Privacy policy

Overview

We respect your personal information and only use what we need to provide the chat service.

Collecting data

You only need a username and password to join. Your email address, profile details, location, and email notifications are optional. You can turn email notifications off in account settings.

Your username and snippet may be public. Users must be logged in to view full profiles.

We record when you last used the site and which sections you visit, and keep server, error and email delivery logs. We use these to keep the site secure, fix problems, and see how the site is used. Server logs include your IP address and browser details. Error and activity logs don't include your messages or profile text.

We keep a record of key account events, so we can show what happened if there is a dispute. It covers when you signed up and the IP address you used, changes to your username, age, email address and password, logging out everywhere, your notification choices, data downloads, and account deletion. It doesn't include your email address, password, messages, or profile text.

We remember which browsers have logged in to your account. This means your own browser can still log in when someone else keeps guessing your password. Changing your password or logging out everywhere clears this list. Your data download shows when each of these browsers last logged in.

To slow down password guessing, we count failed logins for each IP address. We store a scrambled form of the IP address, not the address itself.

If you join through someone's invite link, we remember who invited you.

Your contacts can see when you're online.

We use your account details and messages to run the service you signed up for.

Modifying and deleting data

You can view and update your account details in settings, and remove optional information.

You can delete your account in settings, or email us below to request deletion of some or all of your data. Account deletion removes your account details, profile, and the messages and stickers you sent, including from recipients' conversations. Messages other people sent to you, server logs, and the record of account events are not removed by account deletion.

We may delete inactive accounts.

Storing data

We use HTTPS to protect data travelling between your browser and our servers. Messages are stored as plain text on our servers and are not end-to-end encrypted. Passwords are protected and are not stored as plain text.

We keep your account details while your account exists, unless you remove optional information earlier. This includes an email address you haven't verified yet. Private messages have no fixed expiry, but we may delete older messages. Quick chat messages expire after 24 hours.

We keep other data for these times.

  • Activity logs for 90 days.
  • Email delivery logs for 30 days.
  • Error logs until 30 days after the error last occurs.
  • Failed login counts for 2 days.
  • Known browsers until 400 days after their last login.
  • Your signup IP address for 12 months.
  • The record of account events until 2 years after your account is deleted.

Our database is hosted in the US.

Sharing data

Our email provider, Resend, receives your email address and the emails we send you. These emails do not contain your private messages. See Resend's Privacy Policy.

If you search for a city, Google Maps receives your search text and IP address. See Google's Privacy Policy and terms.

When you chat with a computer player in a game, xAI writes its replies. xAI receives your recent chat messages in that game. See xAI's Privacy Policy.

We do not sell your data. We may disclose information to comply with the law or protect our rights.

If the service changes ownership, your personal information will be transferred to the new owner.

Cookies and tracking

We use cookies to remember your login and help us understand how the site is used. We don't use third party trackers or advertising.

Your rights

You can contact us below to request a copy of your personal data, correct it, or ask us to delete it. Depending on the circumstances, you can ask us to limit its use, give you a copy you can move to another service, or stop using it to keep the site secure, fix problems, and see how the site is used. You can contact us with privacy concerns, or complain to the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Contact

hello at hellothere dot com