Datenschutzerklärung

The short version

We collect only what we need to let you sign in, keep the letters you write, and remember the mood you set. We do not sell your data, we do not run advertising networks, and we never read your letters for any purpose other than delivering the experience you asked for. Where we rely on others (to host the site, store data, or process a donation), we choose providers who are bound to the same restraint.

Who we are

Lost Letters Room is the service described at www.lostlettersroom.com. For the purposes of data-protection law, Lost Letters Room is the data controller for the information described below, and our point of contact for anything in this policy — questions, requests, or complaints — is support@lostlettersroom.com.

What we collect

When you create an account

Accounts are handled by our authentication provider (Supabase). If you sign in with email, we store your email address and an encrypted credential. If you sign in with Google, we receive your email address and basic profile details from Google — never your Google password. We also keep a display name and any profile preferences you choose to set.

When you write and lose letters

We store the letters you compose — their text, the recipient name you give, the paper and wax you choose, and whether you wished to remain anonymous. If you lose a letter on the Atlas, we also store the approximate place you dropped it and a private share token so a stranger can later open it at a link. Letters marked discoverable are shown to others without your account identity attached unless you chose to sign them.

When you support us or buy an extra

Payments — a voluntary donation, an extra keepsake, or the one-time downloads pass — are processed by Stripe. We never see or store your full card details; Stripe handles the payment and returns only a confirmation, the amount, and what it was for. We keep that record to grant what you paid for and to meet our accounting obligations.

When we email you

We use Resend to deliver email. That includes account messages (sign-in confirmation, password reset), the note that tells you a letter you lost has been found, and the delivery of a time-capsule letter to your own inbox on the day you chose. If you subscribe to the Archivist's occasional letter, we also keep your email for that alone — every issue carries a one-click unsubscribe, and you can leave at any time.

Automatically

Like any website, our hosting provider records basic technical logs (such as IP address and request time) to keep the service secure and available. To fix faults, we also collect crash reports when something breaks — the error message, a trimmed technical trace, and the page it happened on — never your identity and never the contents of a letter. If you allow analytics cookies, we additionally collect anonymous, aggregate counts of which pages are visited. See our Cookie Policy for the full list and how to change your mind.

Why we use it, and on what basis

• To run the room — creating your account, saving and displaying your letters, and processing donations. This is necessary to provide the service you requested.
• To remember your preferences — candlelight, sound, and language — with your consent, so the room feels the same each visit.
• To reach you when it matters — account emails and the note that a lost letter was found or a time capsule has come due, so the experience you asked for can complete. The Archivist's newsletter is separate and sent only with your consent.
• To keep the house standing — security, fraud prevention, and diagnosing faults. This rests on our legitimate interest in a safe, working service.
• To understand what is used — anonymous analytics, only if you allow it.

Who we share it with

We share data only with the providers who make the service possible, each acting on our instructions: Supabase (hosting, database, and authentication), Vercel (application hosting and delivery), Stripe (payments and donations), and Resend (sending email). We may also disclose information if the law genuinely requires it. We do not sell personal data.

Where your data is handled

Our providers may store and process data on servers outside your country, including in the United States. Where that happens, the transfer is covered by appropriate safeguards — such as the European Commission's standard contractual clauses — and we choose only providers that commit to protecting your data to the standard described here.

How long we keep it

We keep your account and letters for as long as your account exists. If you delete your account or ask us to, we remove your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we must retain limited records (for example, a donation receipt) to meet a legal or accounting obligation.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, export, or delete your personal data, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these, write to support@lostlettersroom.com and we will respond within the time the law allows. You may also complain to your local data-protection authority.

Children

The room is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country), and we do not knowingly collect their data. If you believe a child has given us information, write to us and we will remove it.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle your data, we will update this page and its date above. Material changes to cookies or consent will re-open the choice banner so you can decide again.