Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy ("Policy") explains how Intelliquinte L.L.C. ("we," "us," "Company") collects, uses, and protects information when you use the Dear Nobody service at dearnobody.org and related domains (the "Service").

Dear Nobody is designed as an anonymous platform. We intentionally collect minimal personal data and employ technical measures to protect user privacy. This Policy should be read alongside our Terms of Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Submission Content

When you submit a letter or confession to Dear Nobody, we collect:

• The content of your submission
• Any optional categorization or metadata you provide (type, category, greeting, signature)
• Timestamp of submission
• Your visibility choice (public or private) and optional consent choices (research, marketing)

We do not require your name, email address, or account creation to submit content.

2.2 Submission Identifiers

Each submission is assigned:

• Public ID: Visible with published submissions, used for reference. Stored in our database.
• Private ID: Provided only to the submitter at time of submission. Never stored — only a one-way cryptographic hash is retained for verification.

These IDs are used for content management and removal requests. They are not linked to your identity unless you choose to associate them with your personal information (e.g., by emailing us with your IDs).

2.3 Technical Data We Do NOT Collect

We do not collect personal technical data about your visit:

• We do not intentionally retain your IP address in our application systems
• We do not collect browser fingerprints
• We do not use tracking cookies or analytics pixels
• We do not build user profiles or track behavior across sessions

2.4 Data Processed by Service Providers

While we don't collect this data ourselves, our service providers may process certain technical information as part of their operations:

• Cloudflare: May process IP addresses temporarily for security, DDoS protection, and bot detection (Turnstile). This data is governed by Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.
• Cloudflare: May log request data for hosting operations. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.

We have selected these providers specifically for their privacy-respecting practices and do not have access to raw technical logs.

2.5 Consent Records

We record your choices regarding:

• Visibility (public or private)
• Research consent (optional)
• Marketing consent (optional)

These consent records are stored securely and linked only to your submission IDs, not to your identity.

2.6 Local Storage ("My Vault")

Dear Nobody offers an optional "My Vault" feature that stores your submission IDs locally on your device using your browser's local storage. This data is stored only on your device and is never transmitted to or stored on our servers.

2.7 Aggregate Attribution Data

To understand how people discover Dear Nobody (without tracking individuals), we may collect:

• General referral source (e.g., "search engine" or "social media") - not the specific page
• Campaign identifiers from links we share (UTM parameters)
• Your optional response to "How did you find us?" if you choose to answer

This data is aggregate only - we see "47 visitors came from search engines" not "User X came from Google." We do not use cookies, fingerprinting, or any technology to track you across sessions or identify you.

• What's stored: Your Public ID, Private ID, submission label, and timestamp — stored only in your browser's local storage
• What's NOT stored on our servers: Your Private ID (we only store a hash), your local vault contents
• Your control: You can view, add, or clear vault entries at any time from the Access & Control page

3. How We Use Information

3.1 Content Publication

If you grant content release permission, we may:

• Publish your submission on the Dear Nobody website
• Include your submission in print collections or anthologies
• Share your submission through official Dear Nobody social media channels

Your submission will always remain anonymous unless you explicitly include identifying information in the content itself (which we discourage and may redact).

3.2 Research Use

If you grant research consent, your anonymized submission may be:

• Analyzed for patterns, themes, or linguistic features
• Included in academic or psychological research studies
• Used for internal content analysis to improve the Service

Research use never involves attempting to identify submitters. All research is conducted on fully anonymized data.

3.3 Marketing & Merchandise Use

If you grant marketing consent, short excerpts of your submission may be:

• Featured in promotional materials for Dear Nobody
• Used in advertisements or campaigns
• Highlighted on social media or marketing channels
• Printed on merchandise (apparel, prints, books, etc.)

Marketing use requires explicit, separate consent and is only available for public submissions. You will not receive royalties for merchandise use.

3.4 Service Operation

We use submission data to:

• Display content in The Mailbox (if published)
• Process moderation and content review
• Respond to deletion requests
• Generate aggregate, non-identifying statistics

3.5 Long-Term Preservation

Dear Nobody is committed to preserving the voices entrusted to us. Published letters may be archived for long-term preservation.

Archive Partnership

We may partner with preservation organizations such as the Internet Archive to ensure published letters remain accessible for future generations. This archival serves to:

• Protect against data loss due to technical failures
• Ensure the archive survives even if Dear Nobody ceases operations
• Preserve human voices as a historical record

What This Means for You

• Published letters may be included in external preservation archives
• Private letters (never published) are NOT included in external archives
• Deleted letters will be removed from our systems and we will request removal from any archive partners, though we cannot guarantee removal from all external copies
• Anonymity is maintained — archived letters contain only what was publicly published (pseudonym, content, timestamp), never identifying information

4. Service Providers & Third Parties

4.1 Infrastructure Providers

We use the following third-party service providers to operate Dear Nobody:

We do not use analytics services, advertising networks, or tracking tools. Our service providers access only the data necessary to deliver the platform and are bound by their respective privacy policies and data protection obligations.

4.1.1 Limits of Anonymity

Dear Nobody does not intentionally retain IP addresses in our application systems. However, our infrastructure providers (Cloudflare, Supabase) process network requests and may log IP addresses and request metadata as part of their operations. We have no control over their retention policies. Dear Nobody does not receive or store those logs. We do not have access to or control over those provider logs.

During submission, we send your IP address to Cloudflare Turnstile for bot verification. Cloudflare uses it to assess fraud risk; we do not retain it. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy and Supabase's Privacy Policy for their practices.

For maximum anonymity: Consider using Tor Browser or a VPN. These route your traffic through intermediaries, reducing what infrastructure providers can associate with your requests.

4.2 Automated Content Analysis (AI)

To protect our community and identify users who may need support, we use automated systems including AI to analyze submission content. Here's what you should know:

What AI Does

• Crisis Detection: Identifies potential crisis situations to display support resources (like 988 Lifeline)
• Content Flagging: Flags content for human moderator review
• Theme Suggestion: Suggests appropriate content categories

What AI Does NOT Do

• Make final publication decisions (humans review all content)
• Create profiles or track users across submissions
• Learn from or retain your content after analysis
• Share your content with third-party AI providers

What We Store

We store only the results of AI analysis, not the full analysis reasoning:

• Crisis detection score (a number from 0-1)
• Suggested themes (e.g., "grief", "family")
• Model version used
• Timestamp of analysis

These results are deleted when you delete your submission.

Your Rights

You can view exactly what AI detected about your submission using your Private ID in Access & Control. This shows you the AI analysis results and confirms that a human reviewed your content.

Technical Details

• AI Provider: Cloudflare Workers AI (runs entirely on Cloudflare's network)
• Primary Model: Llama 3.1 8B (@cf/meta/llama-3.1-8b-instruct) — an open-source model by Meta
• Fallback Model: Llama 2 7B (@cf/meta/llama-2-7b-chat-int8) — used only when the primary model is unavailable
• Training Data: Public internet data curated by Meta, NOT Dear Nobody content
• Architecture: Inference-only — the models are frozen and cannot update their weights from your data

AI Analysis Features

Our AI analysis provides:

• Moderation Recommendation: AI suggests whether content should be approved, reviewed, or flagged — but humans make all final decisions
• Theme Detection: Automatically suggests relevant themes (love, grief, family, etc.) to help categorize content
• Re-analysis Capability: Moderators can request fresh AI analysis if the initial analysis seems incorrect or if the AI model has been updated

All AI recommendations are logged and tracked. You can see exactly what the AI detected about your submission using your Private ID.

4.3 Research Partners

With research consent, anonymized submissions may be shared with:

• Academic researchers under appropriate data use agreements
• Research institutions for studies on human experience and expression

All research partners must agree to maintain anonymity and use data only for stated research purposes.

4.4 We Do NOT Sell Data

4.5 Voluntary Financial Contributions

Dear Nobody accepts voluntary financial contributions to help sustain the platform. Here's what you should know about your privacy when contributing:

What We Collect

For Cryptocurrency Contributions (via NowPayments):

• We do NOT collect your identity, email, or personal information
• NowPayments processes the transaction; we receive only the funds and a transaction reference
• Your wallet address is visible on the blockchain but is not linked to any identity we hold
• See NowPayments' Privacy Policy

For Traditional Payment Methods (if offered in the future):

• Payment processors may collect standard payment information
• We do not store credit card numbers or bank account details
• We may receive your name and email only if you voluntarily provide them

How We Use Contribution Data

• Transaction references are used solely for accounting and transparency reporting
• We do not use contribution data for marketing purposes
• We do not sell or share contributor information
• Anonymous contributions remain anonymous

Your Rights

• You may request deletion of any personal data associated with your contribution
• Blockchain transactions cannot be deleted, but are not linked to your identity by us
• Contact support@dearnobody.org for data requests

Third-Party Payment Processors

4.6 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when required by law, including:

• In response to valid legal process (court orders, subpoenas)
• To protect life in emergency situations involving imminent harm
• To defend our legal rights or property

We evaluate all legal requests carefully and disclose only what is legally required. Given our minimal data collection, we often have little to no identifying information to provide.

4.7 Legal Holds

We may place a legal hold on submission content to prevent its deletion or modification when required by court orders, subpoenas, law enforcement requests, regulatory investigations, or internal legal compliance needs. During an active hold:

• The affected submission cannot be deleted, even upon request via your Private ID
• Holds are tracked with reference numbers, issuing authority, reason, and duration
• When a hold is released or expires, normal deletion rights resume
• All hold placements and releases are logged in our compliance audit trail

We will not disclose the existence of a legal hold to the submitter unless required or permitted by law.

4.8 Mandatory Reporting

As a U.S.-based service provider, we comply with all mandatory reporting obligations:

• CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material): If we become aware of any CSAM on our platform, we immediately report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) as required by 18 U.S.C. § 2258A
• Imminent Harm: If content indicates imminent danger to life or safety, we may report it to appropriate law enforcement authorities
• Other Legal Obligations: We file mandatory reports to other regulatory bodies as required by applicable law

All mandatory reports are documented internally with reference numbers and preserved for compliance. Mandatory reports may include the submission content, metadata, and any information reasonably available. See our Law Enforcement Guidelines for more details.

4.9 Redaction & Content Modification

As part of our content moderation process, we may redact (remove or obscure) identifying information from submissions before or after publication:

• What is redacted: Names, locations, contact information, or other details that could identify real individuals
• How redaction works: Original content is preserved internally for legal and compliance purposes. The public-facing version displays the redacted content
• Unredaction: In limited circumstances, an administrator may reverse a redaction if the content is determined to be safe to publish in its original form. Unredaction is restricted to admin-level users, logged in our audit trail, and preserves the full edit history
• Your rights: You can view the current state of your submission via Access & Control using your Private ID

5. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption in Transit: All data transmitted to and from Dear Nobody is encrypted using TLS (HTTPS)
• Encryption at Rest: Submission content is encrypted in our database using ECDH-P256/AES-GCM encryption
• Access Controls: Database access is restricted to essential personnel only
• Bot Protection: Cloudflare Turnstile protects against automated abuse without invasive CAPTCHAs
• DDoS Protection: Cloudflare provides protection against denial-of-service attacks
• Privacy-Preserving Rate Limiting: We limit submission rates to prevent abuse using temporary session hashes that cannot identify you—we never log or use IP addresses for rate limiting
• Content Security Policy: Strict CSP headers prevent cross-site scripting and injection attacks
• Regular Updates: We maintain current security patches and updates

5.1 Error Monitoring

To maintain service quality, we use privacy-preserving error monitoring that:

• Captures only generic error types and page locations
• Automatically redacts any potentially identifying information before processing
• Does not log IP addresses, user agents, or session identifiers
• Aggregates errors for analysis rather than tracking individual occurrences

However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to protecting your information to the best of our ability.

6. Your Rights and Choices

6.1 Access and Control

Using your Public ID and Private ID, you can:

• View your submission — See what you wrote and its current status
• Delete your submission — Remove it from our systems at any time
• Manage settings — Change visibility or withdraw research/marketing consent (before publication only)

Access these controls at dearnobody.org/access.

6.2 Deletion Rights

You can delete your submission at any time—before or after publication—using your Private ID through the Access & Control interface.

When you request deletion, the following happens immediately:

• All content is permanently scrubbed — your letter text, encrypted content, metadata, pseudonym, recipient, and any AI analysis data are irreversibly removed from our production database
• Your submission status is set to "deleted" — a placeholder notice replaces your content, indicating it was removed at the author's request
• Associated consent records are revoked — any research or marketing consents tied to your submission are automatically withdrawn
• Deletion from all backups is completed within 30 days
• We cannot recall printed materials or remove content from third-party archives/caches

6.3 Content Moderation

Separately from user-initiated deletion, we may remove content through our moderation process for:

• Violations of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service
• Legal compliance requirements
• Safety concerns

As part of moderation, we may also apply trigger warnings or content warnings to submissions. These labels are assigned based on automated AI analysis and/or human moderator judgment to alert readers of potentially sensitive content (e.g., self-harm, violence, substance use, explicit material). Trigger warning data is stored as metadata on the submission and does not identify the submitter.

This is standard content moderation and is distinct from user-requested deletion. See Section 9 of our Terms of Service for details.

6.4 Consent & Settings Management

Once your letter is published, it becomes part of the permanent archive. You can still delete it, but visibility and consent settings become locked to maintain archive integrity.

6.5 Data Retention Periods

• Non-deleted submissions: Retained indefinitely as part of Dear Nobody's permanent archive. Published letters are preserved for long-term access unless you request deletion
• Deleted submissions: All content data is permanently scrubbed from our production database immediately upon deletion request. Remaining backup copies are purged within 30 days
• Submissions under legal hold: Retained regardless of deletion requests until the hold is released or expires
• Consent records: Retained for as long as the associated submission exists, plus 1 year after deletion for legal compliance
• Moderation logs: Retained for 3 years for legal and safety compliance purposes
• Error monitoring data: Aggregated error data is retained for up to 90 days for debugging purposes, then automatically purged
• Mandatory report records: Retained indefinitely as required by law

You may request deletion of your submission at any time using both your Public ID and Private ID via Access & Control.

6.6 Data Portability

You can view your submission status through the Access & Control interface. Note: Your letter content is encrypted for privacy and cannot be displayed or downloaded. If you need a copy of your words, we recommend keeping one before submitting.

7. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If we discover we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly.

Users between 13-17 years old should have parental or guardian consent to use the Service. The 18+ Archive is restricted to users 18 and older.

8. International Users

Dear Nobody is operated by Intelliquinte L.L.C. in the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.

By using the Service, you consent to such transfer and processing. We protect your information as described in this Policy regardless of where it is processed or stored.

8.1 For EU/EEA Users (GDPR Compliance)

We take the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) seriously. Here's how we comply:

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data under the following legal bases:

• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): For research and marketing use of your submissions. Each consent is explicit, granular, and freely given. Publishing is based on your visibility choice (public or private) at submission time.
• Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)): For operating the anonymous platform, security measures, and spam prevention. Our legitimate interest is providing a safe, functional service.
• Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c)): When required to comply with applicable laws or valid legal process.

Your GDPR Rights

As an EU/EEA user, you have the following rights:

• Right of Access (Article 15): View your submission status via Access & Control
• Right to Rectification (Article 16): Due to our anonymous architecture, we cannot modify submissions. You may delete and resubmit.
• Right to Erasure (Article 17): Delete your submission anytime via Access & Control
• Right to Restrict Processing (Article 18): Withdraw consent before publication to prevent use
• Right to Data Portability (Article 20): Due to encryption and anonymity, we cannot export submission content. We recommend keeping a copy before submitting.
• Right to Object (Article 21): Withdraw consent for processing at any time (before publication)
• Right to Withdraw Consent (Article 7(3)): Manage consents via Access & Control

International Data Transfers

Your data is processed by service providers in the United States:

• Supabase: Database hosting (AWS infrastructure, US-based)
• Cloudflare: Website hosting, security, and CDN (global network)

These transfers are conducted in accordance with applicable data protection laws. Our service providers maintain appropriate security certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001) and contractual obligations to protect your data.

Data Protection Officer

Due to the nature and scale of our processing (anonymous, minimal data), we are not required to appoint a Data Protection Officer. For GDPR-related inquiries, contact us at support@dearnobody.org.

Supervisory Authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in your EU member state if you believe our processing violates GDPR.

8.2 For UK Users (UK GDPR Compliance)

Following Brexit, the UK has its own data protection framework (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018). We comply with UK data protection requirements.

UK-Specific Rights

UK residents have the same rights as EU residents under the UK GDPR, including:

• Right of access to your personal data
• Right to rectification and erasure
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Rights related to automated decision-making

UK Supervisory Authority

The supervisory authority for UK data protection is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Helpline: 0303 123 1113

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO if you believe our processing violates UK data protection law.

International Transfers from the UK

Transfers of UK personal data to the United States are conducted under appropriate safeguards, including Standard Contractual Clauses (UK SCCs) as approved by the ICO.

8.3 Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)

For transfers of personal data from the EU/EEA and UK to the United States, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses adopted by the European Commission and the UK ICO, respectively.

• Our infrastructure providers (Supabase, Cloudflare) maintain appropriate certifications and contractual commitments for data protection
• These providers have executed Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent transfer mechanisms
• We conduct transfer impact assessments as required under applicable law

For questions about our international data transfer mechanisms, contact us at support@dearnobody.org.

9. U.S. State Privacy Rights

Various U.S. states have enacted comprehensive privacy laws. We comply with these laws and provide the following rights to residents of those states.

9.1 California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

9.1 Right to Know

You have the right to request information about:

• Categories of personal information we collect
• Specific pieces of personal information we hold about you
• Categories of sources from which information is collected
• Business purposes for collecting information
• Categories of third parties with whom we share information

9.2 Right to Delete

You have the right to request deletion of personal information we have collected. This can be exercised through our Access & Control interface using your Private ID.

9.3 Right to Opt-Out of Sale

We do not sell personal information. Therefore, there is no need to opt out. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

9.4 Non-Discrimination

We will not discriminate against you for exercising your California privacy rights.

9.5 Exercising Your Rights

California residents can exercise these rights by:

• Using the Access & Control interface with your Private ID
• Emailing us at support@dearnobody.org

We will verify your identity before processing requests. Due to our anonymous architecture, verification typically requires your Private ID.

9.2 Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA)

Virginia residents have the following rights under the VCDPA, effective January 1, 2023:

• Right to Access: Confirm whether we process your personal data and access that data
• Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccuracies (note: due to our architecture, you may need to delete and resubmit)
• Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Data Portability: Obtain your data in a portable format
• Right to Opt Out: Opt out of targeted advertising, sale of personal data, or profiling

Note: We do not sell personal data, engage in targeted advertising, or conduct profiling for decisions with legal effects.

9.3 Colorado Privacy Act (CPA)

Colorado residents have the following rights under the CPA, effective July 1, 2023:

• Right to access, correct, and delete personal data
• Right to data portability
• Right to opt out of targeted advertising, sale of personal data, or profiling

To exercise these rights, use our Access & Control interface or contact us at support@dearnobody.org.

9.4 Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA)

Connecticut residents have the following rights under the CTDPA, effective July 1, 2023:

• Right to access and confirm whether personal data is being processed
• Right to correct inaccuracies
• Right to delete personal data
• Right to obtain a copy in a portable format
• Right to opt out of targeted advertising, sale of personal data, or profiling

9.5 Other State Privacy Laws

We monitor emerging state privacy legislation including laws in Utah, Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Montana, Texas, Oregon, and other states. We are committed to complying with applicable state privacy laws as they take effect.

9.6 Exercising State Privacy Rights

Residents of any U.S. state with comprehensive privacy laws can exercise their rights by:

• Using the Access & Control interface with your Private ID
• Emailing support@dearnobody.org

We will respond to verified requests within 45 days. You may designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf.

9.7 Non-Discrimination

We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights under any state law. You will not receive different quality of service, be denied service, or be charged different prices based on exercising your rights.

10. Cookies & Local Storage

10.1 Cookies We Use

Dear Nobody uses minimal cookies, primarily for:

• Essential cookies: Required for security (Cloudflare) and basic functionality
• Preference cookies: Remember your content preferences (e.g., 18+ archive opt-in)

We do not use:

• Analytics cookies or tracking pixels
• Advertising cookies
• Social media tracking cookies
• Cross-site tracking cookies

10.2 Local Storage (My Vault)

The optional "My Vault" feature uses your browser's local storage to save your submission IDs on your device. This data:

• Is stored only on your device
• Is never transmitted to our servers
• Can be cleared at any time through the Access & Control page
• Will be lost if you clear browser data or switch devices

10.3 Third-Party Cookies

Third-party services we use (Cloudflare) may set their own cookies for security and functionality. These are governed by their respective privacy policies.

10.4 Managing Cookies

You can manage cookies through your browser settings. Note that blocking essential cookies may affect site functionality.

11. Data Breach Notification

11.1 Our Commitment

In the event of a data breach that affects personal information, we commit to:

• Investigating the incident promptly
• Taking steps to mitigate harm
• Notifying affected users where possible and required by law
• Notifying relevant authorities as required

11.2 Notification Challenges

Due to our anonymous architecture, we may be unable to directly notify individual users of a breach since we do not collect contact information. In such cases, we will:

• Post prominent notices on the Service within 72 hours
• Provide detailed information about the incident
• Recommend actions users should take
• Maintain the notice on our homepage for at least 30 days

11.3 What We Protect

Our security measures are designed to protect:

• Submission content (encrypted at rest)
• Private ID hashes (never stored in plain text)
• Consent records and preferences

12. Do Not Track Signals

Dear Nobody honors Do Not Track (DNT) browser signals by default because we do not engage in user tracking or profiling. Regardless of your DNT setting, we do not engage in behavioral tracking, profiling, or targeted advertising.

13. Transparency

We are committed to transparency about how we operate. We maintain a live Transparency Ledger with real-time platform statistics pulled directly from our database, and we intend to publish periodic quarterly reports that may include:

• Total submissions received and published
• Content moderation actions (removals, redactions, content warnings applied)
• Legal requests received (court orders, subpoenas, law enforcement requests)
• Mandatory reports filed (including NCMEC referrals)
• Legal holds placed and released
• Deletion requests received and processed
• User content reports received and reviewed
• AI analysis statistics (crisis detections, flagging accuracy, human override rates)

All transparency data never contains information that could identify individual users or specific submissions. See our Transparency Ledger for current live statistics.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• Post a notice on the website for material changes

Your continued use of the Service after changes to the Policy constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our data practices, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all inquiries within 7 business days.