Trade RC — Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 6, 2026 · Effective Date: June 12, 2026

Introduction

Thomas Ray Publishing LLC ("we," "us," or "our") built Trade RC (the "App"). Trade RC is a dating and chat-room application for adults (18+) that pulls IRC's text-first culture forward into a modern dating product. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle information when you use the App. We are committed to protecting your privacy.

If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the App.

Developer Contact:
Thomas Ray Publishing LLC
InCorp Services, Inc.
2360 Corporate Circle, Suite 400
Henderson, NV 89074-7722
Email: thomasraypublishing@gmail.com
Web: https://thomasraypublishing.com/

1. Summary of What We Collect

We collect only the information needed to operate the App: the account credential you use to sign in, the profile content you create (display name, photos, prompts, bio, looking-for tags, age), an approximate (city/neighborhood) location to power the Floor and nearby-room suggestions, the messages you send in rooms and DMs, and purchase records returned by Apple. If you choose to provide them, optional sensitive details — such as sexual-health disclosures (e.g. HIV status, PrEP use) or your birth date, time, and place for the optional astrology features — are stored privately to your own account: they are used only to power those features and to restore your profile if you reinstall or switch devices, and they are never shown to other users. Anonymous, aggregated diagnostics are collected with your consent and can be turned off in Settings.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not track you across other apps or websites. We do not use advertising SDKs.

2. Information You Provide Directly

3. Information Collected Automatically

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide the core App features: chat rooms, daily matches, DMs, the Floor profile grid, search and discovery
• Authenticate you and keep your session active across launches
• Show your profile to other users in the rooms you've joined and on the Floor
• Match you with other users based on your looking-for preferences, age range, distance, and (with Plus / Premium) your interest tags
• Process subscriptions and in-app purchases via Apple's StoreKit
• Operate safety features (block, report, sensitive-content classification on photos, toxicity hint on chat messages)
• Communicate with you about your account, your feedback, and material changes to this policy
• Diagnose and fix bugs, crashes, and performance issues
• Comply with applicable law

We do not use your information to:

• Train large language models on your messages, photos, or profile content
• Sell your information to data brokers, advertisers, or any third party
• Build advertising audiences or perform cross-app or cross-site tracking
• Target ads in any form — Trade RC contains no advertising

5. iCloud, CloudKit, and Apple Services

Some features run on Apple's iCloud infrastructure inside your personal iCloud account, not on our servers:

• Anonymous usage metrics, device context, and feedback submissions are written to a CloudKit container we operate (iCloud.com.thomasray.TradeRC). Records are pseudonymous — they carry a random per-session identifier, not your name, Apple ID, or any persistent device identifier — and are encrypted in transit and at rest by Apple.
• Sign in with Apple identity tokens are processed by Apple and exchanged with our authentication backend. We never see your real Apple ID; we receive only the anonymized stable identifier Apple provides. To support clean account deletion, our backend exchanges Apple's one-time authorization code at sign-in for a server-only refresh token, which is stored encrypted in our database and used solely to call Apple's /auth/revoke endpoint when you delete your account. The refresh token is never exposed to your device, to any third party, or used for any other purpose.
• Passkey sign-in (introduced in this build). After you sign in with email, the App may offer to register a passkey associated with our website domain so future sign-ins can use Face ID or Touch ID instead of a password. Passkey private keys are stored in your iCloud Keychain and never leave Apple's services. Our backend stores only the public credential identifier and public key that Apple provides during registration. You can remove a registered passkey at any time from iOS Settings → Passwords.
• Push notifications are delivered through Apple Push Notification service (APNs). The notification payload is encrypted in transit.

For details on Apple's data handling, see Apple's Privacy Policy.

6. Third-Party Service Providers

Trade RC is a connected app and relies on a small set of vetted service providers to operate. Each is bound by a written agreement limiting use of your information to providing the service we engage them for.

We do not use Google Firebase, Facebook SDK, Twitter SDK, Amplitude, Mixpanel, Segment, Adjust, AppsFlyer, Branch, or any advertising / analytics network. Trade RC ships with zero advertising SDKs.

7. Photos, Camera, Microphone, Contacts, and Location

• Photo Library — Trade RC uses the system PhotosPicker (out-of-process) so we only ever see the specific photos you choose to share with us. We don't read your library, your albums, or your metadata. Photos you upload as profile photos are stripped of EXIF and GPS metadata before upload.
• Camera — used only when you tap "Verify now" in onboarding to take the verification selfie. The capture stays on-device until you confirm submission. Trade RC has no background camera access.
• Microphone — used only if you start a voice note or join a voice chat in a room. Never accessed silently or in the background.
• Contacts — accessed only if you choose to share your live location with one trusted contact during a date. Trade RC reads only the single contact you pick at that moment; we do not upload your address book.
• Location (When-In-Use) — used to compute approximate distance to other users on the Floor and to suggest geographic rooms. Trade RC respects iOS Approximate Location and works with reduced precision. We never request always-on location for v1.0. Location data stays on your device for distance computation; only a coarse region (not precise coordinates) is associated with your profile.

You can revoke any of these permissions at any time in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security. The relevant feature degrades gracefully — Trade RC works without any of them, with limited functionality.

8. Messages, Rooms, and User-Generated Content

Chat rooms. Messages you post in chat rooms are visible to other members of those rooms and are retained by our chat infrastructure provider (Stream) so that the conversation history is available to room members.

Direct messages — end-to-end encrypted. Direct messages (DMs) and the photos you send inside a DM are end-to-end encrypted using your device's identity key. Encryption keys are generated and stored on your device in the iOS Keychain (synced across your own devices via iCloud Keychain when iCloud Keychain is enabled). Only you and the recipient hold the keys required to decrypt a DM. Thomas Ray Publishing cannot read your DM content, even at our infrastructure provider — the ciphertext that transits Stream is not decryptable by us. Each DM thread shows a lock badge confirming the encrypted channel, and you can compare a safety number with the person you're chatting with to verify you're talking to the right device. If a peer's identity key changes (new device, fresh install), a key-change banner appears so you can re-verify before sending further messages.

What we still receive about an encrypted DM: metadata such as the sender, the recipient, and the timestamp (required to route the message), plus the size of the message payload. We do not have access to the plaintext content.

On-device safety checks. Outgoing DM messages and photos pass through on-device safety classifiers before encryption — a binary abuse-text classifier runs on your phone, and outgoing photos are scanned by Apple's Sensitive Content Analysis framework when available — so that you can be warned about content you may regret sending. None of this analysis happens on our servers; the result of the check stays on your device unless you choose to share it with a recipient.

Photos you receive from people who aren't matched to you are blurred client-side on your device by default; you choose whether to reveal them.

Limited circumstances where chat-room (not DM) content may be read by us:

• When you report another room message — we review the messages relevant to the report
• When law enforcement compels disclosure under valid legal process
• When safety classifiers detect potentially abusive content in a public room and surface it for human review
• For our own debugging and abuse-prevention work on public-room infrastructure

We do not read your messages for advertising, marketing, or profile-building purposes — ever. Encrypted DM content is not accessible to us at all under any circumstance.

Blocks. If you block a user, that user can no longer see your profile, message you, or be matched with you. Blocks are private to you.

9. AI Features and Personalization

Trade RC uses Apple's on-device Foundation Models framework (iOS 26 and later) and a local SwiftData store for several optional intelligence features. With one clearly-marked exception — the Omega-1 companion described in Section 9a below — every feature in this section runs entirely on your device: no prompts, matches, swipe history, room memberships, or model output from these on-device features is sent to Apple, to us, or to any third party.

On-device generation surfaces:

• Icebreaker suggestions when you match with someone (Foundation Models).
• "Why this match" summaries in the match-card popover (Foundation Models).
• "Polish my bio" suggestions when you tap the sparkles button while editing your bio (Foundation Models).
• Nick suggestions when you are choosing or changing your handle (Foundation Models).
• Channel recaps when you tap "Summarize" on the catch-up card in a channel with unread messages (Foundation Models). The recap reads only the most recent unread text messages in that channel to produce a short summary; this message content is processed on your device and never leaves the device.
• HEDDA-6 companion responses in chat channels where HEDDA-6 is active (Foundation Models). HEDDA-6 reads only the most recent messages in the current channel conversation to generate a contextual response — this message context is processed on your device and never transmitted off-device. The other phrase-based companions (Host, Dot, Sage, Juke, Prompt, Keep, Mercy) respond from pre-authored phrase pools with no AI model invoked. The Omega-1 companion is the one exception that uses a third-party AI service; it is described separately in Section 9a.

On-device match personalization (the "Matches tailored to you." toggle):

When this toggle is on (default), Trade RC keeps a small private record of how you interact with your daily match deck — which profiles you swipe right or pass on, which rooms you and other members share — so the App can refine the order in which future match candidates are shown. The signal feeds a local reranker that gives more weight to candidates resembling the profiles you've previously liked and less to those resembling profiles you've passed on.

What we record locally:

• Each swipe's outcome (like / pass / spotlight) and a snapshot of the candidate at decision time (age, distance, looking-for goals, shared traits, bio snippet).
• Each chat room you enter and the user IDs of the members currently in it, so the App can detect "rooms you and another user both belong to."

What we do not record:

• The content of any direct message or chat-room message you send or receive.
• Conversational style or message text similarity. The reranker does not analyze message content.
• Any of this signal in any form leaves your device.

This data is stored in your App's local SwiftData store. Records older than 90 days (swipes) or 180 days (shared-room observations) are pruned automatically. You can turn the personalization toggle off at any time in Settings → Privacy & Safety. Turning it off stops all future capture immediately and silences the reranker, falling back to the rules-based match score.

9a. Omega-1 — Third-Party AI (Premium Only)

Omega-1 is the one Trade RC feature that does not run on your device. It is an optional AI companion available to Premium subscribers, summoned in a public chat room by typing the /omega command followed by your message.

Before your first message to Omega-1, Trade RC shows a consent screen that names the AI provider and explains what leaves your device. Omega-1 stays unavailable until you accept.

What is sent, and to whom. When you summon Omega-1, your message — together with a window of recent messages from that public room (which are already visible to everyone in the room, including the authors' chat handles) — is sent over an encrypted connection to our backend and then to Anthropic, PBC, which runs the Claude AI model that generates Omega-1's reply. The reply is posted back into the room, visible to the whole room like any other message.

What we store. We do not store the content of your Omega-1 messages in our database; our servers keep only a per-user counter of how many Omega-1 messages you have sent, to enforce fair-use limits. Anthropic processes your messages under its own terms — see Anthropic's Privacy Policy for how it handles data. Omega-1's replies, once posted into the room, are retained by our chat provider (Stream) like any other room message.

Omega-1 is not a person. Omega-1 is a fictional AI character. It is not a licensed professional, cannot give medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice, and its responses may be inaccurate. If you are in crisis, please contact a qualified professional or a crisis line.

10. In-App Purchases and Subscriptions

Trade RC offers optional Plus and Premium subscriptions, consumable Boosts and Spotlights, and non-consumable Room Companion character purchases via Apple's StoreKit. Apple processes all payments — we never receive or store your credit card or payment information. Apple provides us with anonymized transaction records so we can grant the entitlements you purchased.

Companion character purchases are non-consumable: once purchased, they are permanently tied to your Apple ID and can be restored on any new device via the Restore Purchases button in Settings. No companion purchase data — including which characters you own — is linked to your Trade RC profile or visible to other users.

For information about how Apple processes payment data, see Apple's Privacy Policy.

11. Notifications

Trade RC may request permission to send push notifications. The following notification categories are available, each independently configurable in Settings → Notifications:

Notifications are delivered through Apple's Push Notification service (APNs). Notification payloads are processed on your device by a Notification Service Extension before display; this processing is used exclusively to enable iOS Communication Notifications for direct-message and mention pushes (a system feature that groups related messages and enables inline reply). No content from the notification payload is stored or transmitted beyond your device.

Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. The app uses iOS Live Activities to show a brief match-drop progress indicator on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island when your daily matches arrive. This indicator disappears within seconds of you reviewing your matches or at most 5 seconds after you complete the deck.

Home Screen Widget. The optional Trade RC widget displays your pending match count and unread DM count on your Home Screen or Lock Screen. This data is written locally to a shared container on your device and is never transmitted off-device.

Quiet Hours. You can configure a Do Not Disturb window in Settings → Notifications → Quiet Hours. During this window, in-app notification banners are suppressed while the app is open; system-delivered notifications (lock screen, notification center) are not affected.

Per-conversation silence. You can silence in-app banners for individual chat rooms on a nightly schedule, also in Settings → Notifications.

You can disable individual notification categories in Settings, or turn all notifications off system-wide in iOS Settings → Notifications → Trade RC.

12. Anonymous Analytics

Trade RC collects anonymous usage analytics to help us improve the App. Reports are aggregated, pseudonymous, and submitted to our CloudKit public database. They include the App version, operating-system version (iOS or macOS), device model, session count, screen view counts, feature usage counts, and error summaries.

Reports do not include: your name, Apple ID, email address, location, IP address, message content, profile content, or any other personally identifying information. Each install is assigned a random identifier for deduplication only.

This feature is on by default. You can disable it at any time via the Share Analytics toggle in Settings → Privacy & Safety. Turning it off immediately stops all future report submissions.

How to request deletion of your anonymous analytics

Every installation of Trade RC is assigned a random anonymous identifier. This identifier is stored only on your device and resets if you reinstall the App. It is never linked to your name, Apple ID, email address, or profile.

To request deletion of analytics data associated with your identifier:

1. Open Settings → Privacy & Safety → Your Anonymous ID.
2. Tap Copy to copy your ID to the clipboard, or tap Request Deletion.
3. Request Deletion opens the Feedback form with a pre-filled deletion request that already contains your anonymous ID. Review and tap Send to submit the request to the Trade RC team.
4. We will locate and delete any analytics records carrying your identifier within 30 days of receiving the request.

You may also send the request manually by copying your ID and including it in a message to thomasraypublishing@gmail.com with the subject "Analytics deletion request."

13. Feedback and Support

When you submit feedback through Settings → Send feedback, you may optionally provide an email address so we can follow up. The feedback is submitted to our CloudKit container.

The feedback form may optionally include a device-diagnostic attachment (App version, operating-system version (iOS or macOS), device model, accessibility settings, recent error counts, battery/thermal state). The attachment never contains your name, your message content, your photos, or your profile content. You can review what will be sent before submitting.

14. Children and Age Restriction

Trade RC is intended for users 18 and older only. Onboarding requires confirming you are at least 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.

If we learn that a user is under 18, we will remove their account and any associated information promptly. If you believe a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, contact thomasraypublishing@gmail.com immediately.

15. Data Retention, Deletion, and Restore

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active.

You can delete your account at any time via Settings → Account → Delete account. Deletion happens in two stages.

Immediate (when you tap Delete account):

• Your profile is hidden from the Floor, the rooms you've joined, and other users' favorites
• You stop appearing in future match queues
• You are signed out from all devices
• Your account enters a 30-day pending-deletion state

During the 30-day window — you can restore:

• Sign back in within 30 days to restore the account. Your profile, photos, conversations, matches, and history return intact.
• While pending deletion, your handle appears to other users as "[deleted user]" wherever it would normally appear.
• No new notifications are sent on your behalf.

After 30 days, permanently:

• Your profile, photos, prompts, bio, voice notes, direct messages you authored, blocks you filed, and feedback you submitted are deleted from our active systems.
• Room messages you posted are anonymized rather than deleted — the text remains visible to other members of those rooms so the conversation history is preserved, but your handle is replaced with "[deleted user]" and is no longer linkable to you.
• If you signed in with Apple, we call Apple's /auth/revoke endpoint so Trade RC no longer appears under iOS Settings → [Your Name] → Sign in with Apple. Any registered passkey credentials we hold on the server are also deleted.
• Reports filed about you are retained in anonymized form for safety and legal-compliance purposes.
• Audit-log entries are retained for the period required by law.
• Anonymous usage analytics are recorded against a per-session identifier that is not linked to your account or any persistent device identifier, so they contain nothing that identifies you and require no deletion.
• Apple-side records (App Store transaction history, tax-required records) are retained for the period Apple requires.

Account deletion does not, on its own, cancel an active App Store subscription — you must cancel that in iOS Settings → [Your Name] → Subscriptions.

We may retain limited records beyond the above when legally required (tax records, abuse-investigation evidence, billing disputes) or to enforce our Terms of Use, for the minimum period necessary.

16. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate personal information — most fields are directly editable in your Profile tab
• Delete your account and associated information via Settings → Account → Delete account
• Object to or restrict certain uses of your information
• Receive a portable copy of your information in a structured, machine-readable format
• Withdraw consent at any time — including disabling analytics in Settings, revoking permissions in iOS, or deleting your account

To exercise any of these rights, email thomasraypublishing@gmail.com with the subject line "Privacy Rights Request." We will verify your identity using the email address associated with your account and respond within 30 days (45 days for California residents).

17. California Privacy Rights

CalOPPA Compliance

This Privacy Policy complies with the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA). We conspicuously post this policy within the App and on our website, describe the categories of personal information collected, and identify third parties with whom data is shared.

CCPA / CPRA Rights

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

• Right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
• Right to delete your personal information
• Right to correct inaccurate personal information
• Right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information — We do not sell or share your personal information
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights
• Right to limit the use of sensitive personal information — Trade RC uses sensitive personal information (sexual orientation, precise location if granted) only for the core matching and discovery functions of the App, and never for advertising or profiling

To submit a request, email thomasraypublishing@gmail.com with the subject line "California Privacy Rights Request." We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days.

Do Not Track Disclosure

We do not track users across third-party websites or apps. Our App does not respond to Do Not Track (DNT) browser signals because our App does not engage in cross-site tracking.

California "Shine the Light" Rights

Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83, California residents may request information about personal information disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes. We do not disclose personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes.

18. International Users

Trade RC is operated from the United States. If you use the App from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data-protection laws may differ from those of your jurisdiction. By using the App, you consent to this transfer.

We rely on appropriate safeguards (including Standard Contractual Clauses where relevant) when transferring personal information internationally with our service providers.

19. Security

We use industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including TLS encryption in transit, encryption at rest for stored content, scoped API tokens, and strict access controls limited to the developer and a small set of contracted service providers.

No security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and you use the App at your own risk.

20. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected in the App with an updated "Last Updated" date and (when changes are material) a notice surfaced inside the App on next launch. Your continued use of the App after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

21. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, contact us at:

Thomas Ray Publishing LLC
InCorp Services, Inc.
2360 Corporate Circle, Suite 400
Henderson, NV 89074-7722
Email: thomasraypublishing@gmail.com
Web: https://thomasraypublishing.com/

© 2026 Thomas Ray Publishing LLC. All rights reserved.