Privacy policy

Last updated October 16, 2026

The short version: we don't sell personal information. We only publish, sell or license aggregated statistics (for example, "the median first date in Austin cost $84"), built from groups of at least 10 people or submissions. Individual records, emails and notes are never sold or shared.

Who we are

FirstDateTab ("we") runs firstdatetab.com, a site that tracks what first dates cost. Contact us about privacy at [email protected].

What we collect

Anonymous submissions

The submission form asks only for the city, venue type, total bill, who paid, the month, and optional answers (your gender, how you met, whether there was a second date). It does not ask for names, emails, photos or contact details, and you shouldn't add any.

Optional member accounts

If you choose to create an account, we store:

Your email address, used only to send sign-in links and, if you opt in, the newsletter. It's the only personal contact detail we keep.
Optional profile answers you choose to give: a nickname, home city, age range, gender, and who you date. Every one can be skipped.
Your private date log: the dates you record (month, city, venue, cost, who paid, how you met, how it went, and private notes).
Your choices: whether you opted in to research reports, the newsletter and the public leaderboard, and when.

We never ask about your sex life, and we don't collect your real name, phone number, photos, location tracking or payment details.

IP addresses and cookies

We don't store IP addresses. To stop spam we keep a scrambled one-way code made from the IP address that changes every day and is deleted within about a day. Signed-in members get one essential cookie that keeps them signed in. We don't use advertising cookies. Visits are counted with Cloudflare Web Analytics, which doesn't use cookies or track you across sites.

How we use it

To run the site, review submissions, and calculate city figures.
To show members their own stats, badges and comparisons.
To email members a sign-in link when they ask for one.
To produce aggregated statistics and reports (see below).

Aggregated research and data licensing

FirstDateTab is partly funded by publishing and licensing aggregated statistics about first-date costs, such as our planned quarterly State of First Dates report. Here's how that works:

We don't sell personal information. We never sell, rent or share individual records, email addresses, notes or anything that identifies you.
We only publish, sell or license aggregate statistics (counts, medians, averages, percentages) built from at least 10 people or submissions. Smaller groups are hidden or merged.
Approved anonymous submissions count in published city figures and aggregate reports.
Member date logs are included in aggregate research reports only if you tick the research opt-in box, which starts unticked. You can change it any time in your account.
Private notes are never used in any report.

Who processes data for us

Cloudflare: website hosting, our database, and cookie-free analytics.
Our email provider (Brevo or Resend): delivers sign-in emails.
Formspree: backup for the submission form, and our contact form.
beehiiv: runs the newsletter if you subscribe.

Each one handles data only to provide its service to us.

Your choices and rights

Download your data as a file from your account page at any time.
Delete your account from your account page. This deletes your email, profile, date log and sessions straight away, along with any submissions you made while signed in. Deleted data can linger in encrypted database backups for up to 30 days.
Withdraw consent for research or the newsletter at any time. Withdrawing research consent keeps your data out of future reports.
Prefer email? Write to [email protected] and we'll handle access, correction or deletion requests, including requests under state privacy laws like California's and Colorado's.

How long we keep things

Sign-in links expire after 15 minutes. Sessions last 30 days. Spam-prevention codes are deleted within about a day. Account data is kept until you delete it. Anonymous submissions are kept to build long-term trend figures.

Age

FirstDateTab is for adults 18 and over. Don't submit data or create an account if you're under 18.

Changes

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we'll update the date above and, for members, ask again before using data in a new way.