Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2026

Anonymous by design

You can use Instinct Chat without an account: no name, no email, no photo. You can join chat rooms or be paired with someone random under a handle instead of your name, and you can leave at any time. Claiming a handle is entirely optional, and only then do we ask for an email, so we can save your handle and sign you back in.

What we collect

• Connection data. To route your chat and keep the service safe, our servers temporarily process technical data such as your IP address and a random session identifier. This helps us match users, prevent abuse, and troubleshoot problems.
• Device and browser data. Basic technical details like browser type and general region may be processed to operate the service.
• Account details (optional). If you claim a handle, we store the email you provide and your chosen handle, plus optional details you set yourself such as your gender, so we can sign you back in and keep your handle, chat history, and friends. You can delete your account at any time from the account menu.
• Date of birth. When you create an account we ask for your birthday so we can confirm you are 18 or older and keep a record of the age you gave. It is never shown to anyone. If the birthday shows someone under 18, no account is created, and we keep a short record of the refusal (without the email) to protect minors.
• Guest profiles. If you chat as a guest, you give a name, your birthday and, if you like, your gender. We check the birthday to confirm you are 18 or older and do not store it. Your guest name and gender are kept in a cookie in your browser for up to 30 days, and the name is held for you only while you are active.
• Profile (optional). Members can add a public profile: a photo, gender, orientation, and position. Each one is your choice, you can leave any of them blank, and you can change or remove them at any time. Your display name and anything you add to your profile are visible to other people in rooms and parties. Orientation and similar details are sensitive information, so only add what you are comfortable making public.
• Profile photos. Every photo is checked by an automated image moderation service before anyone else can see it. We remove location and device data from approved photos. A photo that is held or that breaks the rules may be kept privately for a person to review, along with the reason it was held. A photo flagged as possibly showing someone under 18 is blocked and is not kept. Deleting your account deletes your photo and any held copies.
• Marketing consent (optional). Only if you tick the optional box when claiming a handle, we record that you agreed, the date and time, and the exact wording you were shown, so your opt-in can be evidenced later. Leave it unticked and your email is never used for marketing.
• Entry record. When you pass the entry screen, we record the time, your IP address, and the version of the terms you accepted, so we can show that you certified you are 18 or older and agreed to the rules.
• Reports. If you report someone, we save the report, the reason, the handles involved, and the IP addresses of both people, so we can review it and enforce our guidelines.
• Safety filter records. Messages pass through an automated safety filter before delivery. If a message is blocked or flagged for review, we save that message along with the handle, IP address, and where it was sent, so a person can review it. Messages that pass the filter are not saved by us.
• Bans. If you are banned, we keep the banned IP address and the reason for as long as the ban lasts.

Your conversations

Voice chat is sent peer to peer between you and the other person and is not recorded by us. Text messages in random and private chats are relayed in real time to the other person and are not stored as a history. In chat rooms and parties, recent messages are held in memory so that people who join can see the conversation so far, and are cleared as the room moves on or restarts. The only messages we save are the ones the safety filter blocks or flags, as described above. Please remember that the person you are chatting with could still capture or record a conversation, so never share anything you would not want shared.

Cookies and local storage

We use only the minimal cookies or local storage needed to run the site: one cookie that remembers you passed the entry screen (for up to 30 days), one that keeps you signed in if you claimed a handle, and local storage for your handle and basic preferences. We do not use them to build advertising profiles of you.

Third parties

• Infrastructure. We rely on hosting and real-time relay (STUN and TURN) providers to deliver voice and text. They process connection data only to route your session.
• Bot protection. The entry screen uses Cloudflare Turnstile to check that you are a person and not an automated program. Cloudflare processes technical data such as your IP address and browser signals to do this, under its own privacy policy.
• Image moderation. If you upload a profile photo, it is sent to an image moderation provider to check it against our rules before it is published. The provider processes the image only for that check.
• Email delivery. If you claim a handle, we use an email provider to send your sign-in links and, only if you have opted in, marketing email. If you have not opted in, your address is never sent to a marketing provider.
• External links. The site may link to third-party services. When you follow such a link you leave Instinct Chat and that service's own privacy policy applies. We do not control those services.

Marketing email

We only send marketing email to people who ask for it. When you claim a handle there is an unticked checkbox; leaving it alone means you get sign-in links and nothing else. If you tick it, we record that you agreed, the date and time, and the exact wording you were shown, so your consent can be evidenced later. Every marketing email carries a one-click unsubscribe link, and you can withdraw consent at any time, either through that link or by contacting us.

We do not sell your data

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only as needed to run the service, comply with the law, or protect users from harm.

Adults only

Instinct Chat is intended for people aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we learn that a minor has used the service, we will remove related data.

Data retention and security

We keep operational data only as long as needed for the purposes above, then delete or anonymize it. Reports and safety filter records are kept as long as needed to review them, enforce our guidelines, and meet legal obligations. We use reasonable technical measures to protect the limited data we handle, though no online service can promise perfect security.

Your choices

If you use Instinct Chat without claiming a handle, there is very little personal data tied to you. If you did claim a handle, you can update your details or delete your account at any time from the account menu, and you can unsubscribe from marketing email whenever you like. If you have a question about your data or a specific report, you can contact us and we will help where we can.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Continued use of Instinct Chat means you accept the current version.