Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 21, 2025

Information We Collect

Shadow Ember collects information you provide directly, such as journal entries, goals, and account information when you create an account through our authentication systems.

How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

Provide and improve our AI-powered journaling and personal growth services
Generate personalized insights and recommendations
Maintain your account and provide customer support
Process subscription payments through Stripe

Data Security and Retention

We implement comprehensive security measures to protect your personal information:

Encryption: Your journal entries and personal data are encrypted both in transit and at rest
Secure APIs: All communication with Anthropic Claude uses encrypted HTTPS connections
Access Controls: Strict access controls limit who can view your data
Regular Security Updates: We maintain current security patches and monitoring
Data Minimization: We only process the minimum data necessary for each AI interaction

Data Retention

Journal Data: Stored securely in our database until you delete your account
AI Processing Data: Temporary data sent to Anthropic is not retained by them beyond processing time
Analytics: Anonymized usage patterns may be retained for service improvement
Account Deletion: All personal data is permanently deleted within 30 days of account closure

AI Processing and Anthropic Claude Integration

Journaling Prompts and AI Responses: Shadow Ember uses Anthropic Claude (Claude Sonnet 4.0) to generate personalized journaling prompts, therapeutic insights, and conversational responses based on your journal entries and interactions.

What Information is Sent to Anthropic

When you use AI-powered features, the following data may be processed by Anthropic Claude:

Your journal entries and responses to prompts
Conversation history from AI therapy sessions
Shadow work exercises and mindfulness practice responses
Persona conversation interactions
Insight generation requests and analysis data

How Anthropic Handles Your Data

According to Anthropic's privacy practices:

No Training: Your personal data is not used to train or improve Anthropic's AI models
No Long-term Storage: Anthropic does not store your conversation data beyond what's necessary for immediate processing
Enterprise Privacy: We use Anthropic's enterprise-grade API with enhanced privacy protections
No Human Review: Your therapeutic content is not reviewed by Anthropic staff unless required for safety or security purposes
Data Isolation: Your data is processed separately and not mixed with other users' information

Safety and Content Monitoring

For your protection, our AI system includes:

Crisis detection patterns that identify potential self-harm or safety concerns
Automatic routing to mental health resources when appropriate
Content filtering to ensure therapeutic boundaries are maintained
Session limits and rumination detection to promote healthy usage

This safety monitoring is performed locally on our servers first, with only anonymized safety flags shared with Anthropic when necessary for service improvement.

Your Control Over AI Processing

You can:

Use Shadow Ember's manual journaling features without AI processing
Request deletion of your conversation history through Settings
Contact us to exclude specific journal entries from AI analysis
Disable AI-powered features while retaining access to basic journaling tools

Other Third-Party Services

We also use these additional services:

Stripe for secure payment processing
Google AdSense for advertising (free tier users only)
OAuth providers for authentication (Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Replit)
PostgreSQL database hosting for secure data storage

Advertising and Data Collection

For free tier users, we use Google AdSense to display advertisements. Google AdSense may collect and use information including:

IP address and geographic location
Browser type and device information
Pages visited and time spent on our site
Advertising identifiers and cookies

This information is used to provide relevant advertisements. Premium subscribers do not see advertisements and their data is not shared with advertising networks. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings.

Your Privacy Rights

You have comprehensive rights regarding your personal information:

Access: View and download all your personal data and journal entries
Update: Modify or correct your personal information at any time
Delete: Permanently remove your account and all associated data
Portability: Export your journal data in standard formats
Opt-out: Disable AI processing while retaining basic app functionality
Transparency: Request information about what data is shared with Anthropic Claude

To exercise these rights or for questions about AI data processing, contact us at jstandrew2012@gmail.com.

International Data Transfers

Your data may be processed by Anthropic's servers located in the United States. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international data transfers in compliance with applicable privacy laws.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at jstandrew2012@gmail.com.