Last Updated: November 3, 2025

Thank you for using Bottl. Your privacy is not just a feature; it is the entire foundation of this application. This policy explains what information we collect, what we do not collect, and how your data is handled.

Our core promise is simple: We operate on a "Zero-Knowledge" architecture. We never have the ability to read, decrypt, or access your messages or files.

1. Information We Collect

To provide our service, we must handle two types of data. Both are treated as highly sensitive.

• A) Encrypted User Content:
  • This is the message and/or file you provide. This content is end-to-end encrypted on your device using AES-256-GCM before it is ever sent to our servers.
  • The encrypted data is stored as an unreadable, garbled "blob" in our database and storage buckets. We cannot read it.
• B) Non-Personal System Metadata:
  • To manage the encrypted blob, we store a database entry containing only system data:
    • A random id (e.g., 23).
    • A created_at timestamp.
    • An expires_at timestamp (set by you, e.g., "in 1 hour").
    • A file_path (a random UUID, e.g., "abc-123.dat") if a file is attached.
  • This metadata contains no personal information and reveals nothing about the content of your message.

2. Information We Explicitly Do Not Collect

We have built Bottl to be truly anonymous.

• We DO NOT require you to create an account.
• We DO NOT collect or store your name, email address, or phone number.
• We DO NOT collect or log your IP address.
• We CANNOT see the contents of your messages or files.
• We NEVER see or store your "Bottl Code." The code (which contains the decryption key and Initialization Vectors) is generated on your device and is only held by you and the person you share it with.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use the limited data we have for one purpose only: to operate the Bottl service.

• Encrypted User Content is stored temporarily so the intended recipient can retrieve it.
• System Metadata is used to find the correct encrypted blob and to know when it must be permanently deleted.

We do not sell your data. We do not share your data with third parties for marketing. We do not use your data for analytics or profiling.

4. Data Deletion & Retention (The "Self-Destruct")