Privacy

CoffeePal publishes essays about relationships. We collect as little as we can, never sell it, and don't use advertising trackers. This page explains what we do collect and why.

If you just read

You can read CoffeePal without an account, and every essay is free. When you read:

• We set no cookies.
• If analytics are switched on, we count page views and a few actions (for example, finishing an essay) using a privacy-friendly service that sets no cookies. We use these totals to see what people read; they aren't used to identify you.
• Our hosting providers keep technical logs, including IP addresses, for security and to keep the site running.

The attachment reflection

Your answers are scored in your browser and are never sent to us. Your result is saved in your browser so it can appear on other essays; choose “Forget my result” to delete it.

If you choose to add yourself to an essay's reader map, we record only a rough area (one square on a 10 × 10 grid) and a count. We store no account, device, address or time with it.

If you sign in

• Your email address, to send you sign-in links. Links work once and expire after 30 minutes.
• If you continue with Google, we ask Google only for your email address and whether Google has verified it. We don't receive your name, photo or contacts, and we keep nothing from Google except the address. Google knows you signed in to CoffeePal; its own privacy policy covers that.
• A session cookie (cp_session) keeps you signed in for up to 30 days. Signing out ends it.
• Your display name, if you set one. It is public: it appears with your responses and, for writers, as your byline.
• For writers, a one-line bio and a website link, if you add them. They are public: they appear with your byline and on your author page, which lists your published essays. Your email address never appears there.

If you subscribe to new essays

• We keep your email address, when and where on the site you subscribed, when you confirmed, and the version of this policy you agreed to. We use it only to email you new essays.
• Nothing is sent until you confirm with the link we email you. Sign-ups that are never confirmed are deleted after 30 days.
• Our emails don't track whether you open them or which links you click.
• Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link, and unsubscribing stops the emails right away. We keep a record that you unsubscribed (your address and the dates) so we can show we stopped; ask us and we'll delete that too.
• If we ever move the newsletter to another email provider, your details and consent record go with it, and we'll update this page.

Responses

If you start writing a response before signing in, the draft is kept in your browser — it isn't sent to us — until you post it, and is forgotten after seven days.

If you flag an essay as AI slop, we record the flag, your account and any note you add, so each reader counts once. Our editor sees the note; the essay's writer sees only how many readers flagged it, never who.

Responses you post are public, shown with your display name and the date. You can delete them at any time. If you report a response, we record the report and any reason you give. The reason is shared with the essay's author and with us; your name is not.

Professionals

If you join the directory waitlist, we keep your name, email, professional details and when you agreed to be contacted, to plan the directory and to contact you about it. If the directory opens and you request a consultation, the details you enter are shared with the professional you chose.

Payments

Readers are never charged. When the directory opens, professionals will pay for listings through Stripe; we store only whether a listing subscription is active, never card details.

Who processes data for us

• Vercel hosts the website, and Render hosts our servers and database.
• Mailjet sends our emails: sign-in links, subscription confirmations and new essays.
• Google, only if you choose to continue with Google.
• If we store uploaded files, Amazon Web Services stores them.
• An analytics provider, if analytics are switched on, and Stripe, once directory listings are for sale.

Some of these providers store data outside Canada, including in the United States.

How long we keep it

We keep your account and responses until you delete them or ask us to. Newsletter details are kept while you're subscribed, plus the record of unsubscribing described above. Waitlist details are kept until the directory launches or you ask us to remove them. Providers' technical logs follow their own retention periods.

Your choices

You can ask to see, correct or delete what we hold about you, or withdraw consent, by emailing hello@coffeepal.com. We will reply within 30 days. You can also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Changes

If we change how we handle your information, we'll update this page and its version. See also our terms.