Privacy

What we store

We store the question or answer text you submit, its location stream, status, and timestamps. For questions, we also store a public ID, a queue-ordering value, a hashed version of the private-access secret, and a deletion deadline when one has been set. We do not store the raw private-access secret in the database.

If an asker reports an answer, we mark that answer as hidden and store a small report record connected to the question and answer. We do not use an AI moderation service today; moderation uses fixed safety and privacy checks.

Cookies and private links

We use an HttpOnly browser cookie to provide reasonable one-answer-per-browser friction for each question. The database stores a secret-keyed version of that browser value, not the raw value. We also use a separate HttpOnly cookie after you open a valid private asker link, so the private page, export, report, and delete controls continue to work. These cookies are for service operation, not advertising.

The cookies can remain in a browser for about a year unless they are cleared sooner. Private access stops working when the underlying question is deleted, even if an old cookie remains.

The secret in a private link is placed after the URL’s #, so it is not sent with the first page request. Your browser sends it once to this site to claim access, and the server replaces it with a derived session proof. Anyone who has the private link can access the answers, so keep it private.

Network and abuse-prevention information

Hosting providers receive ordinary connection information, which can include an IP address. When an address is available to the application, the app converts it into a secret-keyed value that changes daily and stores that value with the question or answer until that row is deleted. Those values are used for short-window rate limiting. The application database does not store the raw IP address.

Infrastructure providers may keep request, security, or operational logs under their own policies. Application error logging is intentionally minimal and does not include question text, answer text, private-link secrets, raw moderation matches, or raw IP addresses.

Who can see what

An active question is public in its selected location stream for the configured active window shown on the homepage. Answers are not shown publicly. They are available only through the asker’s private link. People operating the service may need limited database access to investigate reports, safety problems, or technical failures.

Retention and deletion

When a question’s public window ends, it disappears from the public site and receives a deletion deadline based on the configured retention period. A daily maintenance job removes the question, its answers, and related report records from the live database after that deadline. The job may run later than the exact deadline.

Delete now removes the question, its answers, its related report records, and its private-access data from the live database immediately. Database backups and provider security or operational logs may follow separate retention schedules and may not be erased immediately.

Providers, analytics, and advertising

The current service uses Vercel to host and run the web application and Neon to provide PostgreSQL database infrastructure. Their handling of infrastructure data is governed by their own policies.

We use Vercel Web Analytics for aggregated page-view information such as the page or route visited, referrer, country, browser, device type, and operating system. Vercel says this product does not use analytics cookies and uses a daily-changing request hash rather than a persistent cross-site identifier. We do not send analytics events for private asker pages under /q/... and do not configure custom interaction events.

We do not include ad trackers, social pixels, or marketing cookies. We don’t sell your questions or answers or use them for advertising.