Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 24, 2026. This page explains exactly what happens to your chats. Draft: have it reviewed by a lawyer for your jurisdiction before launch.

The short version

• You don't need an account. We don't ask for your name, email or phone number.
• Messages and files are encrypted on our server. This is not end-to-end encryption.
• When a chat ends, participants lose access immediately. The content is not erased at that moment.
• A restricted, encrypted archive is kept for 30 days after the chat ends, then permanently deleted.
• Authorized staff can access an archive only for safety, abuse or legal reasons, and every access is logged.

Who runs this service

[Legal name of operator], [Country / State]. Contact: abuse@diffweb.com.

What we collect

• Chat content: room name, display names, messages, files and their names. Stored encrypted.
• Room metadata: creation, expiry and closing times; message and file counts; file sizes and types. Stored in readable form so the service can operate.
• Network data: your IP address is converted into a keyed one-way code (HMAC) used for rate limiting, abuse prevention and enforcing removals. We do not store your raw IP address in our database. Our hosting provider's web server logs may contain raw IP addresses for a limited time under their own retention.
• Cookies: strictly necessary cookies that keep you inside a room you joined and protect forms. No advertising or tracking cookies. No analytics.

Why we keep an archive

Anonymous services attract abuse. Keeping a short, encrypted, access-controlled archive lets us respond to reports of illegal content, harassment and threats, and comply with lawful requests.

How long we keep data

• The retention clock starts when a room closes (ended by its creator, everyone left, it expired, or it was closed by moderation).
• Archives are permanently deleted 30 days after closing: messages, files and the room's encryption key.
• Exception for reports and legal holds: if a room is reported, or we must preserve it for an investigation or legal obligation, its archive is kept until the matter is resolved (for a limited, logged period).
• Backups: our hosting backups may contain deleted data until those backups expire (typically within 30 days). Backup data is not used for any other purpose.
• Staff audit logs (which never contain message content) are kept for up to one year.

Who can see archived content

Only staff with a security role. They must record a reason before opening an archive, and every view, download and deletion is logged. Support staff cannot see message content.

What encryption does and does not protect

Content is encrypted at rest with modern authenticated encryption and a separate key per room. This protects against stolen database copies. It does not protect against someone who fully compromises our server and its keys, and it does not hide your content from authorized staff as described above. If you need end-to-end encryption, use a service designed for it.

Your choices

• End or leave a room at any time. Your access stops immediately.
• Report abuse from inside any room (menu → Report) or by email.
• To ask about data relating to a specific room, contact us with the room link. Because rooms are anonymous, we may be unable to verify that a room is yours.

Changes

If we change retention periods we will update this page. Changes never extend retention for chats that already closed.