Privacy Policy

The Thinker's Lounge ("we," "our," or "the app") is a reflective conversation and journaling platform. We take your privacy seriously. This policy explains what information is collected, how it is used, and what choices you have.

1. Information We Collect

Information stored on your device

The Thinker's Lounge does not require you to create an account, and we do not store any personal information on our servers. The following data is stored locally in your web browser:

• Journal entries are saved in your browser's localStorage. They remain on your device unless you choose to share an entry with a mentor (see Section 2).
• Chat history is saved in your browser's sessionStorage and is automatically deleted when you close the tab.
• Theme preference (your chosen color palette) is saved in your browser's localStorage.

You can delete all locally stored data at any time by clearing your browser's site data.

Information you provide voluntarily

If you use the feedback form on our Settings page, you may optionally provide your name and email address along with your message. These fields are not required.

Information collected automatically

Our server does not log, track, or store any information about your visits, conversations, or journal entries. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics, a privacy-focused analytics service that does not use cookies, does not track individual users, and does not collect personal information. It provides us with aggregate page view and visitor counts to help us understand how the app is used. No tracking pixels are used. Third-party services integrated into the app may also collect certain information automatically (see Section 3).

2. How We Use Your Information

• Chat conversations: When you send a message to a mentor, your message and recent conversation history are transmitted to the MiniMax API to generate a response. This data is sent only while you are actively conversing and is not stored on our server.
• Journal reflections: If you choose to "Discuss with a mentor," the text of that journal entry is transmitted to the MiniMax API for that single request. Journal entries are never sent automatically.
• Conversation summaries: If you save a chat session to your journal, the conversation text is sent to the MiniMax API to generate a brief summary. The summary is stored locally in your browser.
• Feedback: Feedback form submissions are sent to Formspree.io, a third-party form processing service. We use this feedback to improve the app.

3. Third-Party Services

The Thinker's Lounge uses the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy practices:

• MiniMax API processes your conversation and journal text to generate mentor responses. When you send a message or share a journal entry, that text is transmitted to MiniMax's servers. MiniMax Privacy Policy
• Formspree.io processes feedback form submissions, including any name, email, and message you provide. Formspree Privacy Policy
• Google Fonts delivers the typefaces used on this site. Google may collect your IP address and browser information when fonts are loaded. Google Privacy Policy
• Cloudflare Web Analytics provides aggregate, privacy-friendly site analytics. It does not use cookies, does not collect personal data, and does not track individual visitors. Cloudflare Privacy Policy
• Google AdSense (planned): We plan to display advertisements on certain pages in the future. When active, Google may use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your browsing activity. You will be asked to consent before any advertising cookies are set. See Section 4 for details. Google Ads Privacy

4. Cookies and Tracking

The Thinker's Lounge itself does not set any cookies. However, third-party services may set cookies on your device:

• Advertising cookies (Google AdSense, planned): When advertising is enabled, Google may use cookies to serve ads based on your visits to this and other websites, measure ad performance, and limit how often you see a particular ad. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
• Font delivery (Google Fonts): Google may log your IP address and set cookies when delivering web fonts.
• Analytics (Cloudflare Web Analytics): This service does not use cookies.

When advertising is enabled on this site, you will be asked to consent to the use of advertising cookies on your first visit. You will be able to change your cookie preferences at any time. If you decline non-essential cookies, personalized ads will not be shown.

5. Data Retention

• On your device: Journal entries and theme preferences persist in your browser until you clear your site data or delete individual entries. Chat history is deleted automatically when you close the browser tab.
• On our server: We do not retain any user data. Our server is stateless and does not log conversation or journal content.
• Third-party services: Data retention by MiniMax, Formspree, Google Fonts, Cloudflare Web Analytics, and Google AdSense (when active) is governed by their respective privacy policies linked in Section 3.

6. Your Rights

All users

You can delete your locally stored data at any time by clearing your browser's site data for this website, or by deleting individual journal entries within the app.

European Economic Area (GDPR)

If you are located in the EEA, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you (we hold none on our servers)
• Request deletion of your personal data
• Object to or restrict processing of your data
• Data portability
• Withdraw consent for cookies at any time

Since we do not store personal data on our servers, most of these rights are exercised by clearing your browser data. For requests related to third-party services, please contact those services directly. For any other requests, contact us through the feedback form on our Settings page.

California (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to:

• Know what personal information is collected about you
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Opt out of the sale of your personal information

We do not sell personal information. Google AdSense may collect browsing data for advertising purposes, which you can opt out of through Google Ads Settings. For further requests, contact us through the feedback form on our Settings page.

7. Children's Privacy

The Thinker's Lounge is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information through the feedback form, please contact us through the feedback form on our Settings page and we will take steps to remove that information.

8. Data Security

All data transmitted between your browser and our server is encrypted using HTTPS. Because we do not store personal data on our servers, there is no server-side database to be compromised. Your journal entries and chat history exist only in your browser's local storage and are under your control.

9. International Users

The Thinker's Lounge is hosted in the United States via Cloudflare. If you access the app from outside the United States, your conversation text may be transmitted to servers located in the US (our hosting provider) and to MiniMax's API servers for processing. By using the app, you acknowledge this transfer.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the app after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, please reach out through the feedback form on our Settings page.