Privacy Policy

Effective: January 1, 2026 · Domain: theanonymouschat.in

This policy applies to all users of The Anonymous Chat.

1. Our Core Privacy Promise

The Anonymous Chat is anonymous by design. We do not require you to create an account, provide your name, email address, phone number, or any personally identifying information to use this service.

2. What We Collect

Chat messages are never stored. They are relayed in real time between two users and immediately discarded. No message logs exist on our servers.

We do collect the following for safety and abuse prevention:

• Hashed IP address — a one-way cryptographic hash of your IP address, stored with a server-side secret. The raw IP is never persisted.
• Hashed User-Agent string — similarly hashed and never stored in raw form.
• Age band (18-24, 25-34, etc.) — never the exact age you entered.
• Gender and preference — used only for matchmaking and deleted with the session.
• Abuse report metadata — timestamps and session IDs when a report is filed; no message content.

3. Cookies and Session Tokens

We issue a short-lived session token (JWT) stored in your browser's sessionStorage. This token expires when your browser tab is closed. We set one __Host- prefixed HttpOnly cookie as a secondary session mechanism. No third-party tracking cookies are used.

4. Data Retention

• Session data: deleted immediately on tab close or session expiry
• Abuse reports: retained for 12 months, then automatically deleted
• Hashed IP addresses: 90 days
• Security events (e.g., rate limit breaches): 30 days

5. Third-Party Services

We use Cloudflare for DDoS protection and CDN. Cloudflare may temporarily process connection metadata (IP addresses) per their own privacy policy. We do not share any user data with advertising networks.

6. Children

This service is strictly for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect information from individuals under 18. If you believe a minor has accessed the service, please contact us immediately.

7. Grievance Officer (India)

In accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, our Grievance Officer may be contacted at: grievance@theanonymouschat.in. We will acknowledge grievances within 24 hours and resolve them within 15 days.

8. Changes to This Policy

We will notify users of material changes by posting a notice on the landing page. Your continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance.

9. Contact

For privacy-related inquiries: privacy@theanonymouschat.in