Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 20, 2026

1. Overview

FlashChat is a free, anonymous chat platform available at flashchat.fun. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, what we store, and how we protect your data across all features: anonymous stranger chat, video and voice calls, Flash Cards, FlashBuddies, Saved Chat, Rooms, Profiles and profile timelines, FlashDating, FlashRadio, Arcade, Casino Mode, and FlashBot.

2. Information We Do NOT Collect

FlashChat is designed to minimize data collection. We do not collect or store:

• Names, email addresses (unless you optionally add one for account recovery), phone numbers, or government-issued identifiers
• 1-on-1 anonymous chat messages or conversation content (messages are relayed in real-time and never saved)
• Self-destructing photos or voice notes you send or receive in stranger chats
• Plaintext passwords — accounts are optional, and if you choose to set a profile password we store only a salted scrypt hash of it, never the password itself
• Cookies for tracking or advertising
• Location data or GPS coordinates — except when you explicitly turn on the location toggle while composing a Flash Card. See Section 3.2 below.
• Hardware fingerprints or device identifiers beyond a browser-generated UUID

3. Information We Process and Store

3.1 Temporary In-Memory Data

The following data exists only in server memory (RAM) during your active session and is cleared on disconnect or server restart:

• WebSocket connections: Active connections held while you are connected, cleared instantly on disconnect.
• Session identifiers: Temporary random IDs for reconnection support, purged within 2 minutes of disconnection.
• Interest tags: Topic preferences you select before chatting, used only for matchmaking.
• Matchmaking queue state: Your position and buddy invite queue status, held in memory only.
• Video call signaling: WebRTC offer/answer/ICE candidate data is relayed in memory and never logged.

3.2 Persistent Data (Optional Features)

If you choose to use optional features (Flash Cards, Profiles, Rooms, FlashBuddies, Saved Chat, FlashDating, Arcade), the following data is stored in a database:

• Device identifier: A randomly generated UUID stored in your browser's localStorage. This is not a hardware fingerprint — it can be cleared by clearing browser data.
• Profile data: Display nickname, @handle, avatar (or an uploaded profile photo), bio, interests, age range, gender, privacy preferences, and a coarse last-seen timestamp used for presence (hidden if you enable "appear offline") — only if you choose to set them.
• Email address: Only if you optionally verify your email — used for verification codes, account recovery, and password reset emails, and as the identity key for karma.
• Optional login credentials: If you set a password, we store a salted scrypt hash. If you generate a recovery code, we store a SHA-256 hash of it. If you opt in to the encrypted key backup for Saved Chat, we store an encrypted blob that is wrapped with your password in your browser before upload — we cannot decrypt it.
• Saved Chat messages (end-to-end encrypted): Messages, photos, voice notes, and GIF picks you exchange with FlashBuddies in Saved Chat are encrypted on your device before they reach us. We store only opaque ciphertext that we cannot read, and every message auto-expires within at most 24 hours.
• Flash Cards: Cards you create (text, tags, background) are stored until you delete them.
• Flash Card city (opt-in): The location toggle in the card composer is off by default and must be turned on per card. When you turn it on, your browser asks for your device location and sends those coordinates to OpenStreetMap Nominatim (see Section 7) to look up a city name. We receive and store only the city name — never your coordinates — and it is shown publicly on that card. Leave the toggle off and no location is requested, sent, or stored.
• Comments: Comments you post on Flash Cards are stored alongside the card.
• Profile timeline: Wall posts left on your timeline (stored like Flash Cards), your timeline photo strip (up to 5 moderated photos), and nudges you send or receive. You control who can post on your wall (default: buddies only) and who can view your timeline via the timeline visibility setting.
• FlashDating profile (opt-in, 18+): If you create a dating profile: date of birth (to enforce the 18+ requirement), gender, who you want to see, bio and prompts, up to 6 photos, and your swipes/matches. Requires a verified email. You can pause or delete your dating profile at any time.
• Rooms: Chat rooms you create (name, description, tags, settings) and room messages are stored for room history. Private rooms are password-protected and only visible to members, but room messages are not end-to-end encrypted.
• FlashBuddy connections: If you send or accept buddy requests, the connection record is stored.
• Blocks: If you block another user, the block record is stored so it can be enforced. The blocked user is not notified.
• Push subscriptions: If you enable push notifications, your browser's push endpoint and its encryption keys are stored. Removed when you unsubscribe or delete your profile.
• Chat invites: Buddy chat invitations are stored temporarily and expire after 2 hours.
• Arcade scores: If you play Arcade games, your best score per game and difficulty (with your nickname and avatar if you have set them) and daily-challenge activity may be stored, tied to your device identifier, to power leaderboards. Casino Mode is played with virtual chips stored only in your browser — no Casino data is sent to or stored on our servers.
• Chat session metadata: Basic session records (start time, duration, message count, whether reported) are stored for abuse prevention. Message content is never stored.
• Moderation reports: If you report a user, the report details (reason, timestamp, device IDs) are stored for compliance review.
• Moderation logs: Automated logs of content filtered for illegal material (CSAM, terrorism content) are retained for legal compliance.

3.3 Server Access Logs

Standard web server logs may contain IP addresses for security and abuse prevention. These logs are not used for tracking, analytics, or advertising purposes.

4. How Media Works

Photos and voice notes in 1-on-1 stranger chats are designed for maximum privacy:

• Media is transmitted directly between users via WebSocket relay — never stored on any server
• Self-destruct timers (3–10 seconds for photos, one-time play for voice notes) automatically remove media from the recipient's screen
• Screenshot detection blackens the screen before capture and notifies the sender when an attempt is detected
• NSFW content detection runs in your browser using TensorFlow.js before an image can be sent, with a second automated check on our own servers — images are never sent to any third-party service for analysis
• GIFs and stickers are provided by Klipy: your browser searches and fetches them directly from Klipy's API and CDN — not proxied through FlashChat servers (see Section 7)

Important: While we implement self-destruct timers and screenshot detection, we cannot guarantee prevention of all capture methods on every device or operating system. Send media at your own risk.

5. Video Calls

FlashChat video calls use WebRTC technology:

• Video and audio are transmitted peer-to-peer (P2P) directly between users whenever possible, or via a TURN relay when P2P is not available (e.g., behind symmetric NAT or mobile data)
• Relayed calls use Cloudflare's TURN service (primary) or our self-hosted relay server (backup). Relays forward encrypted packets and process connection metadata (IP addresses) for routing only — they cannot decrypt the media and no media content is stored
• All WebRTC media is encrypted with DTLS/SRTP — industry-standard end-to-end encryption for real-time media
• We do not record, store, or process any video or audio content

6. AI Chat Companions (FlashBot)

FlashChat includes AI chat companions, such as FlashBot. An AI companion may be matched with you when no human partner is available in the queue. When you chat with an AI companion:

• Your messages in that conversation, along with recent conversation context, are sent to Groq's inference API to generate replies. Conversations between two human users are never sent to Groq or any other AI provider
• Groq processes messages per their own privacy policy
• AI companion conversations are held in server memory for the session only and are not stored in any database

7. Third-Party Services

FlashChat uses a small set of third-party services:

• Oracle Cloud: Database and object storage hosting for persistent features (profiles, cards, rooms, images). Data is stored in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (ap-hyderabad-1 region). Uploaded images (card backgrounds, avatars, timeline and dating photos) are served from a storage URL that anyone with the link can view.
• Cloudflare: DNS and CDN services, the primary TURN relay for video calls that cannot connect peer-to-peer (Section 5), and Turnstile, a privacy-preserving CAPTCHA alternative that runs during profile creation to block bots. Cloudflare may process connection metadata per their privacy policy.
• Klipy: Provides GIF and sticker search. Your browser calls Klipy's API and CDN directly, so Klipy receives your IP address and GIF search terms; these requests do not pass through our servers.
• jsDelivr CDN: Used to load TensorFlow.js for browser-side NSFW detection. The CDN provider may log access per their privacy policy.
• Groq: Used for AI chat companion responses and for generating FlashBot's daily Flash Cards. See Section 6 above.
• Resend and Brevo: Email delivery providers used to send verification, recovery, and password-reset emails to the address you optionally provide.
• DiceBear: Generated avatars are rendered by your browser from api.dicebear.com unless you upload a photo.
• Google Fonts: Page fonts are loaded from Google's font CDN.
• OpenStreetMap Nominatim: Used only if you turn on the location toggle while composing a Flash Card, tap "Near Me" in the feed, or use the profile location "Detect" button. Your browser sends your coordinates directly to nominatim.openstreetmap.org to convert them into a city name; the request does not pass through our servers, and only the resulting city name is sent to us. If you never use these controls, no request is made. See the OSM Foundation privacy policy.
• Embedded media (YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud): Flash Cards can carry music or video embeds. YouTube embeds load as a static thumbnail first and only contact YouTube (privacy-enhanced youtube-nocookie.com player) when you tap play; other embeds load the provider's player. Playing an embed is subject to that provider's privacy policy.
• FlashRadio stations and podcast publishers: When you play a radio station or podcast episode, your browser streams the audio directly from the station's or publisher's servers (e.g., Radio Paradise, KEXP, Red FM, TED), which see your IP address. Podcast episode lists are fetched through our server; the audio itself never passes through us. Playback positions are stored only in your browser.
• Google Analytics (with consent): We use Google Analytics 4 with Consent Mode v2. All consent signals default to "denied" — analytics cookies are set only if you accept via the cookie banner, and you can withdraw at any time. In the denied state Google may still receive cookieless, aggregate consent-state pings as part of Consent Mode.

We do not use Facebook Pixel, advertising networks, or any other tracking services.

8. Data Retention

Data retention varies by type:

• 1-on-1 chat messages: Never stored. Relayed in real-time only.
• Self-destructing media (photos, voice notes): Never stored on servers. Removed after viewing.
• Session data (connections, matching, video call signaling): Cleared on disconnect or within 2 minutes.
• Flash Cards, comments, and timeline wall posts: Stored until you delete them, or indefinitely if not deleted.
• Saved Chat messages: Stored as unreadable ciphertext and automatically deleted within at most 24 hours of sending.
• Profiles: Stored and tied to your device ID. You can delete your account in-app (Profile → Account → Delete). Anonymous profiles with no activity may be periodically removed after extended inactivity.
• Rooms and room messages: Stored while the room exists.
• FlashBuddy connections and chat invites: Connections stored until removed. Invites expire after 2 hours.
• Arcade scores and daily-challenge activity: Stored and tied to your device ID until you clear your browser data (which resets your device ID). Casino Mode chips live only in your browser and are never stored on our servers.
• Cards sent for moderator review: If our scanner flags an image and you ask a moderator to check it, the card — its text and image — is held in a review queue instead of being published. It is decided within 7 days (automatically declined if nobody reviews it), and the record is deleted 90 days after that decision. Deleting your account removes any such records immediately.
• Moderation reports and logs: Retained for legal compliance purposes.
• Server access logs: Retained for a limited period for security purposes.

9. Children's Privacy

FlashChat is intended for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly allow minors to use this platform. If we become aware that a user is under 18, their access will be terminated and any associated data deleted. If you believe a minor is using FlashChat, please contact us at [email protected].

10. Your Rights

Since FlashChat does not require registration, most data is tied to your browser's localStorage device ID. You can:

• Delete your Flash Cards, comments, and wall posts directly within the app
• Delete your account in-app (Profile → Account → Delete account): this permanently removes your profile, Flash Cards, comments, hearts, buddy connections, push subscriptions, and any cards awaiting moderator review in one step. Moderation reports and abuse-prevention audit records may be retained after deletion for legal compliance, and messages you posted in rooms remain part of those rooms' history.
• Pause your account instead — reversible, hides your cards and profile from everyone
• Leave rooms or delete rooms you created at any time
• Remove FlashBuddy connections or block users from within the app
• Request data deletion by contacting us at [email protected] with your device ID
• Withdraw analytics consent via the cookie settings at any time

11. Security

We take reasonable technical measures to protect your data:

• All data in transit is encrypted via HTTPS (TLS 1.2+)
• Saved Chat messages are end-to-end encrypted (ECDH P-256 + AES-GCM) — encryption keys are generated and kept on your device, and no decryption capability exists on our servers
• Optional passwords are hashed with scrypt; recovery codes and email tokens are stored only as SHA-256 hashes
• Video calls use DTLS/SRTP encryption
• Database access is restricted to application servers only
• Oracle Autonomous Database with mTLS wallet authentication
• Rate limiting and abuse detection to prevent unauthorized access

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of FlashChat after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

13. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of India, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA). For users in the European Economic Area, we comply with applicable GDPR requirements on a best-effort basis.

14. Contact Us

For privacy-related questions, data deletion requests, or to report a concern:

• Email: [email protected]
• Grievance Officer: File a grievance
• Website: flashchat.fun