Privacy Policy | Chat Odyssey

Introduction

Chat Odyssey (accessible at chatodyssey.com and relay.chatodyssey.com) provides privacy-focused communication services, including chat messaging, email and phone relay, IP-related services (such as VPN), and encryption tools. We value your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how we share it, and your choices. This Policy applies to users of our services in the United States.

Information Collection

We collect information to provide and improve our services. The types of information we may collect include:

Information You Provide: When you create an account or use our services, you may provide personal information such as your name, email address, and mobile phone number. For example, to use our email or phone relay services, we collect your real email address and/or phone number to forward communications. You might also provide content of communications (such as chat messages, emails, or files) when using our messaging or relay features. We only collect the information you choose to give us or that is necessary to deliver the service.
Information from Third-Party Sign-In: If you choose to sign in via a third-party account (such as Google), we will receive certain information from that provider (for example, your email and name) as permitted by your account settings.
Information Collected Automatically: We collect some information automatically when you use our sites or services. This includes technical data such as your IP address, browser type, device information, operating system, and usage data (e.g., pages or features accessed, time spent, and timestamps of visits). For IP-related services like our VPN feature, we may log your IP address and connection timestamps temporarily to operate the service and prevent abuse. We also use cookies and similar tracking technologies to remember your preferences and analyze usage of our websites.
Analytics and Tracking Data: We use third-party analytics and advertising tools (such as PostHog, Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, and Facebook Ads) to understand how our services are used and to deliver relevant ads. These third parties may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies on our site to collect information about your online activities over time and across different websites.

Cookies: Cookies are small text files placed on your device. We and our analytics/advertising partners use cookies and related technologies for authentication, to remember your settings, and for analytics and advertising as described above. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings; however, some features of our site may not function properly without cookies.

Use of Information

We use the collected information for various legitimate purposes related to operating our services. These uses include:

Providing Services: We use your information to create and manage your account, provide the features you request (such as email/phone relay, chat messaging, VPN, and encryption tools), and to process your communications.
Communication: We may use your contact information to send important administrative or service-related messages, such as verification codes and security alerts. If you opt in, we may also send promotional communications—but we will not use your mobile number for such purposes unless explicitly consented to.
Improvement and Analytics: We analyze usage data (often in aggregated form) to troubleshoot issues, understand user needs, and improve our services.
Security and Fraud Prevention: Information (including IP addresses and user activity) is used to maintain the security of our platform, verify accounts, authenticate users, and detect and prevent fraud or abuse.
Legal Compliance: We use your information as required to comply with applicable laws and respond to lawful requests from law enforcement or government agencies.

Sharing of Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share your data only with trusted service providers and as required by law. Your mobile information will not be sold or shared with third parties for promotional or marketing purposes.

Information may be shared in the following circumstances:

With Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party providers (such as cloud hosting, email delivery, SMS gateways, analytics, and advertising partners) who perform functions on our behalf. They receive only the information necessary to provide their services.
For Legal Reasons: We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal obligation or a lawful request.
To Protect Rights and Safety: Information may be shared to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, or potential threats to safety.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the successor, provided they agree to honor the commitments in this Privacy Policy.
With Your Consent: We will share your personal information with third parties only if you have given us your consent for that specific purpose.

Your Rights and Choices

Access and Update: You can access and update your account information (such as email or phone number) via your account settings or by contacting us.
Opt-Out: You may opt out of promotional communications at any time via unsubscribe links or by contacting us. Note that transactional or service-related messages will continue.
Cookie Preferences: You can manage or disable cookies via your browser settings, though some site features may be affected.
Analytics and Ads Opt-Out: Tools such as Google’s Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on or Facebook’s ad settings allow you to limit tracking by our partners.
Do Not Track Signals: Our websites do not currently respond to “Do Not Track” signals, though we will update this if a uniform standard is adopted.
Account Deletion: You may request deletion of your account or personal data. We will delete your data except where retention is required for legal or business purposes.
California Privacy Rights: California residents may request information about any sharing of personal data with third parties for direct marketing; we confirm that no such data is disclosed.

Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and employ a range of technical, administrative, and physical measures to protect your data. These include:

Encryption: Data is protected using encryption protocols such as HTTPS/TLS in transit and AES‑256 at rest. Some services also use end-to-end encryption.
Access Controls: Only authorized personnel have access to your data, and strict authentication and logging procedures are in place.
Monitoring and Testing: We continuously monitor our systems for vulnerabilities and perform regular security audits and updates.
Payment Data (if applicable): Should payment information be collected in the future, we will use PCI‑compliant third-party processors and industry-standard security practices.

While no method is 100% secure, we strive to protect your information and will notify you of any data breach that compromises your personal data.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to provide our services, comply with legal obligations, or resolve disputes. For example:

Account Information: Retained for as long as your account is active; if deleted, we remove or anonymize the data except where required for legal purposes.
Communications Content: Generally not stored long-term—files or messages are processed for delivery and then removed or kept only briefly for troubleshooting.
Usage Data: Analytics and log data is aggregated or anonymized and kept for a limited period unless needed for security investigations.
Backup Storage: Data may persist in backups for a short duration but is subject to deletion per our retention policies.
Legal Requirements: In some cases, we may retain information for longer periods if required by law.

Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under that age. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete it. Parents or guardians who believe their child’s data may have been collected should contact us.

*(Note: Users between 13 and 17 should use our services only with parental or guardian permission.)*

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, or legal requirements. When changes are made, we will update the "Effective Date" at the top of this Policy and provide notice on our website or via email. Your continued use of our services constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: privacy@chatodyssey.com
Address: Chat Odyssey, Inc. (Attn: Privacy) – 123 Example Street, Anytown, USA