Privacy Policy
Effective date: [launch date]
Who we are: Textbound is made by [developer name] ("we", "us"). Contact: support@textbound.app.
Where it's available: Textbound is offered only in the United States, only to adults 18 and older.
The short version
- Textbound is an interactive story. Your character, Vantar, is an AI character, not a person.
- You can read night one without an account. Nights 2–7 need a free account (just your email) during early access. There are no payments right now.
- The story's choices run on our own servers. Only if AI replies are on and you agree, what you type to Vantar, recent story messages and what he remembers are sent to our AI provider, Anthropic, to write his reply. It's a paid service whose terms say your data isn't used to train its models.
- We don't sell your personal information, we don't use third-party analytics or ad trackers on this website, and we don't use your chats for advertising.
- You can see and edit what Vantar remembers, and delete your chats, his memory, or your whole account at any time.
1. What we collect
| What | Examples | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | that you confirmed you're 18+, and when; or that you didn't (so the block sticks) | you. Your date of birth is checked on our server when you enter it and is not stored. |
| Account | your email address; sign-in codes (stored only as one-way hashes, expire in 10 minutes); session records (hashed) | you |
| Guest id | a random id in a cookie, so you can read night one without an account. When you sign up, your guest story moves into your account. | your browser |
| Profile | first name or nickname, pronouns, time zone, story clock ("your evening", or your night-shift start) | you |
| Story | your choices, what you type to Vantar, his messages | you and the story |
| Memory | the few facts you give him when he asks (e.g. "your sister Maya") | you; editable in "What he knows" |
| Usage events | pages viewed, steps completed, buttons like "Notify me", with the ad campaign that brought you (UTM tags). Stored on our own servers only. | this website |
| Safety records | that a crisis step-out happened and when (no message, no account, no browser id); reports you submit, including the reported character message | this website, you |
| AI usage | when AI replies are on: token counts and cost per reply, linked to a one-way hash of your account or guest id. Never the text. | this website |
| Waitlist | your email address and whether you confirmed it | you |
| Support messages | emails you send us | you |
Story messages can include personal things you choose to share, such as feelings, health or relationships. Please share only what you're comfortable with. You can delete any of it at any time.
We don't collect your contacts, photos, precise location, or microphone audio. Cookies: a sign-in cookie, a guest cookie, and a cookie that remembers a failed age check. No advertising cookies.
2. Why we use it
| Purpose | Data used |
|---|---|
| Run the story: play your scenes on your clock, remember things, keep your place | profile, story, memory |
| Write Vantar's replies to what you type (only with AI replies on and your consent) | what you type, recent story messages, memory, first name, pronouns, story clock |
| Keep you safe: detect possible crisis messages and show crisis resources; review reports | what you type (checked automatically, not stored by the check), safety records, reports |
| Keep it adults-only | eligibility |
| Sign you in and keep your account secure | account, guest id |
| Understand what works and fix bugs | usage events |
| Tell you when the iPhone app or a new story launches | waitlist email (confirmed by you; unsubscribe any time) |
| Meet legal duties, for example annual reports of how many crisis referrals we showed | safety records (counts only) |
We don't use your story or memory to target ads, and we don't send them to advertising partners.
3. Who we share it with
We share data only with service providers that work for us under contract, and only what each one needs:
| Provider | What they get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic (Claude, AI model) | only when AI replies are on and you've agreed: what you type, your recent story messages, the facts Vantar remembers, your first name, pronouns and story clock. Never your email. | to write Vantar's replies, under paid API terms that say inputs and outputs aren't used for training. [confirm Anthropic's retention period for API data] |
| Cloudflare (hosting and database) | everything on this website: account, profile, story, memory, events, stored in the United States | to run the service |
| [email provider] | your email address and the sign-in code or waitlist message we send you; support emails | to sign you in and answer you |
We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect someone's safety, or as part of a sale or merger of our business. A buyer would have to keep the protections in this policy.
We don't sell or rent your personal information, and we don't "share" it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
4. How long we keep it
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Story messages and memory | until you delete them or your account [decide a fixed retention period for full chat text; the app spec says 180 days, then a summary] |
| Guest stories never saved to an account | [90 days after the last visit] |
| Safety records (no message text) | [3 years], needed for annual reports |
| Reported messages | [180 days after the report is resolved] |
| Usage events | [13 months] |
| Sign-in codes | 10 minutes (hashed) |
| Waitlist email | until launch plus 90 days, or until you unsubscribe |
| Data with Anthropic | per its API terms, never used for training |
5. Your choices and controls
- See and edit memory: "What he knows" lists everything Vantar remembers. Edit or delete any item, or Forget everything.
- Delete chats: Story settings > Delete all chats.
- Download your data: Settings > Download my data (a JSON file with your account, story and memory).
- Delete your account: Settings > Delete account. This deletes your account, chats, memory and settings.
- Timing: everything you delete disappears from the app right away and from our systems (including backups) within 30 days.
- AI provider consent: withdraw it any time in Story settings > AI provider. Vantar then won't write replies to what you type; the scripted story keeps working.
- Requests: for a copy of your data, a correction, a deletion, or any other privacy question, email support@textbound.app. We'll respond within [30/45] days. Some US states give you extra rights, and we honor those requests where the law applies.
6. Adults only
Textbound is for adults 18 and older. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we learn that a reader is under 18, we lock the story and delete its data. If you think a minor is using Textbound, email support@textbound.app. AI companion chatbots may not be suitable for some minors.
7. Security
We encrypt data in transit and at rest, store sign-in codes and sessions only as hashes, limit access, and keep message text out of our safety, AI-usage and analytics records. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your personal information, we'll notify you as the law requires.
8. United States only
Textbound is offered only in the US. Our database is hosted by Cloudflare in the United States.
9. Changes
If we make a material change, especially to who receives your data or which AI provider we use, we'll tell you in the app and ask for your consent again where needed.
10. Contact
[developer name] · support@textbound.app · [postal address]