FAQ Mandatory Liveness Scan
Why is POF requiring a face scan?
We’re requiring that users complete a biometric Face Check™ scan with a video selfie in order to help make POF a more authentic place. When you take a video selfie, your facial geometry, which may be considered “biometric information” in some places will be used and stored to estimate your age and determine whether you meet POF minimum age requirement, check your profile photos, reduce fraud, and help ensure that no other profile is using your likeness. After successfully completing your video selfie and uploading a clear solo face photo that matches the face in your video selfie, you’ll automatically get a Photo Verified badge on your profile.
How does this process work?
This process is as simple as taking a quick video selfie. We use facial scanning technology to check that the video was taken of a real, live person, and that it was not digitally altered or manipulated. This technology also detects your face in your video selfie and your profile photos, and uses your facial geometry (“FaceMap”) to generate a unique number (“FaceVector”).
The data generated and processed by this feature (“Verification Data”) is retained for the purposes set out below in “How is my Verification Data used?”
How is my Verification Data used?
Your video selfie is assessed to ensure that you are a real person, and is then promptly deleted. Your FaceMap is used to help check whether the person in your video selfie appears to be the same person as in your profile photos, and your FaceVector is compared to FaceVectors for other accounts to help ensure that no other profile is using your likeness.
You may also opt to use your Verification Data to access additional optional features that also use the same information.
Your original is not kept or added to your profile, but we keep two audit images from your video selfie for the purposes of managing this feature and confirming your likeness. Where applicable, we may also keep and use your age estimate and audit images to fulfill our applicable legal obligations to confirm that users are at least 18 years of age, inform our moderation decisions, train select machine learning models that power our trust and safety tools, and test and audit such models and tools.
We may also use Verification Data when necessary to troubleshoot and ensure the smooth operation of our Face Check feature, or when necessary to ensure the safety and security of our service and users, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
What will you keep after this process is complete?
Your Verification Data is retained so that we can continue to check profile photos as you change and update your photos over time, as well as to help ensure that other accounts are not using your likeness. To do so, FaceMaps and FaceVectors are retained for the lifetime of an account, and are deleted from our systems within 30 days of account closure, unless continued retention is necessary to comply with an applicable legal obligation or to ensure the safety and security of our service and users, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
As noted above, your original video selfie is not retained or added to your profile, but we keep two audit images from your video selfie. Audit images and the results of the Photo Verification process (i.e., successful or not) and your age estimate are saved until 90 days after your account is closed (or 1 year if the account is banned).
Will third parties receive my data?
Verification Data is only shared with POF's service providers when necessary to manage, troubleshoot, or ensure the smooth operation of our Face Check feature. Verification Data is stored securely on Match Group Americas LLC’s s AWS servers.
POF is part of the Match Group family of businesses, and we may, solely to the extent permitted by applicable law, share Verification Data between our Affiliates to make all Match Group services safer (e.g. identifying and banning violating accounts).
US Residents: We do not “sell” or “share” Verification Data, as such terms may be defined by applicable privacy law in your state.
How do I delete my Verification Data?
You can delete your Verification Data by deleting your POF account through the app’s settings page or the account portal. Data is then deleted as described above and in accordance with POF's Privacy Policy. To learn more about how to delete your account, please visit Delete Your POF Account.
Why do I need to delete my account in order to delete my Verification Data?
If you live in a region where completing a biometric face scan for our Face Check feature is required, you cannot delete your Verification Data without deleting your account. This is a condition of being on the POF service.
Under what legal authority do you process my Verification Data?
We process this information with your consent.
This may change depending on the applicable law in your jurisdiction. In Brazil, for instance, we process your Verification Data to support fraud prevention and to safeguard security in the identification and authentication processes for registration in electronic systems. In those cases, references to consent in the context of the sign-up process will be considered as acceptance of the Face Check process to get a Photo Verified badge, rather than consent for personal data processing purposes. You can find out more about this in our Privacy Policy.
How do I withdraw my consent?
In the countries where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it by deleting your POF account as described above.
How do I find more information about POF’s data practices, including my privacy rights?
Visit our Privacy Policy to learn more about our privacy practices, including the Your Rights section.
California residents may also refer to POF’s California Privacy Statement.
Where is Face Check required?
POF is rolling out Face Check on a phased basis, where local regulations permit, on iOS, Android and POF.com. In some regions, Face Check may be required on POF.com before it is required on iOS or Android. Also, please note that you may be required to complete Face Check if you change the location on your profile to a region where Face Check is required.
Having trouble?
If you’re experiencing trouble with capturing your video selfie, you can exit the face scan flow and start again.
Here are some common issues:
- Face isn’t featured prominently within the frame provided
- Face blocked or obscured
- Lack of neutral facial expression
- Video wasn’t bright and/or clear
If you experience any issues or have feedback about this process, please feel free to contact us!
What if I have another question?
Contact us anytime!