Terms of Service

Draft v0.2 — 13 July 2026 — for legal review, not yet in force

Welcome to Known. These terms are a contract between you and Known Dating (Pty) Ltd (registration number 2026/574467/07) ("Known", "we", "us"), of Unit 5 Bedford Mews, 0A Bedford Street, Vredehoek, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa. By creating an account or using Known, you agree to them. Please also read our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these terms, and our Safety Guidelines — practical safety guidance we ask every user to take seriously; the Guidelines are advice, not contractual terms. If you act as a matchmaker, the Matchmaker Promise also forms part of these terms.

We have tried to write these terms in plain language. The headings are part of the meaning, not decoration.

1. What Known is — and what it is not

Known is a friend-led platform where single people appoint trusted friends ("matchmakers") to arrange real-world first dates on their behalf, within boundaries the single person sets upfront (their "Dating Mandate").

Known is an introduction facilitator only. When a date is arranged, each single receives a "date card" — the in-app notice showing the agreed time, place, format, and limited details about the other person, with controls to confirm, reschedule, cancel, or flag discomfort. We are not a party to any date, relationship, or interaction between users. In particular:

  • We do not vet, screen, or run background checks on any user. Being on Known, or being invited or endorsed by a matchmaker, is not a statement by us that a person is safe, honest, single, or suitable.
  • A matchmaker's endorsement is that matchmaker's personal opinion. It is not verified by us and we make no warranty about its accuracy.
  • We do not supervise, attend, or control dates. Whether, where, and how you meet someone is your decision alone.

2. Who may use Known

  • You must be 18 years or older. You confirm this when you sign up, and you warrant that the confirmation is true. If we learn a user is under 18 we will remove the account.
  • You may create an account through a friend's invite or, when public signup is open, directly on the website. You may not transfer your account or your invite links to someone else, and you may not use an invite meant for another person to impersonate them.
  • You must provide accurate information about yourself and keep your sign-in details confidential. You are responsible for activity on your account.

3. Your safety and assumption of risk

Please read this section carefully — it describes a risk you accept.

Meeting a person you do not know, however introduced, carries inherent risk. By using Known you acknowledge and accept that:

  • You meet other users at your own risk. You are solely responsible for your interactions with other users, on and off the platform.
  • We strongly recommend you follow our Safety Guidelines: meet in public places, tell someone where you are going, arrange your own transport, and never leave food or drinks unattended.
  • If you ever feel unsafe, you owe nobody an explanation — leave, and if you are in danger contact the South African Police Service on 10111 (or 112 from a mobile).
  • Please report concerning behaviour through the in-app report tools. Reports are how we identify and remove people who shouldn't be here.

Nothing in this section requires you to go on any date. You may cancel or decline any date, pause matchmaking, or remove a matchmaker at any time, without giving a reason.

4. Matchmakers

If you act as a matchmaker, you additionally agree to the Matchmaker Promise, including that:

  • You only share information about a single person with their permission, and you keep what you learn about them and their boundaries confidential.
  • You act honestly: no misleading endorsements, no impersonating your single, no arranging dates outside their Dating Mandate.
  • You are acting as a friend, not as our agent, employee, or representative. We are not responsible for what a matchmaker says or does.

5. Acceptable use

You may not:

  • harass, threaten, stalk, or harm any person, or use Known to do so;
  • misrepresent yourself or anyone else, including age, identity, or relationship status;
  • use Known if you are married or in an exclusive relationship and presenting yourself as single;
  • upload unlawful, defamatory, or sexually explicit content, or someone's photo or personal information without their permission;
  • scrape, copy, or disclose other users' information outside the platform, including screenshots of profiles or chats shared beyond what a reasonable matchmaking conversation requires;
  • attempt to access accounts or data that are not yours.

We may remove content, suspend, or permanently remove any account that we reasonably believe breaches these terms or endangers anyone — with or without notice.

6. Content and intellectual property

You (or your matchmaker, with your permission) retain ownership of the content you submit. You grant us a non-exclusive licence to host, display, and share that content within the platform as needed to operate the service — for example, showing your profile to matchmakers, showing agreed details on a date card, and showing your first name, your matchmakers' endorsements, and your profile notes to mutually compatible singles within your matchmakers' network (as described in the Privacy Policy). This licence ends when the content is deleted at your request, except for records we must retain as described in the Privacy Policy.

The Known name, brand, and software are ours or our licensors'.

7. Ending your use

You may stop using Known at any time and may ask us to delete your account and data (see the Privacy Policy for how, and for what we may retain — for example, safety reports). We may suspend or end your access as described in section 5, or if we discontinue the service. During the pilot the service may change or be withdrawn at any time.

8. Disclaimers

Known is provided "as is" during its pilot phase. To the extent permitted by law, we do not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that any introduction will lead to any particular outcome. We make no warranty — express or implied — about any user, matchmaker, endorsement, venue, or date.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by South African law (including the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008):

  • We are not liable for the conduct of any user, on or off the platform, including conduct at or after a date arranged through Known.
  • We are not liable for indirect, consequential, or special damages, or loss of profits, arising from your use of Known.
  • Our total liability to you for any claim arising from the service is limited to the greater of R1,000 or the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim (Known is currently free, so R1,000). This cap does not apply to claims for death or personal injury caused by our negligence. *[Attorney: confirm the personal-injury carve-out and cap structure against CPA ss 48/51 and the common-law treatment of exemption clauses.]*

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for gross negligence or wilful misconduct on our part, or your rights under the Consumer Protection Act.

10. Indemnity

You indemnify us against claims by third parties arising from your deliberate or negligent breach of these terms — for example, if you upload someone's photo or personal information without their permission. This indemnity does not apply to a matchmaker acting honestly and in good faith within the Matchmaker Promise. *[Attorney: confirm scope — should the indemnity be capped or dropped entirely for volunteer matchmakers (CPA s 48 / s 51 fairness)?]*

11. General

  • These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa, and the South African courts have jurisdiction.
  • If part of these terms is unenforceable, the rest still applies.
  • We may update these terms; material changes will be notified in-app or by email, and continued use after notice is acceptance. The current version and date always appear at the top of this page.

12. Contact and complaints

Questions, complaints, or notices: admin@knowndating.co.za.

If you complain and our response doesn't resolve it, say so — it will be escalated to a director. Privacy complaints can also go to the Information Regulator (see the Privacy Policy).