, the "Agreement"). If you do not agree, you must not access or use the Service.

1.3 We may amend these Terms at any time. For material changes, we will provide at least thirty (30) days' notice via in-app notification or to the email on file, except for changes required by law or to address a security incident, which may take effect immediately. Continued use after the effective date of an amendment constitutes acceptance. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

1.4 If any term in this Article 1 conflicts with another part of the Agreement, the term most favorable to enforceability of the Agreement controls, subject to applicable law.

Article 2 — Eligibility

2.1 Age. The Service is offered exclusively to individuals who are eighteen (18) years of age or older. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18.

2.2 No Minors. The Service is not designed for and is not directed to anyone under 18. If we learn or have reasonable grounds to believe a user is under 18, we will terminate the account, delete the associated data in accordance with the Privacy Policy, and may report the matter to authorities where required by law.

2.3 Capacity & Compliance. You represent that you have legal capacity to enter into a binding contract; you have not been previously suspended or banned from the Service; your use does not violate any law, treaty, regulation, or court order; you are not on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties; and you are not located in a country embargoed by the U.S. government.

2.4 Registered Sex Offenders & Certain Felonies. If you are a registered sex offender or have been convicted of a violent felony, you are not permitted to create an account or use the Service.

2.5 Discretion. Even where a court has not restricted your eligibility, we may, in our sole discretion, decline to provide the Service to anyone and may refuse, modify, suspend, or terminate accounts at any time, with or without notice, for any lawful reason.

Article 3 — Account Registration & Verification

3.1 Registration. To use the Service, you must register an account by providing the information we request, which may include a mobile phone number, gender for matching purposes, the gender(s) you are looking for, an age range, an approximate distance radius, and a verification selfie taken in real time using your device's front-facing camera. Each session you participate in requires a new live selfie.

3.2 Selfie Integrity. You agree to take selfies only of yourself; that you are the same individual depicted in each selfie; and that you will not upload pre-captured photos, photos of other individuals, AI-generated imagery, deepfakes, masks, screen presentations, or any depiction other than a real-time image of yourself. Submission of any selfie that is not of yourself, taken live, is fraud and is grounds for immediate termination and may be referred to law enforcement.

3.3 Mood & Profile Elements. The Service may permit you to provide limited profile elements (for example, a three-emoji "mood"). All profile elements are subject to this Agreement and may be reviewed, restricted, or removed at our discretion.

3.4 Account Security. You are responsible for keeping your credentials confidential and for all activity through your account. You agree to notify us immediately at security@howldating.com of any unauthorized access. We are not liable for loss arising from your failure to comply with this clause.

3.5 One Account. You may maintain only one active account. Creating multiple accounts, impersonation, or use of another's identity is prohibited and is grounds for permanent suspension and forfeiture of any paid features.

Article 4 — The Service

4.1 Description. Howl is a time-windowed dating service that opens during defined nightly hours, presents you with other verified users in your area during that window, and permits matched users to exchange messages. Matches, profile state, and messages are subject to expiration as described in-app and below.

4.2 Time Window. The Service is currently available only during a recurring nightly window of approximately 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM local time. We may change, suspend, or extend the window at our discretion, including for maintenance, market launches, holidays, regulatory compliance, or any other reason. Inclusion of your market is not guaranteed.

4.3 Daily Reset. Matches are reset and profile state is cleared at sunrise local time each day. Messages exchanged during an open window remain accessible for up to twenty-four (24) hours after that window closes, then are deleted from the active service. Backup, audit, and abuse-investigation copies may persist longer as described in the Privacy Policy.

4.4 Beta & Pre-Release. Some features may be designated as beta, preview, or pre-release. Such features are strictly experimental, may change without notice, may not function as described, and are governed by the disclaimers in Articles 13 and 14.

Article 5 — User Content & License

5.1 Your Content. "User Content" means any selfie, image, depth-map signal, video, audio, mood, message, chat, voice memo, reaction, vote, screenshot reported to us, feedback, or other material you upload, transmit, or otherwise make available through the Service. User Content includes incidental background captured along with you in any selfie or video (Article 6).

5.2 License Grant. You grant Howl a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid-up, sublicensable (to service providers solely for the operation of the Service), and transferable license to host, store, use, copy, transmit, modify (including format conversion and quality optimization), distribute, publicly display (only as designed by the Service — for example, to other users during a session), publicly perform, and create derivative works of User Content solely to (a) operate, provide, secure, and improve the Service; (b) enforce this Agreement; (c) comply with legal obligations; and (d) train, evaluate, and improve our authenticity-detection models on de-identified or technically isolated data as described in the Privacy Policy. This license is the minimum necessary to run the Service and terminates with respect to a piece of User Content when that content is deleted from our active systems, except to the extent we are required by law, or by reasonable backup, audit, or abuse-investigation processes, to retain a copy.

5.3 Your Representations. You represent and warrant that (a) you own or have all necessary rights to your User Content; (b) your User Content does not and will not infringe, misappropriate, or violate any third party's intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other right; (c) your User Content complies with this Agreement and all applicable laws; (d) any image, voice, or likeness in your User Content is your own; and (e) you have obtained any consent required to capture any incidental background or third party that may appear in your User Content (Article 6).

5.4 Feedback. If you submit suggestions, ideas, or feedback to us ("Feedback"), Feedback is non-confidential and we may use, exploit, and commercialize it for any purpose without compensation or attribution.

5.5 Removal. We may, in our sole discretion and without prior notice, remove, refuse to display, or restrict access to any User Content for any reason, including suspected violation of this Agreement.

Article 6 — Camera, Selfie, and Incidental Background Consent

6.1 You Are Pointing a Camera at the World. When you take a verification selfie, the camera captures not only your face but also whatever is visible within its field of view at that moment — including, without limitation, your immediate physical surroundings, household members or other persons who happen to be in frame, the interior of your home, identifying decor, screens, documents, devices, pets, vehicles, license plates, signage, neighbors, public spaces, and any other content within the frame ("Incidental Background"). You acknowledge and agree that this is an inherent characteristic of any camera-based authentication system and that you bear sole responsibility for the contents of the frame you point the camera at.

6.2 Your Authorization. By taking a selfie through the Service, you expressly authorize Howl to capture, transmit, process, analyze, and (subject to the retention schedule in the Privacy Policy and Biometric Information Consent) temporarily store the entire image, including the Incidental Background, for the purposes described in this Agreement, including liveness detection, anti-spoof analysis, depth-map computation, image quality validation, fraud and abuse investigation, and presentation of your face (and only your face, framed by the Service) to other users during a session.

6.3 Right to Process Even When Not Retained. You acknowledge that certain authenticity computations require processing the full image (including Incidental Background) at the moment of capture, even though Howl does not durably retain raw selfie images or background detail beyond the retention schedule described in the Privacy Policy. You grant Howl the right to perform such processing notwithstanding the fact that the underlying image is not stored long-term. The fact that data is not permanently retained does not waive any consent you have provided to process it.

6.4 Third Parties in Frame. You are solely responsible for ensuring that no person other than yourself appears in your selfie. If another person appears incidentally, you represent and warrant that you have obtained that person's informed consent to be captured, transmitted, and processed by the Service for the purposes described in this Agreement and the Privacy Policy. You agree to indemnify Howl in accordance with Article 15 for any claim by such third party.

6.5 Sensitive Backgrounds. Do not take selfies in any setting where capture would be unlawful, unconsented, or sensitive — including, without limitation, schools, hospitals, secured facilities, workplaces with confidentiality obligations, restrooms or locker rooms (except your own, alone), or settings where minors may be in frame. Howl is not responsible for selfies taken in violation of this clause.

6.6 Audio. Where the Service captures audio (for example, in any future voice-message or video feature), the foregoing consents apply equally to incidental audio, including ambient sounds, background voices, and other audio within range of the device microphone at the time of capture.

6.7 No Surveillance Use. Howl does not use selfies, depth data, audio, or Incidental Background to surveil, identify by name, geolocate by reverse image search, or otherwise extract personal information about any party other than as necessary to deliver the Service. We do not provide selfies or Incidental Background to law enforcement or any third party for surveillance purposes except under valid legal process as described in the Privacy Policy.

6.8 Right to Withdraw. You may withdraw the camera consents in this Article at any time by deleting your account, which will trigger the deletion processes described in the Privacy Policy. Without an active selfie verification, you cannot access the Service.

Article 7 — Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to, and not to attempt to, do any of the following:

• impersonate any person; misrepresent your identity, age, gender, intent, or affiliation;
• upload, transmit, or display nudity, sexually explicit content, content depicting violence, hate speech, or content soliciting sexual services in exchange for value;
• solicit, threaten, harass, stalk, intimidate, dox, or harm any person, on or off the Service;
• traffic, exploit, or attempt to exploit any person, particularly minors;
• create fake profiles, fake accounts, or use any automated means (bots, scripts, scrapers) to register accounts, send messages, or interact with the Service;
• use the Service for any commercial purpose — advertising, marketing, multi-level marketing, recruiting, fundraising, promoting any product or service — without our prior written consent;
• scrape, crawl, index, harvest, or otherwise extract data from the Service by any automated means;
• reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code or underlying ideas of the Service or of our authenticity-detection models;
• circumvent, disable, or interfere with any security, rate-limiting, or access-control feature;
• upload viruses, worms, malware, or other harmful code;
• interfere with or disrupt the integrity, performance, or availability of the Service;
• infringe any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, right of privacy, or right of publicity;
• engage in romance scams, advance-fee fraud, "pig butchering," investment solicitation, cryptocurrency promotion, or any other deceptive financial scheme;
• solicit, transmit, or knowingly accept any image of a minor, including any such image of yourself when you were a minor;
• collect or store personal data about other users, including by screenshotting, screen recording, or otherwise capturing their selfies or messages;
• use the Service while operating a vehicle or in any manner that endangers life; or
• encourage, facilitate, or assist any third party in doing any of the foregoing.

Violation may result in termination, forfeiture of paid features, civil suit, and referral to law enforcement.

Article 8 — Safety; No Background Checks

8.1 Use Your Judgment. Howl provides a way to meet people. It does not vouch for them. You are solely responsible for your interactions with other users, both on and off the Service. Meet in public. Tell a friend where you're going. Do not send money. Do not share financial information. Do not share house keys or addresses.

8.2 No Vetting. We do not conduct criminal-history background checks, sex-offender registry searches, identity-document verification, employment verification, financial verification, sobriety verification, marital-status verification, or any other vetting beyond our selfie-based liveness and authenticity processes. We provide no representation or warranty regarding the criminal history, character, mental health, reproductive health, sexual health, sexually transmitted infection status, employment, education, financial standing, marital status, sobriety, intentions, or fitness for any purpose of any user.

8.3 Off-Platform. We are not responsible for the conduct of any user occurring outside the Service, including any meeting, communication, transaction, or activity, regardless of whether the underlying acquaintance originated on the Service. Once you go off the Service, you are on your own.

8.4 Reporting. If you encounter behavior that violates the Community Guidelines or this Agreement, please report it inside the app or to safety@howldating.com. We review reports and take appropriate action, but we cannot guarantee any particular outcome.

8.5 Emergencies. If you believe you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency services. Howl is not an emergency responder.

Article 9 — Authenticity Safeguards (the "Catfish-Free" Statement)

9.1 What We Do. Howl employs proprietary computer-vision and machine-learning techniques, including the processing of depth-camera data on supported devices, to detect impersonation, deepfakes, replayed photographs, mask attacks, and other inauthentic presentations at the moment a selfie is submitted.

9.2 Best Efforts; No Absolute Warranty. Our authenticity safeguards represent our best efforts using current technology. We do not, and cannot, guarantee that every detection will be accurate, or that no inauthentic user will ever appear on the Service. Detection systems carry false-positive and false-negative rates that change as adversaries adapt. Any public-facing statement we make about authenticity, including any "catfish-free" or similar language used in marketing, describes our design intent and best efforts and does not constitute a contractual warranty, guarantee of result, or admission of liability for individual detection outcomes. The disclaimers in Articles 13 and 14 control.

9.3 Device Compatibility. Depth-based safeguards rely on hardware capabilities of your device. On devices without compatible depth-sensing hardware, we may use alternative or reduced safeguards. We do not guarantee that any specific device will support all safeguards.

Article 10 — Intellectual Property

10.1 Our IP. The Service, including all software, models, algorithms, designs, copy, graphics, audio, video, names, logos, icons, the marks "Howl," "Howl Dating," and the wolf-and-heart device, and all related intellectual property rights, are owned by Howl Dating, Inc. or its licensors. Except for the limited rights expressly granted in Article 10.2, no rights are granted to you. All rights are reserved.

10.2 License to You. Subject to your compliance with this Agreement, we grant you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to download, install, and use the Service on a device you own or control, solely for your personal, non-commercial use.

10.3 No Use of Marks. You may not use our trademarks, logos, or trade dress without our prior written permission.

10.4 Copyright Claims (DMCA). We respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. To submit a notice, email dmca@howldating.com with the information required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3). Repeat infringers will have their accounts terminated.

Article 11 — Payments, Subscriptions & Virtual Items

11.1 Current Offering. Howl may now or in the future offer paid features, subscriptions, one-time purchases, consumable virtual items, or other paid functionality (collectively, "Paid Features"). Pricing, terms, and availability will be presented in-app before purchase.

11.2 Billing. Paid Features purchased through the Apple App Store or Google Play are billed by, and refunds handled by, the applicable platform under its own terms. Where we bill you directly, we do so through a third-party payment processor; you authorize us to charge your designated payment method on a recurring basis if you purchase a subscription.

11.3 Auto-Renewal. Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each term unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the then-current period through your platform account or in-app settings.

11.4 No Refunds Except as Required by Law. All purchases are final and non-refundable except as required by applicable consumer-protection law or as expressly stated at the point of purchase. EU/UK residents may have a right of withdrawal under applicable consumer law; by initiating immediate use of a Paid Feature, you expressly request immediate performance and acknowledge that you may lose the right of withdrawal once the Paid Feature has been fully performed.

11.5 Virtual Items. Virtual items, credits, points, "howls," "icebreakers," or similar in-app items have no monetary value, are not refundable, are not transferable, and are licensed — not sold — to you. We may modify or discontinue them at any time.

11.6 Taxes. Prices may be exclusive of applicable taxes, which you are responsible for.

Article 12 — Apple App Store & Google Play Provisions

12.1 Apple. If you download the Service from Apple's App Store, the following additional terms apply, and in case of conflict the terms below control with respect to Apple: (a) this Agreement is concluded between you and Howl, not with Apple, and Apple is not responsible for the Service or its content. (b) Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance or support. (c) In the event of any failure of the Service to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any); to the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple will have no other warranty obligation whatsoever. (d) Apple is not responsible for addressing claims by you or any third party relating to the Service, including product-liability claims, claims that the Service fails to conform to legal or regulatory requirements, and claims arising under consumer-protection or similar legislation. (e) Apple is not responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement, or discharge of any third-party intellectual-property claim. (f) You represent and warrant that you are not in a U.S. embargoed country and are not on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties. (g) Apple and Apple's subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement and may enforce it against you.

12.2 Google. If you download the Service from Google Play, you acknowledge that this Agreement is between you and Howl only, not with Google. To the extent it conflicts with the Google Play Terms of Service or the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement, the latter will control with respect to your use of the Service downloaded from Google Play.

Article 13 — Disclaimer of Warranties

13.1 As Is. THE SERVICE, INCLUDING ALL CONTENT, USER CONTENT, FEATURES, AND SAFETY MECHANISMS, IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE.

13.2 No Outcome Guarantee. WE MAKE NO WARRANTY THAT THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, RESULT IN A MATCH, A DATE, A RELATIONSHIP, A MARRIAGE, OR ANY OTHER OUTCOME; OR THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE TIMELY, SECURE, UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE FROM INACCURACY OR HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

13.3 No Vetting Warranty. WE MAKE NO WARRANTY REGARDING THE IDENTITY, CHARACTER, CONDUCT, MENTAL HEALTH, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, SEXUAL HEALTH, OR INTENTIONS OF ANY USER. AUTHENTICITY SAFEGUARDS DESCRIBED IN ARTICLE 9 ARE BEST-EFFORT AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE A WARRANTY.

13.4 Reliance. Any reliance you place on information or other users obtained through the Service is at your own risk. We expressly disclaim liability for any decision you make in reliance on the Service, including any financial, medical, legal, or personal decision.

13.5 Limitations Apply Where Required. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties. To the extent applicable law does not permit a particular exclusion, that exclusion does not apply to you and the warranty is limited to the minimum scope and duration permitted.

Article 14 — Limitation of Liability

14.1 Excluded Damages. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL HOWL, ITS AFFILIATES, OR ITS OR THEIR DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, INVESTORS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS, LOST OPPORTUNITY, LOST REVENUE, LOST DATA, LOST GOODWILL, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, PERSONAL INJURY ARISING FROM ANY MEETING OR INTERACTION WITH ANOTHER USER, PROPERTY DAMAGE, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR LOSS OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THIS AGREEMENT, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STATUTE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY.

14.2 Cap. OUR TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO US FOR THE SERVICE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO LIABILITY OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100).

14.3 Off-Platform Conduct. WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY HARM, INJURY, LOSS, OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY ANY USER, INCLUDING ANY ACT OR OMISSION OF ANY USER OCCURRING IN A LOCATION OR CONTEXT OUTSIDE OF THE SERVICE.

14.4 Essential Allocation. The disclaimers and limitations in Articles 13 and 14 are an essential element of the bargain between you and us. The Service would not be provided to you without them.

14.5 Limitations Apply Where Required. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations of liability. To the extent applicable law does not permit a particular limitation, that limitation does not apply to you and our liability is limited to the minimum extent permitted.

Article 15 — Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Howl, its affiliates, and its and their respective directors, officers, employees, agents, and licensors from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your User Content (including Incidental Background) and any claim by a third party in connection with it; (b) your use of or interaction with the Service, including any meetings or interactions with other users; (c) your breach of this Agreement or any representation or warranty herein; (d) your violation of any law or third-party right; or (e) any misrepresentation made by you. We reserve the right to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, in which event you will fully cooperate.

Article 16 — Termination

16.1 By You. You may terminate your account at any time through in-app account-deletion controls. Following deletion, your data will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Policy.

16.2 By Us. We may suspend or terminate your account, and refuse any current or future use of the Service, at any time, with or without notice, for any lawful reason, including suspected violation of this Agreement, suspected fraud or abuse, legal or regulatory requirements, or operational necessity.

16.3 Survival. Articles 5.2 (license to retained backups), 5.4, 6 (camera consents), 7, 10, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 survive termination.

Article 17 — Governing Law

This Agreement and any dispute arising out of or relating to it or the Service will be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. The U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply. Subject to Article 18, the state and federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California will have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim not subject to arbitration, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.

Article 18 — Dispute Resolution; Arbitration; Class-Action Waiver

18.1 Informal Resolution First. Before initiating any formal proceeding, you and we will attempt to resolve the dispute informally. You agree to send a written notice describing the dispute and the relief you seek to legal@howldating.com. If the dispute is not resolved within sixty (60) days of receipt, either party may proceed to arbitration.

18.2 Binding Arbitration. Except as set forth in Article 18.5, any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Service will be resolved by final and binding arbitration administered by JAMS pursuant to its applicable rules, before a single arbitrator. The seat of arbitration will be Los Angeles, California. The arbitrator's award is final and may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction.

18.3 Class-Action Waiver. YOU AND WE EACH AGREE THAT ANY PROCEEDING WILL BE CONDUCTED ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT IN A CLASS, COLLECTIVE, REPRESENTATIVE, CONSOLIDATED, OR PRIVATE-ATTORNEY-GENERAL PROCEEDING. The arbitrator may not consolidate the claims of multiple parties and may not preside over any representative or class proceeding. If this clause is held unenforceable, the entirety of Article 18 will be null and void as to such dispute, and the dispute will proceed in court subject to Article 17.

18.4 Jury Trial Waiver. YOU AND WE EACH WAIVE THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

18.5 Exceptions. Either party may bring (a) an action in small-claims court for disputes that qualify, or (b) an action to enjoin infringement or misuse of intellectual property in a court of competent jurisdiction.

18.6 Right to Opt Out. You may opt out of Articles 18.2 and 18.3 by sending a written notice of opt-out to legal@howldating.com within thirty (30) days of first accepting this Agreement (or any amendment that materially modifies arbitration). The notice must include your name, address, and the account associated with the opt-out. Opting out of arbitration does not opt you out of any other provision of this Agreement.

18.7 Federal Arbitration Act. The Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1 et seq., governs the interpretation and enforcement of this Article 18.

Article 19 — Notices & Communications

We may give notice via in-app notification, push notification, or to the email on file. You agree that such notice satisfies any legal requirement that notice be in writing. Notices to us must be in writing and sent to legal@howldating.com with a courtesy copy to Howl Dating, Inc., Attn: Legal, 1804 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, California 90802.

Article 20 — Force Majeure

We will not be liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including acts of God, war, terrorism, civil disturbance, epidemic or pandemic, government order, labor dispute, internet or telecommunications failure, cyberattack, or supply-chain disruption.

Article 21 — Government Users

If you are accessing the Service on behalf of any U.S. federal government entity, the Service is a "commercial item" as defined at 48 C.F.R. § 2.101 and is provided with only the rights granted to all other users.

Article 22 — California Users (Cal. Civ. Code § 1789.3)

If you are a California resident, the provider of the Service is named in Article 1. Complaints regarding the Service may be referred to the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs, 1625 North Market Boulevard, Suite N 112, Sacramento, California 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.

Article 23 — Miscellaneous

23.1 Assignment. You may not assign or transfer this Agreement without our prior written consent. We may assign this Agreement to any affiliate, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets.

23.2 Severability. If any provision is held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect, and the offending provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid.

23.3 No Waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of our right to do so later.

23.4 No Third-Party Beneficiaries. Except as expressly set forth in Article 12.1 with respect to Apple, this Agreement creates no third-party beneficiaries.

23.5 Headings. Headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

23.6 Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and us with respect to the Service and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications.

1. Who We Are & Scope

1.1 This Privacy Policy ("Policy") describes how Howl Dating, Inc. ("Howl," "we," "us") collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information when you use the Howl mobile application, our website at www.howldating.com, and any related services (collectively, the "Service").

1.2 Controller. For purposes of the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation, Howl Dating, Inc. is the data controller of personal data processed through the Service.

1.3 Scope. This Policy applies to information collected through the Service. It does not apply to third-party sites, services, or applications, including the Apple App Store, Google Play, or any service you reach by clicking a link in the Service.

2. Information You Provide

• Account & contact: mobile phone number, email address (if provided), gender for matching, the gender(s) you are looking for, age range, approximate distance radius.
• Age confirmation: a representation that you are 18 or older. We may, in our discretion, require additional age verification.
• Mood indicator: a short profile element (e.g., three emoji) you select before entering a session.
• Verification selfies: a live selfie taken at the start of each session, including any Incidental Background visible in the camera's field of view.
• Messages and interactions: chats with matches, "icebreakers," "howls," "save for later" actions, ✓/✗ votes, reports.
• Support and reports: the content of communications you send to us.

3. Information Collected Automatically

• Device and technical: device model, operating system, app version, language, time zone, IP address, network type, advertising identifier (only with your permission), crash logs, diagnostic data.
• Approximate location: derived from your IP address, the location permission you grant the app, or your stated distance radius. We do not retain precise GPS location history.
• Usage: session times, features used, actions taken, engagement metrics.
• Cookies and similar: see Section 13.

4. Information from Third Parties

If you sign in through Apple, Google, or another identity provider, we receive limited account information from that provider. If you make a purchase, we receive transaction confirmation (but not full payment-card data) from the applicable platform or payment processor. Fraud-prevention partners may provide signals about suspected fraudulent activity associated with your device or network.

5. Sensitive Information We Do Not Solicit

We do not solicit and do not need: government-issued ID numbers (except where required for age or fraud verification), Social Security numbers, payment-card numbers (handled by platforms/processors), precise geolocation history, full contact lists, photo-library access (we use only the live camera capture), health information, religious or political views, racial or ethnic origin, sexual-orientation labels beyond match preference, trade-union membership, or criminal history.

6. Camera, Selfie, and Incidental Background

When you take a verification selfie, our software processes the image and (where supported) the depth map produced by your device's depth-sensing camera. The image necessarily includes whatever is in the camera's field of view: your face, and also any Incidental Background — including household members, household items, room interiors, screens, documents, devices, pets, vehicles, license plates, signage, neighbors, and public spaces. You acknowledge and consent to this processing as described in the Terms of Service, Article 6.

We do not retain raw selfie images or Incidental Background long-term. Raw images are deleted on the schedule in Section 9. We retain derived authenticity signals as described in Section 7 (Biometric Information Consent).

7. Biometric Information

From your selfie, we derive: a facial-geometry template (a mathematical representation of facial features); a three-dimensional structural map (where supported); and liveness and authenticity scores computed from the foregoing (collectively, "Biometric Information"). Under Illinois law (740 ILCS 14), Texas Business & Commerce Code § 503.001, Washington H.B. 1493, and similar statutes, this constitutes the collection of biometric identifiers and/or biometric information. The full disclosures and your consent are set out in Section 3 (Biometric Information Consent) of this Legal page.

8. How We Use Information

• To provide the Service: create accounts, authenticate users, show you others during a session, deliver messages, run the nightly window, reset state.
• To verify authenticity: process Biometric Information as described.
• To keep the Service safe: detect and prevent fraud, abuse, harassment, impersonation, and other Terms violations; respond to reports; investigate incidents.
• To communicate with you: service announcements, support, legal notices, security alerts.
• To debug and improve: diagnose crashes, fix bugs, measure quality, make the Service better.
• To comply with law: respond to legal process; defend against legal claims; enforce our Terms.
• For transactions: process purchases or subscriptions; provide receipts; prevent payment fraud.

9. Retention

• Active account data: for as long as your account is active.
• Verification selfies (raw images and Incidental Background): retained for up to seven (7) days for fraud and abuse review, then deleted from active systems.
• Biometric templates: no longer than three (3) years after your last interaction.
• Messages: retained on active systems only during the open window and for up to 24 hours thereafter.
• Match state: reset daily at sunrise local time.
• Device and technical logs: typically up to 90 days; longer when reasonably necessary for security or legal purposes.
• Support correspondence: up to three (3) years.
• Records required by law: retained for the period required.
• Backups: may persist for a limited period after deletion from active systems and are overwritten on a rolling basis.

10. Sharing & Disclosure

10.1 With other users. Your verification selfie, mood indicator, and matching attributes are visible to other users in your area during an open session, in accordance with the Service's design.

10.2 Service providers. We disclose information to vendors who process it on our behalf to operate the Service. Categories include: cloud hosting and storage; messaging infrastructure; analytics and crash reporting; fraud and abuse detection; customer support; legal and accounting; and payment processing. Each is contractually bound to handle data in accordance with this Policy.

10.3 Legal requests. We may disclose information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is required by warrant, subpoena, court order, statute, or regulation; to comply with a legal obligation; to protect the rights, property, or safety of Howl, users, or others; or in connection with an investigation of suspected illegal activity. We will challenge requests we believe are overreaching, and where permitted by law we will notify the affected user.

10.4 Corporate transactions. If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, dissolution, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of the transaction, subject to confidentiality protections.

10.5 Aggregated & de-identified. We may use and share aggregated or de-identified information for any purpose.

10.6 We do not sell. We do not sell personal information as the term "sell" is defined under applicable U.S. state privacy law. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

11. Legal Bases (EU/UK Users)

If GDPR applies to you, we rely on: performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)); legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) balanced against your rights; legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)); and consent (Art. 6(1)(a) and Art. 9(2)(a) for biometric data).

12. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, port, restrict processing, object to processing based on legitimate interests, withdraw consent, and not be discriminated against for exercising any right. To exercise a right, email privacy@howldating.com or use in-app deletion controls. We will respond within the time required by law (typically 30–45 days). We may verify your identity before responding. Authorized agents may submit requests on your behalf where permitted; we may require the agent to verify identity.

13. Cookies & Similar Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies (e.g., local storage; SDKs in-app) for essential functionality (sign-in state, security), measurement, and limited analytics. We do not use third-party advertising cookies. Where required by law, we treat a Global Privacy Control ("GPC") signal as a valid opt-out of "sale" and "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising. You can control cookies through your browser and your device's privacy settings.

14. U.S. State Privacy Disclosures

California (CCPA/CPRA). Within the prior 12 months, we have collected the categories described above. We have not "sold" personal information. We have not "shared" personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Categories disclosed for business purposes: identifiers, commercial information (limited to transaction confirmations), internet/network activity, approximate geolocation, audio/visual information (selfies), and biometric information. California residents have the right to know, delete, correct, opt out of sale/share (we do not), limit use of sensitive personal information, and not be discriminated against.

Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Tennessee, Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Indiana, and other states as they take effect. Residents have rights similar to those above, including (depending on state) the right to access, correct, delete, port, opt out of the processing of personal data for targeted advertising, sale, or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects, and appeal denials.

Nevada. Nevada residents may opt out of any future sale of personal information by emailing privacy@howldating.com. We do not currently sell.

15. International Transfers

We are based in the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. For transfers from the EU/UK/Switzerland, we rely on the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, and/or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

16. Children

The Service is strictly limited to adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we become aware that a person under 18 has provided information, we will terminate the account, delete the data, and may notify authorities where required.

17. Security

We take reasonable and appropriate technical, administrative, and physical measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, and destruction, including encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, audit logging, network segmentation, secure development practices, and personnel training. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. In the event of a data breach affecting your information, we will notify you and applicable regulators as required by law.

18. Third-Party Links & Services

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for those third parties' privacy practices. We encourage you to review their policies.

19. Changes to This Policy

If we update this Policy in a material way, we will notify users via in-app notification or to the email associated with the account at least thirty (30) days before the change takes effect, except for changes required by law or to address security incidents.

20. Do Not Track

Our website does not respond to "Do Not Track" signals because no common standard for responding to them has been adopted. We do honor Global Privacy Control as described above.

21. Contact

Howl Dating, Inc.
Attn: Privacy Office
1804 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, California 90802
Email: privacy@howldating.com

EU/UK Representative: Not currently applicable. Howl does not target users in the European Union or United Kingdom at this time. An Article 27 representative will be appointed if and when Howl extends service to those regions.

Data Protection Officer (if applicable): Not currently appointed. A Data Protection Officer will be designated if and when Howl is required to appoint one under applicable law (for example, upon expansion into jurisdictions that mandate one).

1. What This Document Is

This Biometric Information Consent ("Consent") is a written notice and authorization from you to Howl Dating, Inc. ("Howl") regarding the collection, capture, storage, use, and processing of biometric identifiers and biometric information derived from your verification selfies. It is required by, and intended to comply with, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, 740 ILCS 14 ("BIPA"); the Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier statute, Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 503.001 ("CUBI"); the Washington biometric privacy statute, RCW 19.375 ("WBPA"); New York City Administrative Code § 22-1201; Portland City Code § 34.10; and any other applicable biometric-privacy law (collectively, "Biometric Laws").

2. Definitions

"Biometric Identifier" means a scan of facial geometry, including any mathematical representation of a person's face that may be used to identify that person. "Biometric Information" means information derived from a Biometric Identifier, including the templates, depth maps, and authenticity scores described below. These terms are used as defined in the Biometric Laws, with the broadest meaning that any applicable statute gives them.

3. What Howl Collects, Captures, and Creates

When you take a verification selfie, Howl's software processes the captured image and, where available, the depth map produced by your device's depth-sensing camera. From those inputs, Howl creates and stores:

• a facial-geometry template — a mathematical representation of distinctive features of your face;
• a three-dimensional structural map (where supported) used to confirm that a live, three-dimensional face is presenting to the camera, rather than a photograph, screen, mask, or generated image;
• a liveness signal indicating that the person presenting is alive and in motion at the moment of capture; and
• an authenticity score indicating the likelihood that the presentation is genuine and not a deepfake, replay, or other inauthentic input.

Collectively, the above are "Biometric Information" for purposes of this Consent.

4. Purposes (Specific, and Only These)

Howl uses Biometric Information for the following specific purposes:

1. to confirm that you are a real, live human presenting in real time at the moment of selfie capture;
2. to detect and prevent impersonation, deepfakes, AI-generated imagery, replay attacks, mask attacks, screen attacks, and similar forms of fraud;
3. to match a returning user to the same person across sessions, supporting anti-duplicate-account safeguards;
4. to investigate reports of abuse, fraud, harassment, or impersonation; and
5. to train, test, and improve our authenticity-detection models, only on de-identified or technically isolated data, and only in accordance with this Consent, the Privacy Policy, and applicable law.

Howl will not use Biometric Information for any purpose other than those listed above.

5. Retention Schedule

Biometric Information will be retained only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes above, and in any event no longer than three (3) years following your last interaction with the Service. After that, Biometric Information will be permanently destroyed in accordance with Howl's written retention schedule and applicable law. The raw selfie images and any Incidental Background captured along with you (Article 6 of the Terms of Service) are retained no longer than the periods described in Section 9 of the Privacy Policy.

6. No Sale; Limited Disclosure

Howl does not sell, lease, trade, or otherwise profit from Biometric Information. Howl does not disclose Biometric Information to any third party except: (a) a service provider that is contractually bound to process Biometric Information only on Howl's behalf, only for the purposes above, and only subject to confidentiality and security obligations at least as protective as those described here; (b) when required by warrant, subpoena, or other valid legal process; or (c) with your specific, advance written consent.

7. Storage & Security

Biometric Information is stored using industry-standard protections, including encryption at rest and in transit, access controls based on least-privilege, audit logging, and isolation from systems that hold direct identifiers. Howl does not store Biometric Information in any manner less protective than the manner in which Howl stores its own confidential information.

8. Your Written Consent

By creating an account and submitting a verification selfie, you expressly and knowingly consent and provide your written authorization to Howl Dating, Inc. to collect, capture, receive through trade, store, convert to mathematical templates, transmit to authorized service providers, use, and process your Biometric Information for the purposes and on the retention schedule described in this Consent, the Terms of Service, and the Privacy Policy. You acknowledge that you have received written notice of, and a written explanation of, the specific purpose for and length of time during which your Biometric Information will be collected, used, and stored. You sign this Consent in writing by your affirmative acceptance of the Agreement.

9. Withdrawal of Consent

You may withdraw this Consent at any time by deleting your account, which will trigger the destruction of associated Biometric Information on the schedule above. Without an active selfie verification, you will not be able to access the Service.

10. Questions; Requests

For questions about this Consent or to make a Biometric Information access, correction, or deletion request, contact privacy@howldating.com.

Show up as yourself.

Live selfies only. No filters that distort your face, no photos pulled from elsewhere, no impersonation, no deepfakes, no AI-generated imagery. The whole point is that you're a real human, here right now. Selfies must be of you alone; do not include third parties in frame.

No harassment. Ever.

Sexual harassment, racism, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia, threats, intimidation, stalking, doxxing, and similar conduct result in immediate, permanent removal — no warning, no appeal in most cases. This applies to messages, mood indicators, and any other form of expression on the Service.

No unsolicited photos.

If someone didn't ask for an explicit photo, don't send one. The same rule applies on the Service as in real life. Violations are reported, removed, and banned.

No screenshots of others without consent.

Howl is built on privacy. Don't violate someone else's. Sharing a screenshot of someone's selfie, mood, or chat outside the Service without their permission is a bannable offense. Where allowed, our software discourages or prevents screenshots of other users.

No selling, scamming, or soliciting.

Howl is for dating, not for OnlyFans, sugar dating, MLM, crypto, NFTs, "pig butchering," investment pitches, escort solicitation, or any other commercial or fraudulent activity. Promoting anything outside the dating purpose of the Service results in removal.

No minors. Not in frame. Not in conversation.

Howl is strictly 18+. Do not solicit, send, request, or accept any image of a minor. Do not discuss minors in any sexualized context. We refer applicable matters to law enforcement.

Report things that feel off.

If something doesn't feel right — even if you can't articulate it — report it via the in-app report flow or to safety@howldating.com. Our team reviews every report and we err on the side of protecting the person who reported.

Off-platform behavior matters.

Conduct that violates these Guidelines does not become acceptable just because it happens off the Service after a connection was made on it. Verified off-platform harassment, stalking, fraud, or assault may result in removal from the Service.

One strike, in many cases.

No three-strikes for serious violations. We don't operate that way. Howl's promise of safety and privacy only works if we enforce it without flinching.

Reporting channels.

In-app report flow (preferred). Email: safety@howldating.com. For DMCA: dmca@howldating.com. For privacy requests: privacy@howldating.com. For legal notices: legal@howldating.com.

Website Dependencies

Inter — Sans-serif typeface used for body text. © Rasmus Andersson. Licensed under the SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1. Source: rsms.me/inter.

Cinzel — Display serif used for headlines. © Natanael Gama (ndiscover.com). Licensed under the SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1. Source: Google Fonts.

JetBrains Mono — Monospace typeface for labels and UI accents. © JetBrains s.r.o. Licensed under the SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1. Source: jetbrains.com/lp/mono.

Brand Asset Acknowledgments

Apple App Store badge and trademark. "App Store" and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., used in accordance with Apple's Marketing Guidelines. Howl is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with Apple Inc.

Google Play badge and trademark. "Google Play" and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC, used in accordance with Google Play branding guidelines. Howl is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with Google LLC.

In-App Dependencies

A complete, up-to-date list of in-app open-source dependencies and their licenses is available inside the Howl mobile application at Settings → About → Open Source, and is updated with each release. For a current copy outside the app, email legal@howldating.com.

Howl-Owned Content

Except for the third-party components identified above, all content on this website and in the Howl application — including text, source code, design, graphics, the Howl name, the howling-wolf-and-heart device, and other marks — is © Howl Dating, Inc. and protected by applicable intellectual-property law. All rights reserved. Use of any Howl trademark requires our prior written permission.

Reporting Issues

If you believe a license attribution is missing or incorrect, please email legal@howldating.com. We investigate promptly.

SIL Open Font License, Version 1.1 — Full Text

SIL OPEN FONT LICENSE
Version 1.1 - 26 February 2007

PREAMBLE
The goals of the Open Font License (OFL) are to stimulate worldwide
development of collaborative font projects, to support the font creation
efforts of academic and linguistic communities, and to provide a free and
open framework in which fonts may be shared and improved in partnership
with others.

The OFL allows the licensed fonts to be used, studied, modified and
redistributed freely as long as they are not sold by themselves. The
fonts, including any derivative works, can be bundled, embedded,
redistributed and/or sold with any software provided that any reserved
names are not used by derivative works. The fonts and derivatives,
however, cannot be released under any other type of license. The
requirement for fonts to remain under this license does not apply
to any document created using the fonts or their derivatives.

DEFINITIONS
"Font Software" refers to the set of files released by the Copyright
Holder(s) under this license and clearly marked as such. This may
include source files, build scripts and documentation.

"Reserved Font Name" refers to any names specified as such after the
copyright statement(s).

"Original Version" refers to the collection of Font Software components
as distributed by the Copyright Holder(s).

"Modified Version" refers to any derivative made by adding to, deleting,
or substituting -- in part or in whole -- any of the components of the
Original Version, by changing formats or by porting the Font Software to
a new environment.

"Author" refers to any designer, engineer, programmer, technical writer
or other person who contributed to the Font Software.

PERMISSION & CONDITIONS
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
copy of the Font Software, to use, study, copy, merge, embed, modify,
redistribute, and sell modified and unmodified copies of the Font
Software, subject to the following conditions:

1) Neither the Font Software nor any of its individual components, in
Original or Modified Versions, may be sold by itself.

2) Original or Modified Versions of the Font Software may be bundled,
redistributed and/or sold with any software, provided that each copy
contains the above copyright notice and this license. These can be
included either as stand-alone text files, human-readable headers or
in the appropriate machine-readable metadata fields within text or
binary files as long as those fields can be easily viewed by the user.

3) No Modified Version of the Font Software may use the Reserved Font
Name(s) unless explicit written permission is granted by the corresponding
Copyright Holder. This restriction only applies to the primary font name as
presented to the users.

4) The name(s) of the Copyright Holder(s) or the Author(s) of the Font
Software shall not be used to promote, endorse or advertise any
Modified Version, except to acknowledge the contribution(s) of the
Copyright Holder(s) and the Author(s) or with their explicit written
permission.

5) The Font Software, modified or unmodified, in part or in whole,
must be distributed entirely under this license, and must not be
distributed under any other license. The requirement for fonts to
remain under this license does not apply to any document created
using the Font Software.

TERMINATION
This license becomes null and void if any of the above conditions are
not met.

DISCLAIMER
THE FONT SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT
OF COPYRIGHT, PATENT, TRADEMARK, OR OTHER RIGHT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
COPYRIGHT HOLDER BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY,
INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING
FROM, OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE FONT SOFTWARE OR FROM
OTHER DEALINGS IN THE FONT SOFTWARE.