H.I.M.

Privacy Policy

Effective: June 7, 2026  ·  Terms of Service

Who we are: H.I.M. ("hiitsme") is a private messaging app for adults 18 and older, operated by Saman Technologies LLC (the data controller). This policy explains what personal information we collect when you use the app, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have over it. Our contact for privacy matters is support@hiitsme.app.

Contents

  1. What we collect
  2. Why we collect it
  3. Lawful bases (GDPR)
  4. Sensitive & special-category data
  5. Push notifications & lock screen
  6. On-device storage
  7. Sub-processors & international transfers
  8. How long we keep data
  9. Your rights
  10. California rights (CCPA / CPRA)
  11. Age restriction
  12. Changes to this policy
  13. Contact

1. What we collect

Account & identity

When you register, you choose a screenname. We construct a synthetic internal email address ({screenname}@hiitsme.app) used only by our authentication system — it is never shown publicly and has no mailbox. If you add a real email address for password-reset purposes, we store that too. We also store a hashed password (we never store or see your plaintext password), a profile bio and status message that you choose to share, and an optional avatar image you upload.

Messages & media

We store the content of direct messages you send and receive, and messages you post in chat rooms. This includes message body text, timestamps, delivery and read-receipt metadata, reply and forward references, emoji reactions, and edits or deletions. If you send media attachments (images, video, audio, documents up to 10 MB), those files and their metadata (filename, size, MIME type, dimensions) are stored.

Messages you mark as disappearing are assigned an expiry timestamp. Automated deletion of expired messages is a planned feature; until implemented, content may persist past the expiry time.

Social graph

We store your buddy list (who you have added), connection status (following / pending / mutual), and block records including any optional reason you provide (up to 240 characters). Trust & safety abuse reports you file or receive are stored with category, detail text (up to 1,200 characters), and moderation status.

Presence & activity

We collect last-active timestamps, idle timestamps, your current room memberships and last-seen position in each room, and unread-message state. These power the live buddy-list and room-presence features.

Push tokens & device information

When you grant notification permission, we store your APNs device token (iOS), the platform (ios / android / web), and whether the token is for sandbox or production. Stale tokens are automatically removed when Apple reports them as invalid. We do not collect your device model, OS version, advertising ID, or any other device identifier beyond what is needed for notification delivery.

Preferences & settings

We store your privacy preferences: whether to share read receipts, your notification preview mode (full message, name only, or hidden), whether the screen shield (screenshot blocker) is enabled, and per-conversation DM preferences. We also store a discoverability flag controlling whether your account appears in search results.

Authentication logs & IP addresses

Our authentication provider (Supabase) logs the IP address associated with each sign-in and session refresh. Our web hosting and API infrastructure (Vercel) logs IP addresses for inbound requests. These logs are retained per our sub-processors' standard log retention policies and are used solely for fraud detection, abuse prevention, and security investigation.

Web analytics

On the web version of H.I.M., we use Vercel Analytics to collect anonymised page-view events and device-type breakdowns. No cookies are set for analytics purposes.


2. Why we collect it

  • To provide the service — accounts, authentication, message delivery, room presence, buddy list, media sharing, push notifications.
  • To keep the service safe — content moderation (automated keyword filter on messages before they are stored), abuse reporting, blocking, account suspension.
  • To let you recover access — password reset via email if you have added a real address.
  • To understand usage in aggregate — anonymised analytics to inform product decisions.
  • To comply with law — retaining moderation records where required by applicable law.

We do not use your data for advertising, do not sell it to third parties, and do not build advertising profiles.


3. Lawful bases (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we rely on the following lawful bases:

  • Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)): Account registration, message storage and delivery, room membership, social graph, media storage, presence, preferences. Processing is necessary to perform the service you signed up for.
  • Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): Security logs, IP-address retention for fraud/abuse detection, aggregate analytics, stale-token pruning, automated content moderation. Our legitimate interests are balanced against your rights; the sensitivity of this app's data weighs heavily in that balance.
  • Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): Push notification delivery; message-content previews in notifications (gated by your notification preview setting). You can withdraw consent by disabling notifications in iOS Settings → H.I.M. → Notifications, or by switching your notification preview mode to "hidden" in the app.
  • Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): Retention of certain moderation records where required by law.

4. Sensitive & special-category data

Important disclosure. H.I.M. is a messaging app whose community is predominantly LGBTQ+. By creating an account and using the service, your membership in the app's community, your social connections, your messages, and your room memberships may, in combination, be reasonably inferred to reveal information about your sexual orientation or gender identity. Under GDPR Article 9, this constitutes special-category personal data requiring a higher standard of protection.

We process this data only to provide the core features of the app you chose to use. We apply the following additional safeguards:

We process special-category data on the basis of your explicit consent given when you create an account and voluntarily share this information with other users, and/or because you have manifestly made this information public through your use of the service (Art. 9(2)(a) and/or Art. 9(2)(e)).


5. Push notifications & lock screen

When you enable push notifications, H.I.M. sends alerts when buddies send you a message. The notification payload includes the sender's screenname and — depending on your privacy setting — a preview of the message (up to 140 characters).

Your notification preview mode controls what appears on your lock screen:

  • Full — sender name and message preview are shown in the banner and on the lock screen.
  • Sender only (default for new accounts) — sender name is shown; message content is hidden.
  • Hidden — the notification is delivered with no sender name or message content visible anywhere on the lock screen.

Lock-screen privacy notice: Notification banners and the lock screen are visible to anyone with physical access to your device. If you are in a situation where others can see your screen, select Sender only or Hidden to prevent message content or contact identities from being exposed. The Hidden mode shows only a generic "New message" alert with no identifying information.

You can change this setting at any time in Account → Notification previews. You can disable all push notifications at any time in iOS Settings → H.I.M. → Notifications. Disabling notifications does not delete your account or any data.

We do not use push notifications for marketing. Notifications are sent only in direct response to messages you receive from other users.


6. On-device storage & cookies

H.I.M. uses no cookies. We use browser localStorage to store data directly on your device. This data is never shared with third parties for advertising or tracking. All items in the table below are strictly necessary to deliver the service.

The web app does not set cookies. The iOS and Android apps use the same localStorage-equivalent mechanism provided by Capacitor, scoped to the app's sandbox.

Key Purpose Expiry Strictly necessary
sb-*-auth-token Supabase authentication session (access token + refresh token) Cleared on sign-out; refresh token rotates periodically Yes — authentication
hiitsme_theme Your color-scheme preference (light / dark / system) Until you change it or clear browser data Yes — UI rendering
hiitsme:away-presets:{userId} Your saved away-message presets Cleared on sign-out Yes — core messaging
hiitsme:away-settings:{userId} Auto-away configuration (threshold, auto-reply enabled) Cleared on sign-out Yes — core messaging
hiitsme:away-cooldowns:{userId} Timestamps that throttle auto-reply frequency Cleared on sign-out Yes — prevents reply spam
hiitsme:buddy-sort:{userId} Buddy-list sort order preference Cleared on sign-out Yes — UI state
hiitsme:outbox:v1:{userId} Offline message queue for reliable delivery when network is lost Cleared on delivery or sign-out Yes — offline messaging
hiitsme_rich_text_format Message composer format state (bold, italic, etc.) Until changed or browser data cleared Yes — UI state
hiitsme:dm-preferences:v1:{userId} Per-conversation preferences (pinned, muted, archived, chat theme) Cleared on sign-out Yes — core UX
hiitsme:privacy:v1:{userId} Local cache of your privacy settings for faster rendering Cleared on sign-out Yes — privacy-sensitive UI
hiitsme:app-lock:v1:{userId} App-lock settings: enabled flag, SHA-256 PIN hash (never the raw PIN), auto-lock duration, biometrics flag Cleared on sign-out Yes — security
storage_notice_acknowledged Records that you dismissed the storage disclosure notice (EU/EEA/UK users only) Until browser data cleared Yes — prevents repeat notices

User controls

All per-account keys (those ending in :{userId}) are removed automatically when you sign out. You can also clear all locally stored data at any time through your browser or device settings:

  • Web browser: Settings → Privacy & Security → Clear browsing data → Cached images and files + Site data (select hiitsme.app).
  • iOS: Settings → General → iPhone Storage → H.I.M. → Offload App, or delete and reinstall.
  • Android: Settings → Apps → H.I.M. → Storage → Clear data.

Clearing local data signs you out on that device. Your account and messages remain on our servers until you delete your account through Settings → Delete account.

Because all storage is strictly necessary to run the service, no consent toggle is required under ePrivacy rules. EU/EEA/UK users see a one-time notice when they first visit the app.


7. Sub-processors & international transfers

We use the following third-party services that process personal data on our behalf. All transfers of EEA/UK personal data to processors in the United States are conducted under appropriate transfer mechanisms (Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent).

Sub-processor Purpose Location Transfer mechanism Data processed
Supabase, Inc.
SOC 2 Type II
Database, authentication, file storage, realtime messaging, edge functions US (AWS us-west-2) Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) All user account data, messages, media files, push tokens, trust & safety records
Vercel, Inc.
SOC 2 Type II
Web hosting, serverless API functions, web analytics US (edge network: global) Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) IP addresses and user-agent strings (web); push notification payloads routed via Vercel Functions; anonymised page-view analytics
Apple Inc. — APNs iOS push notification delivery Apple global infrastructure Apple Developer Program License Agreement (DPLA) Device push token; notification payload (sender name and, based on your privacy setting, a message preview)
Google LLC — Google Fonts Web font delivery on privacy and terms pages US (Google global CDN) Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) IP address at font load time (privacy.html and terms.html only; not loaded by the app itself)
Google LLC — Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) (planned) Android push notification delivery US (Google global infrastructure) Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) Device push token; notification payload (when Android push is shipped)

All libraries used in the app that operate solely on your device (Capacitor, jose, @aparajita/capacitor-biometric-auth, bad-words) transmit no data to third parties and are not listed above.

This table is generated from docs/compliance/sub-processors.json. To update it, edit that file and re-run node scripts/render-subprocessors.mjs.


8. How long we keep data

Data category Retention window How enforced
Account & profile Until you delete your account Account-deletion flow
Direct messages & room messages Until the sender or recipient deletes their account Account-deletion flow (cascade)
Media attachments Until the message is deleted or account deleted Account-deletion flow
Push notification tokens 90 days since last registration, or until account deletion Automated daily cleanup job
Blocks Until you unblock the user or delete your account Account-deletion flow
Abuse reports (closed — reviewed or dismissed) 24 months from submission Automated daily cleanup job
Abuse reports (open or actioned) Retained for legal-obligation purposes (safety & DSA compliance) Manual review process
Account deletion records (internal) 30 days after account deletion Automated daily cleanup job
Server logs (authentication, API) Per our infrastructure providers' standard policies Supabase / Vercel managed
Analytics (web only, anonymised) Per Vercel Analytics' retention policy Vercel managed
On-device data (localStorage) Until you uninstall the app or delete your account OS / user action

Retention windows are enforced by an automated daily cleanup job. Disappearing messages have sender-set expiries; automated purge of those records is a planned feature.


9. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights regarding your personal data. To exercise any right, contact us at support@hiitsme.app. We will respond within 30 days (GDPR) or 45 days (CCPA/CPRA).

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Deletion: Delete your account and all associated data directly in the app at Account → Delete account. This is the fastest and most complete deletion path. You may also request deletion by email.
  • Correction: Update your screenname, bio, status message, email, or password directly in the app. Contact us for other corrections.
  • Export / portability: Request a machine-readable export of your personal data.
  • Objection to legitimate-interest processing: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests (e.g., analytics). We will assess whether our interests override your rights in the specific circumstances.
  • Withdraw consent: Withdraw push notification consent at any time in iOS Settings. Withdraw notification-preview consent by switching to "name only" or "hidden" in Account → Notifications.
  • Lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have breached applicable law.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.


10. California rights (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) give you additional rights.

Categories of personal information collected

We collect identifiers (screenname, synthetic email), internet or network activity (IP address, session data), geolocation data (city-level, derived from IP by our infrastructure providers), and the contents of messages and communications. Messages, room memberships, and social-graph data may constitute Sensitive Personal Information under the CPRA because they reveal the contents of communications and, in the context of this app, may reveal information about sexual orientation or gender identity.

Right to opt out of sharing / sale

We do not sell your personal information and do not share it with third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising. You do not need to take any action to opt out.

Right to limit use of sensitive personal information

As a California resident, you have the right to request that we limit our use of sensitive personal information to the purposes permitted by the CPRA (i.e., providing the service you requested). We already limit our use of sensitive personal information in this way. To exercise this right formally, contact support@hiitsme.app.

Other CCPA / CPRA rights

You have the right to know what personal information we collect, delete your personal information, correct inaccurate information, and opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. To exercise these rights, contact support@hiitsme.app or use the in-app account deletion flow.


11. Age restriction

H.I.M. is intended for users 18 years of age and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we learn that a user under 18 has created an account, we will delete the account and all associated data. If you believe a minor has created an account, please contact support@hiitsme.app.


12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the app after the effective date of an updated policy constitutes acceptance of the changes.


13. Contact

H.I.M. is operated by Saman Technologies LLC, the data controller for the purposes of this policy. Privacy questions, data-subject requests, and complaints: support@hiitsme.app