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Terms of Service
Effective Date: April 2, 2026 | Last Updated: April 2, 2026
Welcome to Sowlef. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Sowlef mobile application ("App") operated by Sowlef ("we," "our," or "us"). By creating an account or using the App, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the App.
1. Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years old to use Sowlef. By creating an account, you confirm that you are 18 years of age or older. We enforce age verification during signup. Accounts found to belong to users under 18 will be immediately terminated.
You must also:
- Be a natural person (not a bot, corporation, or automated system)
- Not have been previously banned from the App
- Be legally permitted to use the App in your jurisdiction
2. Account Registration
- You must sign in using Apple Sign-In or Google Sign-In. We do not offer anonymous accounts.
- You are limited to one account per person. Creating multiple accounts is prohibited and may result in a permanent ban.
- You must provide accurate information during signup, including your gender and date of birth. These fields cannot be changed after account creation.
- You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account and any activity that occurs under it.
- Display names must not contain profanity, slurs, sexual content, or impersonate other individuals.
3. How the App Works
3.1 Interest-Based Matching
Sowlef connects users through shared interests and topics. You select topics you want to discuss, and our system matches you with other users who share similar interests. Both users must accept the match before a conversation begins.
3.2 Chat Conversations
- Conversations between non-friend users are temporary — they are deleted when either user ends the chat or starts a new search
- All messages are automatically screened by AI-powered content moderation before delivery
- Image sharing is restricted to users who have mutually added each other as friends
3.3 Friend System
- Users can send friend requests within a chat. If both users accept, they become friends
- Friend conversations are permanent and persist across searches
- Either user can remove a friendship at any time, which deletes the conversation
4. Community Guidelines
By using Sowlef, you agree to treat all users with respect and follow these guidelines:
4.1 Prohibited Content
You may not send, share, or post any of the following:
- Harassment, bullying, threats, or intimidation of any kind
- Hate speech targeting race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin
- Sexually explicit, pornographic, or obscene content
- Content depicting or promoting violence, self-harm, or suicide
- Spam, commercial solicitations, or advertisements
- Malware, phishing links, or other harmful URLs
- Content that exploits or endangers minors in any way
- Illegal content or content promoting illegal activities
4.2 Prohibited Behavior
You may not:
- Impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity
- Attempt to circumvent content moderation or safety systems
- Use the App to stalk, dox, or collect personal information about other users
- Share another user's personal information without their consent
- Use automated systems, bots, or scripts to interact with the App
- Exploit bugs or vulnerabilities in the App
- Submit false or malicious reports against other users
- Use the App for any commercial purpose without our written consent
5. Content Moderation and Safety
5.1 Automated Moderation
All text messages are automatically screened by AI-powered content moderation technology before delivery. Messages that violate our Community Guidelines are blocked and never delivered to the recipient. Additionally, client-side filters block obvious profanity and slurs in both English and Arabic.
5.2 User Reporting
Users can report others for the following reasons:
- Harassment
- Sexual content
- Threats
- Spam
- Underage user
- Other violations
Reports are automatically reviewed using AI technology. Legitimate reports result in karma penalties for the reported user. False or malicious reports result in karma penalties for the reporter.
5.3 Blocking
You can block any user at any time. Blocking a user:
- Immediately ends any active conversation
- Prevents the blocked user from matching with you in the future
- Removes any friend relationship between you
6. Karma System and Enforcement
Sowlef uses a karma-based reputation system to maintain community quality and safety:
| Action | Karma Effect |
|---|
| Accepting a chat match | +2 |
| Mutual friend add | +5 |
| Long conversation (20+ messages) | +3 |
| Daily activity | +1 |
| Message blocked by moderation | -10 |
| Reported by another user (verified) | -15 |
| Blocked by another user | -5 |
| Submitting a false report | -5 |
6.1 Enforcement Actions
| Karma Threshold | Action |
|---|
| Karma reaches -200 (first time) | 24-hour account suspension; karma resets to 0 after suspension |
| Karma reaches -200 (second time) | Permanent account ban |
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any account at our discretion, with or without notice, for violations of these Terms or our Community Guidelines.
7. Intellectual Property
7.1 Our Content
The App, including its design, code, features, graphics, and branding, is owned by Sowlef and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works based on the App without our written permission.
7.2 Your Content
- You retain ownership of the content you create and share through the App (messages, photos, profile information)
- By sharing content, you grant Sowlef a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, and transmit your content solely for the purpose of operating and providing the App
- We may remove any content that violates these Terms or our Community Guidelines without notice
8. Privacy
Your use of the App is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. By using the App, you consent to our data practices as described in the Privacy Policy.
9. Disclaimers
- The App is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied
- We do not guarantee that the App will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure
- We are not responsible for the conduct, content, or actions of any user
- We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy of any user's profile information
- We do not conduct criminal background checks on users
10. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:
- Sowlef shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the App
- Sowlef shall not be liable for any interactions between users, whether online or offline
- Sowlef's total liability to you shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim (or $0 if you have not made any payments)
11. Account Termination
11.1 By You
You may delete your account at any time from the Profile > Delete Account option. Account deletion is permanent and removes all your data from our servers.
11.2 By Us
We may suspend or terminate your account if:
- You violate these Terms or our Community Guidelines
- Your karma reaches the suspension or ban threshold
- You are reported by multiple users and the reports are verified
- We reasonably believe your account poses a safety risk
- Required by law or legal process
12. Updates and Changes
12.1 App Updates
We may release updates to the App from time to time. Some updates may be required to continue using the App. We deliver over-the-air (OTA) updates for minor changes and may require App Store updates for major changes.
12.2 Terms Updates
We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes through the App or via push notification. Your continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
13. Governing Law
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Bahrain, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the App shall be resolved in the courts of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
14. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
15. Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Sowlef regarding your use of the App and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.
16. Contact Us
If you have questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us: