Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 27, 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 (currently switched off), FlashRadio, Arcade (including online games), invite links, 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 saved only if someone reports the chat; see Section 3)
• Self-destructing photos or voice notes you send or receive in stranger chats, except a photo kept with a report (Section 3)
• 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. We store a city name only if you turn on the location toggle while composing a Flash Card or set a city on your profile (typed, or with the Detect button). See Sections 3.2 and 7.
• 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 (5 minutes if the app was sent to the background).
• 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.
• Online games: Arcade games played against other people are held in server memory only and end when the game does. The other players see your nickname, @handle and avatar. Our usage log records the game and the number of players, never who played.

3.2 Persistent Data

When you first open the app we create a profile record for your device identifier, with a random nickname and @handle, the time it was created and a coarse last-seen time. Everything else below is stored only when you use the feature it belongs to:

• 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 or age range, gender, ethnicity, city, 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. When you verify it we send one welcome email about what FlashChat offers. We also send reminder emails: at most one a week, only when you have been away for seven days or more, and none after three that did not bring you back. Now and then we also send a newsletter about what is new, at most once per issue. You can turn both off under Me → Settings → Account, and every one has an unsubscribe link. If you add an email and do not verify it, we send a reminder with a new link and code two days later, and at most two more, five days apart, stopping once you verify. Each has a link to stop them.
• 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. When you set a password, Saved Chat's key backup is created automatically (you can turn it off): your chat key, encrypted in your browser with your password, plus a second copy encrypted with your recovery code. We cannot decrypt either.
• Signed-in devices: For accounts with a verified email, one record per browser or app install: an install ID, a label made from your browser's user agent (such as “Chrome on Android”), when it signed in, when it was last seen, and when it was signed out. You see this list under Me → Settings → Account → Devices and can sign any of them out.
• 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. An unread message is kept for up to 30 days; once read, it is deleted within at most 24 hours of being read.
• 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.
• Profile views: When you open someone’s full profile, we record that you viewed it and when (at most once per 30 minutes, kept 90 days). The owner can see the number of views for free and can spend FlashCoins to see who viewed and when. Views of your own profile and of our bot accounts are not recorded; people you have blocked, or who blocked you, are never shown. Deleting your account removes these records.
• FlashCoins and gifts: We keep your FlashCoins balance and a record of every change to it (what it was for and when). When you send a gift we record who sent it, who received it, where (a card, a profile, a room or Saved Chat), the optional note and when. The receiver sees the gift and the note; everyone who opens the receiver’s profile sees the gift and the sender’s name unless the sender chose to hide it. The note never appears on the profile. In Saved Chat the gift also travels as an end-to-end encrypted message. To stop one address collecting free coins twice we keep a one-way hash of your verified email, not the email itself. FlashCoins have no cash value. Deleting your account removes your balance, its history and every gift you sent or received.
• Match filters: If you buy a match pass, the chat search can use the gender, age and city you chose to show on your profile to pair you, and other pass holders' searches can use yours. Details you keep private are never used for matching. We keep which pass you have and when it ends.
• Video clips on Flash Cards (when available): A clip of up to 15 seconds that you add to a Flash Card, with its sound. Your phone makes a smaller copy before it is uploaded; our server then converts it again and removes its metadata (such as location and the phone's name) before storing it, and the file you picked is not kept. One frame every 2 seconds is checked automatically for illegal and adult content when it is uploaded; the sound is not checked. The clip is stored with Cloudflare R2, served from media.flashchat.fun to anyone who has its link, and deleted when the card is.
• 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. With push on, you may also get at most one alert a day when several people are looking for someone to chat with; turn it off under Me → Settings → Preferences (“Tell me when people are chatting”). We store only whether you turned it off and when the last one was sent.
• 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 (shown on leaderboards with your nickname and avatar) and daily-challenge and daily-spin activity are stored, tied to your device identifier.
• Chat session metadata: Basic session records (your device ID and your chat partner's, start time, duration, message count, whether reported) are stored for abuse prevention and deleted after one year. Message content is not stored, except when someone reports the chat (see the next point).
• Moderation reports: If you report a user, the report details (reason, timestamp, device IDs) are stored for compliance review. Reporting a 1-on-1 chat also stores its last 20 text messages from both sides, and a note of any voice note or GIF sent, so a moderator can see what happened. Up to three photos the reported person sent you in the last 30 minutes are kept too, visible only to our moderators and deleted after 180 days. The other person's messages and photos are kept only this way, only when you report.
• Moderation logs: Automated logs of content filtered for illegal material (CSAM, terrorism content), and the result of every automated image check (the scores and your device ID, never the image itself), are retained for legal compliance.
• Consent records: Your cookie, privacy and terms choices, with the time and a one-way hash of your IP address, so we can show what you agreed to.
• App install events: If you install FlashChat to your home screen, the install steps you reach and your browser's user agent, to see where installation fails. Deleted after one year.
• First-visit steps: Whether your device reached each step of a first visit (saw the welcome tour, tapped Start, answered the 18+ question, started a search), each recorded once with your device ID and the time, to see where new visitors get stuck. Deleted after one year.
• Where you first came from: When you first open the app, the address of the first FlashChat page you landed on (no query string), the name of the site that linked you there (such as google.com, not the full link), any campaign tag in that link, and whether you arrived on a friend's invite link. Recorded once, only for a new profile.
• Bug reports and feedback: What you write, with your device ID and basic app context, if you send us a report.
• Invite links: If you join through a friend's invite link, a record linking your device to theirs. Once the invite pays karma, a one-way hash of the email that verified is kept so each email can be paid only once.

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 — not stored on any server, unless the person who received a photo reports the sender (Section 3, Moderation reports)
• 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
• Photos are checked on our own servers, and NSFW content detection runs again in the receiving browser using TensorFlow.js — images sent in chats 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:

• Calls try a direct peer-to-peer (P2P) connection between users first, and use a TURN relay when P2P is not available (e.g., behind symmetric NAT or mobile data)
• To pick a route, the two browsers exchange network candidates that include your IP address, so the other person on any call can see your IP address, even when the call ends up on a relay
• Relayed calls use our self-hosted relay server first, then Cloudflare's TURN service. 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 outside India (in the United States), 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, a TURN relay for calls that cannot connect peer-to-peer or through our own relay (Section 5), Turnstile, a privacy-preserving CAPTCHA alternative that runs during profile creation to block bots, and R2, where video clips on Flash Cards are stored. 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. If you tap "Suggest photos" while writing a Flash Card, the card's text is also sent to Groq to pick a few search words for the photo search; it is not stored there by us. Once a day, every new Flash Card and wall post (its text, link and photo, or six frames from its video clip, never your identity) is sent to Groq for an automated safety review (see the Terms, Section 7).
• Pixabay: Used only when you tap "Suggest photos" on a new Flash Card. Our server searches Pixabay with a few words (never your identity); your browser then loads the suggested photos directly from Pixabay's CDN, so Pixabay receives your IP address. A photo you pick is copied to our storage, and the card does not load anything from Pixabay after that.
• Resend, Brevo, Mailjet and Mailtrap: Email delivery providers used to send verification, recovery, and password-reset emails, and reminder emails, to the address you optionally provide. Resend is used first; the others only when it cannot deliver.
• DiceBear: Generated avatars are drawn by DiceBear (api.dicebear.com) unless you upload a photo. Our server asks DiceBear for each picture once, using only the style, a random seed and the parts you picked (no personal data, and not your IP address), keeps a copy, and serves it from flashchat.fun; your browser does not contact DiceBear. Avatar art includes Avataaars by Pablo Stanley, Big Smile by Ashley Seo, Toon Head by Johan Melin and Adventurer by Lisa Wischofsky (all three under CC BY 4.0), and Lorelei by Lisa Wischofsky (CC0).
• 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, either on the cookie banner or later in the app (Me → Settings → Privacy → Analytics cookies). You can withdraw there at any time; turning it off deletes the analytics cookies already set in your browser. 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.

Processing outside India. Our database and photo storage are in India (Oracle Cloud, Hyderabad). Some of the services above process data outside India: Groq (AI companions and card reviews), Cloudflare (network, relay and video clip storage), the email providers, Google Analytics if you accept it, and the media and GIF providers your browser contacts directly. We send each only what its job needs, as described above.

8. Data Retention

Data retention varies by type:

• 1-on-1 chat messages: Not stored. Relayed in real time only; the last 20 lines of a chat are held in server memory while it lasts, and saved only if one of you reports it.
• Self-destructing media (photos, voice notes): Not stored on servers and removed after viewing. A photo is held in server memory for up to 30 minutes and saved only if the person who received it reports the sender (kept 180 days, moderators only).
• 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. An unread message is kept for up to 30 days; once read, it is deleted within at most 24 hours of being read.
• Profiles: Stored and tied to your device ID. You can delete your account in-app (Me → Settings → Account → Delete account). 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.
• In-app notifications (the bell): Each entry — who sent a request, commented, nudged, and so on — is kept for 30 days, or until you clear it. Deleting your account removes them immediately.
• Arcade scores and daily-challenge activity: Stored and tied to your device ID until you delete your account. Clearing your browser data does not delete them; signing back in with your email brings them back.
• 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 (Me → Settings → Account → Delete account): this permanently removes your profile, Flash Cards and wall posts, comments, hearts, buddy connections, Saved Chat messages, room messages and rooms you created, notifications, arcade scores, sign-in records, push subscriptions, and any cards awaiting moderator review in one step. Kept after deletion: your registration record (device ID, email, handle, nickname and sign-up date) for 180 days, as the IT Rules require, then deleted; reports filed by or about you, automated image-check results and karma audit records (legal compliance and abuse prevention), blocks other people placed on you, and a one-way hash of your email on any invite you were paid for.
• 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 at any time: in the app, Me → Settings → Privacy → Analytics cookies. Turning it off also deletes the analytics cookies already set.

11. Security

We take reasonable technical measures to protect your data:

• All data in transit is encrypted via HTTPS (TLS 1.2+)
• All stored data is encrypted at rest (AES-256): our database, image storage, and server disks
• Saved Chat messages are end-to-end encrypted (ECDH P-256 + AES-GCM) — encryption keys are generated on your device, any backup of them is encrypted with your password or recovery code before upload, 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