Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how MOVO (“MOVO,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you use the MOVO mobile application, the movochat.com website, and any related services (collectively, the “Services”).

By using the Services, you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

We collect the following categories of information so that we can deliver messaging, calls, payments, marketplace, and community features.

• Account data — your name, phone number, email address, profile photo, username, and linked identities used to create and secure your account.
• Verification data — one-time codes sent over SMS or email, biometric authentication state (we do not store your fingerprint or face data), and trusted-device identifiers.
• Communication data — messages, voice notes, photos, videos, files, voice calls, video calls, and live-location updates you choose to share inside chats and rooms. Regular chats are stored on our servers so they can sync across your devices. Chats opted into Secure Mode are end-to-end encrypted; we cannot read their content.
• Payment and wallet data — transaction history, balances, payment requests, wallet addresses, escrow records, marketplace orders, deposits, withdrawals, and information required by payment processors (such as Stripe) to complete card top-ups and crypto transfers.
• Marketplace data — listings you publish or browse, items you sell or purchase, ratings, reviews, and related communications with counterparties.
• Community and audio-room data — your membership in communities, rooms, and audio rooms, the posts and reactions you publish, and moderation actions you take.
• Device and technical data — device identifiers, operating system version, app version, language and locale, time zone, IP address, push notification token, and crash and diagnostic logs.
• Contacts (with your permission) — if you grant Contacts permission, MOVO uses the phone numbers in your address book only to find friends already on MOVO. We do not upload your address book without your action.
• Location (with your permission) — if you grant Location permission, MOVO uses your location only when you send your current location in a chat or when you discover nearby marketplace listings.

We use the information we collect to:

• Deliver, maintain, and improve the Services.
• Authenticate you, secure your account, and detect unauthorized access (including login alerts and trusted-device verification).
• Send messages, deliver calls, route notifications, and synchronize state across your devices.
• Process payments, marketplace orders, deposits, withdrawals, and escrow releases.
• Power optional features such as real-time translation, content discovery, and analytics that help us improve usage patterns.
• Comply with legal obligations, prevent fraud, enforce our terms, and resolve disputes.

When you choose to translate a message, the message text is processed by our self-hosted Argos translation engine running on infrastructure controlled by MOVO. Translations are performed on demand and the original text is not shared with any third-party AI vendor.

MOVO offers an opt-in Secure Mode for any chat. When Secure Mode is enabled, message content is encrypted on your device before it is sent and can only be decrypted on the recipient’s device. MOVO does not have access to Secure Mode message content and cannot recover it if you lose your device or keys.

Metadata about Secure Mode chats (such as the participants and timestamps) is still processed so that the Services can deliver messages.

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

• Service providers — Stripe (card top-ups), Mailgun (email), Prelude (SMS one-time codes), Firebase Cloud Messaging (push notifications), DigitalOcean (hosting), DigitalOcean Spaces (file storage).
• Other users — information you choose to share (your username, profile photo, public listings, posts in communities) is visible to other users in line with the audience you select.
• Counterparties — when you transact in the marketplace or send a payment, the counterparty sees the information needed to complete the transaction.
• Legal and safety — we may disclose information when required by law, necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of MOVO, our users, or the public, or to investigate fraud or abuse.
• Business transfers — if MOVO is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Privacy Policy.

We protect your information with industry-standard safeguards: TLS encryption in transit, encryption at rest for sensitive fields, biometric gating on payments, short-lived security tokens, login alerts, trusted-device controls, and strict access controls inside our infrastructure.

No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work continuously to harden our systems.

We retain account and content data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we begin a deletion process that includes a 7-day grace period during which you can cancel the request. After the grace period, we delete or de-identify your personal data, except where we are required to retain it (for example, financial transaction records required by law).

Backups containing your data are rotated on a regular schedule and are eventually overwritten.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights under data-protection laws such as the EU/UK GDPR or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). These can include the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Delete your personal data (subject to legal exceptions).
• Receive a portable copy of your personal data.
• Object to or restrict certain types of processing.
• Withdraw consent (such as for Contacts or Location access) at any time in your device settings or in the in-app Privacy Controls.
• Lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.

If you enable notifications, we deliver them through Firebase Cloud Messaging (Android) and Apple Push Notification service (iOS). You can change or disable notification categories at any time in MOVO settings or in your device’s system settings.

MOVO is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact privacy@movochat.com and we will take steps to delete that data.

MOVO operates globally and may process your information in countries other than the one in which you live. When we transfer personal data internationally, we use appropriate safeguards consistent with applicable law.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will revise the “Effective Date” above and, where required, notify you in the app or by email. Your continued use of the Services after the update means you accept the revised policy.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how MOVO handles your information, contact us:

• Email: privacy@movochat.com
• Website: https://movochat.com