Privacy Policy — Anonymous Chat Data Collection and Use

Last updated: January 1, 2025

Anonymous Chat is built around one core principle: you should be able to have a conversation with a stranger without giving up any personal data. This privacy policy explains what technical data we collect to keep the service running, what we deliberately do not collect, and how we handle the minimal data that passes through our systems.

Information Collected During Your Visit

Connection Metadata

When you open Anonymous Chat, your browser establishes a WebSocket connection to our server. The server temporarily knows your IP address — necessary for routing the connection — and stores it in memory only. This IP address is automatically removed from memory within one hour of disconnection. We do not write IP addresses to permanent storage.

We also record standard web server access logs containing: the time of each request, the URL requested, your browser's user agent string, and your IP address. These logs are used solely for security monitoring, debugging technical issues, and analyzing aggregate traffic patterns. Access logs are automatically deleted after 30 days.

Browser-Stored Preferences

Anonymous Chat uses localStorage to remember non-identifying preferences such as whether you prefer video off when starting a new chat. This data stays in your browser and is never transmitted to our servers. You can clear it at any time through your browser's developer tools or settings.

Aggregate Statistics

We maintain aggregate, anonymized statistics about platform usage: number of concurrent users, total messages per day, average chat duration. These statistics are derived from data that cannot be tied back to any individual user and are used for operational insights and partner reporting.

Information We Do NOT Collect

No Accounts, No Personal Data

Anonymous Chat has no account system. There is no way to provide your name, email address, phone number, or any personally identifiable information to the platform. You cannot create a profile, choose a username, or upload an avatar. The service operates entirely without requiring identity from users.

No Chat Content Storage

Text messages sent through Anonymous Chat exist in the memory of the two participating browsers and are relayed via our server without being stored. We do not log, archive, or back up chat messages. Once a conversation ends and the browser tabs close, the messages are gone from our infrastructure and cannot be recovered.

No Behavioral Tracking

We do not track your activity across sessions, build profiles of your chat behavior, or analyze conversation patterns for advertising purposes. Since we do not assign persistent identifiers to visitors, there is no way to link multiple visits together. Each time you visit, you are essentially a new anonymous session.

No Third-Party Tracking

The Anonymous Chat application contains no third-party scripts, analytics services, advertising pixels, or social media tracking code. We deliberately avoid external dependencies to prevent data leakage. The entire application is self-contained HTML, CSS, and JavaScript served from our domain. You can verify this by reviewing the page source — there are no external script tags loading from other domains.

No Device Fingerprinting for Identification

We do not attempt to fingerprint your browser or device for the purpose of identifying you across visits. While some technical fingerprinting may occur incidentally as a side effect of standard web protocols (e.g., the user agent string is sent in WebSocket handshakes), we do not use this information to create persistent identifiers or link your sessions together.

Cookies

Anonymous Chat uses no persistent cookies. Session cookies may be set by the WebSocket library for connection state management, but these expire when you close your browser and contain no personally identifiable information. We do not use cookies for tracking, analytics, or advertising.

Children's Privacy

Anonymous Chat is intended for users 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. The platform is not directed at children, and we expect users to self-certify their age by choosing to use the service. If we become aware that a minor is using the platform, we may restrict their access. Parents who believe a minor is using the service can contact us to request a restriction.

Data Retention and Deletion

All actively held data is automatically cleared according to these retention periods:

• WebSocket session memory (including temporary IP addresses): cleared within 1 hour of disconnection
• Server access logs: deleted after 30 days
• Browser localStorage: persists until you clear it manually
• Aggregate statistics: retained indefinitely but never contain identifiable data

Since we do not store chat messages or personal data, there is nothing to delete on request beyond what is automatically purged. If you believe we hold data that should be deleted, contact us through our contact page.

Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect the platform from unauthorized access and abuse. This includes encrypted WebSocket connections (WSS), rate limiting to prevent connection flooding, IP-based blocking for repeat offenders, and regular server security updates. While no system is 100% secure, these measures reduce the risk of data exposure.

Users also play a role in security: keep your browser updated, use strong device passwords, avoid using Anonymous Chat on public or shared computers without logging out of other accounts, and be cautious about what you type even though messages are ephemeral — the other person could screenshot them.

Law Enforcement and Legal Requests

Because we retain minimal data, our ability to comply with legal requests is inherently limited. We do not have chat logs, user accounts, or persistent identifiers to provide. The most we could typically provide is access logs for a specific time window (within our 30-day retention period) and connection metadata like IP addresses temporarily held in memory. We will comply with valid legal requests to the extent required by law, but our minimal data collection means there is often little to nothing to disclose.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The most recent version will always be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of Anonymous Chat after changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. Material changes will be announced on the homepage when practical.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please reach out through our contact page. We will respond to legitimate inquiries as promptly as possible.