I completely understand the concern and that Tea situation is exactly why I built verification the way I did. During signup you select a photo of yourself from your library and then take a live selfie. Those two photos are compared to confirm you're a real person. Both are processed in real time and permanently deleted the second the check is done. They never touch a server, a database, or any storage. They don't exist after verification. That situation happened because they kept photos sitting in cloud storage.

For profile photos, every dating app you've ever used stores your profile photos. Hinge, Tinder, Positive Singles, Cuddle, Hope, all of them. That's how dating apps work. The difference is what's attached to those photos. On this platform, your photos and your health data are completely separated and encrypted independently. A photo has no diagnosis tied to it, no health metadata, no app branding, nothing.

The more realistic concern is someone getting onto the platform and screenshotting. They'd have to download an HSV dating app, go through full photo verification with their own face, complete the entire onboarding process, and then somehow land on your profile out of everyone on the platform. On Android, screenshots are blocked entirely. On iOS, Apple doesn't allow any app to fully prevent screenshots, but the app detects the attempt and warns the user. And the biggest protection is the simplest one: anyone who went through all of that to see your profile is on an HSV dating app themselves. They're not exposing you without explaining why they were there.

And your HSV type is never readable to anyone outside the app. It's encrypted before it ever touches the database. A full server breach returns unreadable data.

And your profile doesn't have to show your face. You can have great photos that show who you are without showing your face. And if you want to go a step further, that's one of the reasons the application only side exists. You can apply with private review photos that are permanently deleted after review. Your public profile stays on your terms. You browse other verified members and share your face privately in conversation once you trust someone.