Privacy Policy

Here's what matters most:

• Your journal entries belong to you. We don't sell them, we don't train AI models that other users see, and we don't share them with anyone you didn't invite.
• You can delete your account and revoke optional permissions from inside the app. You can contact us to request a copy of your account data.
• If you ever have a question, write to stephen@diaryvault.com and a real person will answer.

We collect three categories of data: information you give us directly, information collected automatically when you use the service, and optional information you grant permission for.

Information you provide

• Account information: email address, name, and authentication identifiers from Google, Apple, or Microsoft if you sign in through those.
• Journal entries and Memory Cards: text content, titles, moods, tags, the photo and line you save with each Memory Card, and the connections you confirm on each card.
• Photos: images you upload directly or import from your device photo library, plus their EXIF metadata (date, location, device) when present.
• Videos: video files you attach to entries or shared moments. Server-side processing extracts a thumbnail frame for preview; the original video is stored on Amazon S3.
• Reflections: the user reflections you write on entries, separate from AI-generated content.
• Payment information: processed through Apple App Store, Google Play, or Stripe. We never store your credit card number. Payment processors handle that directly.
• Coupon codes: codes you redeem and the resulting trial state on your account.

Automatically collected

• Device type, operating system, and app version
• Crash reports and error diagnostics
• Aggregate usage analytics (which features are used, session duration, push notification open and tap rates by trigger type), tied to your account ID for product analytics purposes only, never tied to the content of your journal entries
• IP address (for security, abuse prevention, and rate limiting)
• Authentication tokens (stored in your device's secure storage)

Optional, with your permission

• Photo library access for photo import and Echo draft generation. Scanning happens on your device; only photos you choose to import reach our servers.
• Location data from photo metadata for geocoding and mapping
• Push notifications, including device push tokens
• Microphone access for voice-to-journal features (audio is transcribed and the audio file is then discarded; only the transcript is stored)

We use the data you provide and the data collected automatically only for the things below. Anything not on this list, we don't do.

• Suggest Memory Card connections when you create a card, by reading the photo and your line. You verify what becomes part of Your Constellation; nothing saves until you confirm.
• Generate Echo drafts (DiaryVault Plus) by reading your DiaryVault entries, your Captures, and the contents and metadata of photos you imported into DiaryVault. Drafts are review-first: nothing saves to your vault until you approve. Echo does not read your calendar, email, messages, location pings, or browsing history.
• Provide Echo AI insights by analyzing patterns across your entries when you ask Echo a question.
• Derive identity insights (Identity Snapshot, Year Review, and Eras) from your confirmed Memory Cards and entries. These are computed from your data and stored on your account, visible only to you.
• Translate journal entries between supported languages on demand.
• Generate Year Review and Identity Snapshot share cards when you choose to export them. The image is generated client-side and shared only by you.
• Sync your journal across devices via cloud storage so your data is available wherever you sign in.
• Process subscription payments and coupon redemptions, including syncing subscription state across iOS, Android, and web.
• Send push notifications if you opt in. These include daily prompts, On This Day memories, and streak reminders.
• Detect new photos for Memory Card suggestions if you are on DiaryVault Plus and have enabled this feature. Suggestions remain review-first; nothing saves until you confirm.
• Improve the product and AI quality using anonymized, aggregated usage data only. Never your journal content tied to your identity.
• Prevent abuse through rate limiting, fraud detection, and security monitoring.

Entries you create on the main timeline are visible only to you. AI processing of those entries (translation, identity derivation, Echo insights) is for your benefit and the output is stored on your account, not exposed to anyone else.

A small number of services help us run DiaryVault. Each one receives only the data needed to perform its specific function. None of them sell your data.

Infrastructure

• Amazon Web Services (AWS): hosting, databases, and S3 object storage for photos and videos. Data is stored in the United States.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging (Google): push notification delivery. Receives device push tokens and the notification payload.

AI processing

When you use AI features (such as generating entries, using Echo, or translating content), relevant portions of your content, including text, images, and audio as applicable, are sent to the third-party AI providers below to generate a response.

• Anthropic (Claude): AI generation for journal entries and Echo insights. We send only the minimum context needed for each request, under terms intended to restrict training on customer inputs and limit retention.
• Google (Gemini): AI generation for journal entries, vision processing of photos, and translation. We send only the minimum context needed for each request, under terms intended to restrict training on customer inputs and limit retention.
• Groq: low-latency AI inference for Echo and voice transcription. We send only the prompt or audio needed for each request, under terms intended to restrict training and limit retention.

Payments and subscriptions

• Apple App Store and Google Play: handle subscription billing on iOS and Android. They receive payment information; we do not.
• Stripe: handles web subscription billing. Stripe stores your payment method directly; we never see your card number.
• RevenueCat: unifies subscription state across platforms so your premium access works on all your devices.

Authentication

• Google, Apple, Microsoft: if you choose to sign in with one of these, the provider returns a verified email address and a unique identifier to us. We don't receive your password.

Compelled disclosure

We may share data with law enforcement if required by valid legal process. When permitted, we will notify the affected user.

Where your data lives and how we protect it.

Where it's stored

Journal entries, account data, vault content, and metadata are stored in our database on Amazon Web Services. Photos and videos are stored in S3. All of it is hosted in the United States. Each user's data is isolated at the storage layer. Your account is logically separated from every other user's account. Where required for users in the EEA, UK, or other jurisdictions, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses or similar safeguards for international data transfers.

How it's protected

• All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted with HTTPS/TLS
• Authentication tokens are stored in iOS Keychain or Android Keystore on your device
• Per-user data isolation enforced at the database query level
• Server access restricted to authorized personnel and audited
• Rate limiting and abuse detection on sensitive endpoints (auth, vault joins)
• Regular security review of dependencies and infrastructure
• If we become aware of a personal data breach affecting your information, we will notify you where required by applicable law

Local device storage

For offline access and performance, your recent entries are cached on your device. This cache is isolated per user account and cleared when you sign out or switch accounts. Sensitive identifiers, like your photo import history, are also stored locally per account.

Retention

We keep your data as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, we delete your active data (entries, photos, videos, vault memberships, and derived identity data) within 30 days. Backup copies may persist for a limited period before being automatically removed. Aggregated, anonymized usage analytics that cannot be tied back to you may be retained.

The list of things we don't do, in plain language.

• We don't sell your personal data to anyone.
• We don't share your journal entries with advertisers.
• We don't display advertisements in any DiaryVault product.
• We don't use your entries to train AI models that other users will benefit from. Your data informs your experience only.
• We don't share your data with data brokers, audience networks, or third-party trackers.
• We do not access your journal entries except when necessary to operate, secure, or support the Service, or when you request a feature that requires processing your content (such as generating a translation).
• We don't enable third-party analytics SDKs that profile users across other apps.

You have control over your data. Here's what you can do and how to do it.

• Access: see all data we store about you. Available in the app under Settings → Account.
• Access: contact us to request a copy of your account data. Self-serve full journal export is not yet available.
• Delete: permanently delete your account and all associated data. Available in the app under Settings → Delete Account, or by emailing stephen@diaryvault.com.
• Opt out of optional collection: revoke calendar, location, photo library, or microphone permissions at any time through your device settings. Existing data already collected with permission is retained until you delete your account.
• Object to a specific use: if you have concerns about how your data is being used for a specific feature, contact us and we'll review your situation individually.

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or similar jurisdictions, you have the right under GDPR or equivalent law to access, correct, delete, or export your personal data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. We process your personal data based on contractual necessity (to provide the Service you signed up for), legitimate interests (to improve and secure the Service), and consent for optional categories such as calendar access, photo access, or location.

If you are a California resident, you have the right under the California Consumer Privacy Act to request access to and deletion of your personal information. We do not sell or share your personal information as defined under the CCPA.

To exercise any right under these laws, or to file a complaint with us before contacting a supervisory authority, write to stephen@diaryvault.com.

DiaryVault is not directed at children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without parental consent, please contact us at stephen@diaryvault.com.

Parents in jurisdictions with stricter age requirements (such as the GDPR's default of 16, or specific country variants) should review whether DiaryVault is appropriate for their child before allowing them to create an account.

This policy will evolve as DiaryVault evolves. When it does, here's how you'll know.

• Material changes, meaning changes that affect what we collect, how we use it, or who we share it with, will be communicated through the app and by email at least 14 days before they take effect.
• Minor changes, such as clarifications, contact info updates, and formatting fixes, will be reflected in the document with an updated "Last updated" date.
• The current version is always available at diaryvault.com/privacy.
• Your continued use of DiaryVault after a material change takes effect indicates acceptance of the updated policy. If you do not accept a change, you may delete your account before the effective date.