Privacy Policy

The short version: we don't run ads, we don't track you, and we don't sell your data — ever. KewlChats is a free chat service, not a data business. To make chat work the way you expect — history, multiple devices, public rooms — our server does store your messages. But we don't read them, mine them, or monetize them. This policy explains what we collect, why, and how we treat it.

Who's responsible for your data

KewlChats is operated by Powered By Tomorrow, LLC, based in Orange County, Florida, USA. For the purposes of data-protection laws like the GDPR, we are the “data controller” for the limited personal information described here. You can reach us about any privacy matter at privacy@ready2.im.

Our approach

We're not in the business of watching you. We collect the personal details a chat service needs and nothing extra — no ad-tech, no behavioural profiling, no selling. Your messages are stored so the Service works as you'd expect (scrollback, syncing across your devices), but they're yours: we don't read or use them. Put plainly — the house isn't monitoring you, but it does have windows. Your messages exist on our server, so use the Service accordingly.

What we collect

Account details: the display name and email address you give us, and the username that becomes your chat address.
Your password: stored only as a secure, one-way hash. We can't read it, and we never show it back to you.
Email address: used to verify your account, send password resets, and contact you about important account or service matters. We don't send marketing email.
Limited technical data: to run the Service and keep it secure, our servers may briefly process connection information such as IP addresses and basic connection logs. We keep this for as short a time as practical and don't use it to build a profile of you.
Bot protection: our sign-up and account forms use Unbotable, a self-hosted, privacy-respecting bot filter. It runs on our own infrastructure — no third party, no tracking, and no CAPTCHAs to solve — and stores only one-way, anonymous hashes that can't be traced back to you and expire on their own.

Your messages

So that chat works the way you expect — recent history, your phone and laptop staying in sync, public rooms with scrollback — our server keeps an archive of messages. We store them; we don't read, analyse, or sell them. Where your chat app uses end-to-end encryption (such as OMEMO), the content is ciphertext we couldn't read even if we wanted to. Messages you post in a public room are visible to everyone in that room by their nature.

What we don't do

No advertising or tracking. No ad networks, no tracking pixels, no third-party analytics following you around.
No selling or renting your data. Not to advertisers, not to data brokers, not to anyone.
No profiles. We don't build a profile of your interests or behaviour.
No snooping. Reading your conversations isn't something we do — your messages are stored to run the Service, not for us to look through.

Encryption

Many chat apps support end-to-end encryption (such as OMEMO). Where it's in use, message content is readable only by you and the people you're chatting with — not by us. Because we don't control which app you use, and encryption isn't always on (especially in public rooms), we can't promise every message is encrypted. Where a message isn't end-to-end encrypted, its content is technically readable on our server — we don't read it as a matter of practice, but you should treat public rooms and unencrypted chats with that in mind.

Cookies

We use a single essential cookie to keep you signed in. We don't use advertising or tracking cookies.

How we use what little we have

To create and run your account and deliver the Service.
To keep KewlChats secure and to prevent spam, abuse, and fraud.
To contact you about your account or important service changes.
To meet legal obligations where we're required to.

Who we share with

We don't sell your data. We share information only with the few service providers we need to operate — for example, Cloudflare (bot protection) and our email delivery provider — and only as much as they need to do their job.

Legal requests. If we're legally compelled to provide information, we can only ever hand over what we actually have. We do keep a message archive, so where messages aren't end-to-end encrypted that could include message content; where your app uses OMEMO, what we hold is ciphertext we can't read. We don't volunteer your data, we resist overbroad requests, and we comply only as far as the law requires.

Talking to other chat services (federation)

KewlChats currently operates as a closed network — your messages stay within KewlChats. If we enable connections to other chat servers in the future, messages you send to people on those servers will travel to and be handled by those servers, which are outside our control. We'll update this policy before that changes.

How long we keep things

Account details: kept while your account is active.
Technical/connection data: kept only briefly, then removed.
Messages: your message archive is kept while your account is active. Deleting your account removes your account, chat identity, and your one-to-one and private-group archive; messages you posted in public rooms may remain as part of that room's history.
When you delete your account, we remove your account and chat identity.

Your choices

You can update your profile details or delete your account at any time from your profile page. To make any privacy request, email privacy@ready2.im. We'll respond within the time required by the laws that apply to you, and we may need to verify your identity first.

Legal bases we rely on (GDPR)

If you're in the EU, EEA, or UK, we process your personal information only where we have a lawful basis to do so:

To provide the Service you asked for (performance of a contract): creating and running your account, verifying your email, and delivering your messages.
Our legitimate interests: keeping KewlChats secure, preventing spam and abuse, and running the service reliably — balanced against your privacy, which is why we collect so little.
Legal obligation: where we're required to act by law.
Consent: where we ask for it; you can withdraw it at any time.

Your rights in the EU, EEA & UK (GDPR)

You have the right to:

Access the personal information we hold about you.
Correct information that's wrong or incomplete.
Delete your information (“right to be forgotten”).
Restrict or object to certain processing.
Portability — receive your information in a usable format.
Withdraw consent at any time, where we relied on it.
Complain to your local data-protection authority if you're unhappy with how we've handled your information.

To exercise any of these, email privacy@ready2.im. We'll provide a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

Your rights in California (CCPA/CPRA)

If you're a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, to access and delete it, to correct it, and to not be discriminated against for exercising these rights. In the past 12 months we have collected these categories of personal information: identifiers (such as name, email, username, and IP address), limited internet/network activity (basic connection data), and the content of your communications (the messages we store to provide the Service). We collect it directly from you and automatically from your device, and use it for the purposes described in this policy — we do not sell it.

We do not “sell” or “share” your personal information as those terms are defined under California law, and we have not done so in the past 12 months. Because we don't sell or share, there's nothing for you to opt out of — but you're always welcome to ask us anything. You may use an authorised agent to make a request on your behalf. To exercise your rights, email privacy@ready2.im.

International data transfers

KewlChats is operated from the United States, and our servers are located there. If you use KewlChats from outside the US — including from the EU, EEA, or UK — your information is processed in the United States. US privacy laws may differ from those in your country; we rely on appropriate safeguards and on the fact that we hold very little information about you. Contact us if you'd like more detail.

Children

KewlChats isn't intended for children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country). We don't knowingly collect information from children under that age; if you believe a child has signed up, contact us and we'll remove the account.

Security

We protect your information with measures like password hashing, encrypted connections, and keeping the personal details we collect about you to a minimum. No service can promise perfect security, and your strongest protection for sensitive content is an app with end-to-end encryption turned on.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We'll change the date at the top and, for significant changes, give reasonable notice.

Contact

Questions about your privacy? Email privacy@ready2.im.