How we protect your journal

Who can read your entries

Only you. Your entries are stored in our database tied to your account, and access is restricted at the database level — not just by our app's code choosing not to show them to anyone else, but by a rule the database itself enforces on every query. We can't casually browse journal entries even if we wanted to.

If you're not signed in

Writing without an account? That entry never reaches our servers at all — it's saved only in your browser's local storage, on your device. We have no copy of it. If you later create an account on the same device, it moves into your account automatically; otherwise it just stays on your device, or disappears if you clear your browser data.

When AI is involved

Nothing you write is ever sent to an AI model unless you've explicitly turned on Personalize my journal prompts in your profile. It's off by default. That one setting controls all three AI features: your daily personalized prompt, your weekly reflection, and Reflect with me (the one gentle question after you save an entry). Turn it off anytime and nothing more is sent, starting immediately.

If what you write suggests you're struggling badly

Before anything is ever sent to AI, it's checked for language that suggests you might be in crisis. If it matches, we skip the AI call completely — nothing about what you wrote leaves our database — and show you real support instead: the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and our crisis resources page. This check runs even if personalization is off, and even if the match turns out to be a false alarm, showing you 988 costs you nothing.

What never happens

Nothing from your journal — not an excerpt, not a theme, not a reflection question — is ever included in an email. Your weekly reflection is content-free by design: the email just says it's ready, and you read the actual reflection signed in on the site. Inboxes are shared and previewed; your journal doesn't belong in one.