Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

ZyraLink is a real-time messaging service. When we say "we", "us", or "our", we mean the operators of ZyraLink. If you have privacy questions, contact us at [email protected].

2. What Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide you with the Service:

Data Type	Why We Collect It	Retention
Username	Account identity and display	Until account is deleted
Hashed password	Authentication (salted one-way hash)	Until account is deleted
Email address	Verifying your account, password reset and recovery (stored encrypted)	Until account is deleted
Birth year	Confirming you meet the minimum age at sign-up	Until account is deleted
Profile details and uploads (display name, avatar, banner, stickers, shared media)	Showing your profile and delivering media you send	Until removed or account is deleted
Community reviews	Publishing the review you choose to post on the public wall	Until you delete it or account is deleted
Messages (public & DM)	Delivering and displaying chat history	Until deleted by user/admin
Session cookie	Keeping you logged in for 7 days	7 days (sliding)
Push subscription token	Sending DM, @mention and friend-request push notifications	Until revoked or account deleted
Reaction data (emoji, message reference)	Displaying emoji reactions on messages	Until removed by user or account deleted
IP address	Security, rate limiting, abuse prevention (kept encrypted with your account’s sign-in records, and in server logs)	Account records until deleted; server logs up to 30 days

3. How We Use Your Data

We use the data we collect to:

Create and maintain your account.
Deliver and store messages in real time.
Send push notifications for incoming DMs (only when you have granted permission).
Detect and prevent abuse, spam, and unauthorised access.
Respond to support requests.

We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or sell it to any third party.

4. Cookies & Local Storage

ZyraLink uses a single signed session cookie to keep you logged in. We do not use third-party tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or analytics cookies. No data is sent to advertising networks.

Your browser's local storage may be used to remember lightweight UI preferences (e.g. whether the sidebar was open). This data never leaves your device.

5. Push Notifications

If you grant notification permission, your browser provides us with a push subscription endpoint. We store this endpoint in our database alongside your username to deliver notifications for direct messages, @mentions and friend requests. You can limit these in Settings (Mentions Only, Friend Request Alerts) or turn them off entirely.

You can withdraw this permission at any time through your browser or operating system settings. On withdrawal, we will stop sending push notifications to that subscription.

6. Messaging and Account Features

ZyraLink provides public rooms, one-to-one direct messages, replies, reactions, stickers, profile customization, presence controls, account recovery, and notification options. Messages are handled by the ZyraLink service so it can deliver conversations, enforce account controls, support moderation, and maintain chat history.

7. Data Sharing

We share your data only in the following limited circumstances:

Service delivery providers — email or push-notification providers only when needed to deliver a requested verification message, recovery message, or notification.
Optional sign-in with Google — where enabled, if you choose it, Google confirms your email address to us.
Fonts and scripts — pages load web fonts from Google Fonts and the real-time chat library from cdn.socket.io, so your browser contacts those providers directly when you visit.
Legal obligations — if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of users.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any other third party.

8. Data Security

We implement a range of security measures to protect your data, including salted one-way password hashing, signed session cookies, rate limiting, and encrypted transport (HTTPS/WSS). No system is perfectly secure; in the event of a breach we will notify affected users as required by applicable law.

9. Your Rights

You have the right to:

Access — request a copy of the data we hold about you.
Correction — request that inaccurate data be corrected.
Deletion — request permanent deletion of your account and all associated data.
Withdrawal of consent — revoke push notification permission at any time via your browser settings.

Deleting an account removes your profile, messages, uploads, reviews and the direct-message conversations you took part in (including the other person’s copy). Records needed to enforce safety bans may be kept, and we do not promise immediate removal from backups or logs.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected] or via the Help Centre.

10. Children's Privacy

ZyraLink is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected such data, we will delete it promptly. Contact us if you believe your child has created an account.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify users of significant changes by posting the updated Policy on this page with a new effective date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

12. Contact

Privacy questions or requests? Email us at [email protected] or message us via the Help Centre. We aim to respond within 5 business days.

The Short Version