ByMyWord Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

ByMyWord is a 4LLs product ("we", "our", or "us"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and the ByMyWord pages that a word shares in a browser ("the Browser Pages").

2. Information We Collect

Email Address

We collect your email address for account authentication and to send you verification codes to sign in to the app. For earlier invitations, we also store the email address you entered for that invitation.

Name

If you provide a name, we store it with your account and show it where the app needs to identify you. The public alias you choose for a word is shown on that word's public page.

Location Data

With your explicit permission, we access your device location to verify location-based commitments. This data is only used when you actively check in to a commitment that requires location verification.

Commitment Data

We store information about your personal commitments and words, including titles, schedules, notes and check-in history. For each word we also store its criterion, deadline, time zone, public alias, claim note, updates, outcome and, for Words created from version 1.4, the one-time creation fee level and its payment status. Commitments and invitations bought in version 1.3 and earlier also record the one-time creation fee level you chose. We use this information to provide the core functionality of the app.

Words, Witnesses and Followers

A witness settles a word and needs no account. We store the name a witness types, which is shown to the person who invited them, and the time the witness confirmed they are 18 or older. A follower confirms they are 18 or older too, and we store that confirmation time. We store the witness's answer and its time, and any correction ByMyWord support makes to a word, with its reason. Reports you send about a word are stored with your message. Your browser keeps a random credential for each word you witness or follow, in the browser's local storage, so it can answer, leave, or stop following. We do not collect a follower's name. ByMyWord sends no messages about a word; the owner shares each link.

Purchase History

We record subscription status, one-time Word creation fee purchases from version 1.4 onward, and commitment creation purchases from version 1.3 and earlier, including product and transaction identifiers, to provide Pro access and resolve payment or refund issues. Apple processes payments; we do not receive your card number.

3. How We Use Your Information

To authenticate your account and provide access to the app
To verify your location for location-based commitment check-ins
To track your commitment progress and streaks
To run Words with a witness: show each Word at its public link, record the witness's answer, and record the outcome
To verify subscriptions, one-time Word creation fees, and earlier commitment creation fees through Apple and RevenueCat
To send you important notifications about your commitments

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We use service providers to operate the app, including Apple and RevenueCat for purchases, an email provider for sign-in codes, and hosting for account and commitment data. Anyone who has a word's public link can read its title, criterion, deadline, level, creation fee actually paid when the creator consented and the amount is known, time zone, claim note, updates, outcome, number of followers, and the public alias of the person who gave the word. The amount is shown in the currency paid. A witness's name is not shown on that page. Anyone who has the link can forward it. The owner can turn the link off at any time; this hides the page but does not cancel the word.

We use PostHog to understand app screens, onboarding steps, key actions, and their outcomes. Events use a random installation identifier, without your email, name, commitment text, location coordinates, invitation tokens, word links or payment details. We disable session recordings and automatic touch capture. PostHog processes these events in the United States and may receive technical connection information. Website measurement starts only after you allow it and can be disabled using the controls on this page. Website measurement never runs on the Browser Pages for words (the /p/, /w/ and /witness/ pages).

On the Browser Pages, successful public Word page and list requests increment cumulative external or other request counters. The browser sends only a referrer class; we do not store the referrer URL, IP, cookie or visitor identifier for these counters. These counts are requests, not people, and do not depend on analytics consent. We do not run product analytics SDK events on public Word pages or the list. Browser author blocks use a random browser credential stored on your device and its hash with the author reference on our server; it honours blocks and is not used to measure visits. You can unblock an author or clear this site's storage. Public pages and the list are noindex and are not included in the sitemap. Removed pages keep an opaque URL marker but not the removed text or identity; screenshots, copies and social previews already saved by others cannot be recalled.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

6. Your Rights

You can update your profile and delete your account in the app, or contact our support team for help. Account deletion removes your commitments and account details, and open Words are cancelled. Limited purchase records, such as product and transaction identifiers, may be retained without your account link to reconcile transactions and refunds. We remove a witness's name and disable guest credentials after a Word is settled, within 90 days; you can remove them sooner with “Remove my name” or “Stop following”. Public Words are private by default. If you separately agree at creation, the title, criterion, self-chosen name, deadline, level name, creation fee actually paid when known, factual outcome and its source, witness-acceptance statement and audience count become public after witness confirmation. The amount appears in the currency paid; participant names and amounts not consented to or not known are excluded. Removed public URLs return an unavailable page; an opaque URL marker remains without the removed text or identity. Privacy removal immediately hides the public page and sends a request to support without changing the outcome, payment or private links. Reports store the message and optional reply email for support review. A first-publication notice sent to the operator contains only the public URL. Public copies saved by others and social previews cannot be recalled. To ask for deletion of your Word data, contact us at the address in section 9.

7. Children's Privacy

Our app is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Witnesses and followers must be 18 or older and confirm it before they use a word's browser pages.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at support@bymyword.app or visit our support page.