Privacy

We collect as little as we can, and we never sell your data. Here's the plain version.

What we collect

Your account basics (name, email, city, headline, @handle), what you choose to add (bio, interests), and activity needed to run the product (channels you join, messages you send to your connections). We don't read channel or private chat to build ad profiles.

Approximate location

If you allow it, your browser gives us your position and we immediately round it off to a rough area of a few kilometres — your device does the rounding, and the precise coordinates are discarded there and never reach us. That rough area is what we keep, and only for as long as the channel it is attached to lasts. It is never shown to you or to anyone else, and we never build a history of where you have been.

It is entirely optional. Declining costs you nothing except that channels near you won't be moved further up your list, and you can withdraw it at any time in your browser settings. The city on your profile is separate: that is something you type, not something we measure, and it is not used to work out where you are.

What others see

Before a mutual keep, only your name, headline and city are visible. Your email is never shown to other users. Moments are ephemeral and play once.

How we use it

To run HotBox: place you in compatible channels, deliver your messages, and keep the community safe. Matching runs on what you said you wanted to talk about and on which channels you join — not on the content of your conversations. Safety screening is the one system that reads message text, and only to catch harmful content.

Your choices

You can edit your profile, block people, and request deletion of your account and data at any time by emailing privacy@hotbox.app.

Retention

We keep your data while your account is active. Reported content may be retained longer for safety investigations. Ephemeral moments are deleted after they expire.