Privacy Policy
At a Glance
What we collect: a chosen pseudonym ("grove name"), things you write in your journal, stones you place, posts and replies you make in the Grove, and basic app preferences.
What we don't collect: your real name, your email (unless you opt into cloud sync), your phone number, your contacts, your location, or your activity in other apps.
What we don't do: sell your data, run third-party advertising, or track you across other apps and websites.
What We Collect
Account & identity. A grove name you choose. We do not require an email or phone number to use the core app. If you opt into cloud sync, we collect an email address solely to back up and restore your account.
Your reflections. Journal entries, stones placed, mood selections, Compass Rose progress, Treasury items, and Grove posts and replies. This is the heart of what Sanctuary is — and the data we treat with the most care.
Conversations with Dove. Messages you send and Dove's responses. We retain a short window of recent context so the conversation feels continuous, plus a redacted record for safety review (see the next section).
Device & usage data. A device identifier, app version, OS version, language, and crash logs. We use this only to keep the app working and fix what breaks.
What we do not collect. We do not collect contacts, photos, microphone or camera input, precise location, advertising IDs, biometric identifiers, or browsing history outside Sanctuary.
Where Your Data Lives
Most of your data lives on your device. Journal entries, your cairn, your Compass Rose, and your Treasury are stored locally first. They never leave your device unless you turn on cloud sync.
If cloud sync is on, encrypted backups are stored on our servers (currently hosted in the United States with reputable infrastructure providers). Backups are encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256). Only your device, signed in with your account, can decrypt them.
Retention. We keep your data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete the data within 30 days. Backups are pruned within 90 days. Some anonymized, aggregated data (counts, not content) may be retained for trend analysis.
About Dove (AI Companion)
Dove is powered by a third-party large language model. To respond to you, your messages are sent to the model provider in real time. We instruct the provider not to use your conversations to train their models, and we have a contract that limits their use of your data to delivering Dove's responses.
Safety review. We retain conversations for up to 30 days for safety and abuse review (for example: detecting credible self-harm risk, harassment, or attempts to misuse the system). After 30 days, conversations are deleted from our servers. You can clear your local history at any time from Dove's menu.
Crisis flagging. If our safety system detects credible signs of immediate harm to yourself or others, a human reviewer may read the relevant excerpt to determine an appropriate response (such as surfacing crisis resources). We do not contact emergency services on your behalf based on Dove conversations.
Dove is not a therapist. Dove does not have medical, psychological, or legal training. Its responses can be wrong. Treat it like a thoughtful friend who is also an AI — useful sometimes, not a substitute for real care.
The Grove
Posts and replies you make in the Grove are visible to other Sanctuary users. They appear under your grove name (a pseudonym), not your real identity. We strongly encourage you not to include personally identifying information in Grove posts.
If you report a post or another user, we receive the reported content, the reason you selected, and your account identifier. Reports are reviewed within 24 hours; see our Community Guidelines for what happens next.
Who Sees What
Other Sanctuary users see only what you choose to share in the Grove, under your pseudonym.
We see what we need to operate Sanctuary — and we work to see less, not more.
Service providers we work with (and what they help with):
- Cloud hosting & storage — server infrastructure for sync
- AI model provider — generating Dove's responses
- Crash & analytics tooling — keeping the app stable
- Email delivery — transactional emails like account restoration
Each provider is contractually limited to using your data only to deliver their service, and we choose providers with strong privacy practices.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not share your data with advertisers. We do not allow third parties to track you across other apps or websites through Sanctuary.
Legal disclosure. If we receive a valid legal request (subpoena, court order), we will review it carefully and disclose only what we are legally required to disclose. We will notify affected users where permitted by law.
Your Rights
You have the right to:
- See your data. Export everything Sanctuary has stored about you, in a machine-readable format. Settings → Your Data → Export.
- Correct your data. Edit or delete any journal entry, Grove post, or profile detail at any time.
- Delete your data. Remove your account and all associated data permanently. Settings → Your Data → Delete my account. We delete from active systems immediately and from backups within 90 days.
- Move your data. Your export is in plain JSON, suitable for taking elsewhere.
- Export your journal. The Reflections Summary feature lets you export a visual record of your healing journey — your journal entries, cairn history, and resilience timeline — at any time. Your data is yours, and you can take it with you whenever you choose.
- Opt out. Turn off cloud sync, decline analytics, or stop using Dove at any time.
If you are in the EU, UK, or EEA, the GDPR also gives you rights to object to processing, restrict processing, and lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. Our legal basis for processing is your consent (which you can withdraw) and our legitimate interest in operating a safe service.
If you are in California, the CCPA gives you the rights described above plus the right not to be discriminated against for exercising them. We do not sell personal information as defined by the CCPA.
If you are under 13, please do not use Sanctuary. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If we learn we have, we will delete it. Parents who believe their child has used the app should contact hello@joinsanctuary.io.
Changes to This Policy
If we make material changes, we will notify you in the app before the changes take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top will always reflect the current version.
Contact
Questions, requests, or concerns about your data:
Email: hello@joinsanctuary.io
Mail: Sanctuary App, [Mailing Address]
Data Protection Officer: hello@joinsanctuary.io
This page is about your data. If you need real support right now, please reach a real person. See crisis resources · in the US, call or text 988 · text HOME to 741741.
Terms of Use
1. Welcome
Sanctuary ("the app", "we", "us") is a self-care and reflection tool for hard seasons — heartbreak, grief, and emotional weather. By using Sanctuary, you agree to these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, please do not use the app.
2. Sanctuary Is Not Medical Care
Sanctuary is not a healthcare service. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment for any condition. It is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, psychiatry, or any other licensed professional service.
Nothing you read in Sanctuary, and nothing Dove says to you, should be treated as medical, psychological, or legal advice. If you are struggling with your mental health, please reach out to a qualified provider.
If you are in crisis, contact a crisis service immediately. In the US, call or text 988. Outside the US, see findahelpline.com.
3. Eligibility
You must be at least 13 years old to use Sanctuary. If you are under 18, you confirm that a parent or legal guardian has reviewed these Terms and our Privacy Policy and approves your use of the app.
If we learn that someone under 13 has created an account, we will delete it.
4. Your Account & Conduct
You are responsible for activity on your account. You agree to use Sanctuary in good faith and not to:
- Harass, threaten, or abuse other users
- Post content that violates our Community Guidelines
- Attempt to identify or contact other users outside the app
- Impersonate another person or misrepresent your affiliation
- Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code
- Use automated systems (bots, scrapers) to access the app
- Interfere with the operation of the app or its security
- Use Sanctuary for any commercial purpose without our written permission
5. The Dove AI Companion
Dove is an AI-powered conversational tool. Its responses are generated by software using large language models. They can be wrong, incomplete, or unsuitable for your situation.
Dove is not a therapist, doctor, lawyer, or human. Treat its responses as you would a friend's — thoughtful but fallible, and not a substitute for professional advice. Do not rely on Dove for medical, psychological, financial, or legal decisions.
You agree not to use Dove to generate content that violates our Community Guidelines or that you would not be willing to share publicly.
6. The Grove (User-Generated Content)
The Grove is a community space for shared reflection. When you post in the Grove, you grant us a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to host, display, and distribute your post within Sanctuary. You retain ownership of what you write.
Posts that violate our Community Guidelines may be removed, and accounts that repeatedly or seriously violate them may be suspended or terminated.
We are not responsible for the content other users post. Other users' posts represent their views, not ours.
7. Intellectual Property
The Sanctuary app, its design, code, and brand are owned by us and protected by intellectual property law. You may not copy, modify, or distribute the app or its assets except as expressly permitted by these Terms.
8. Disclaimers
Sanctuary is provided "as is" and "as available." We do not warrant that the app will be uninterrupted, error-free, or meet your specific needs. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
We do not warrant the accuracy or reliability of any content generated by Dove or posted in the Grove.
9. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Sanctuary and its operators are not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the app — including, but not limited to, emotional distress, lost data, or reliance on Dove's responses or Grove content.
Our total liability for any claim arising from these Terms or your use of Sanctuary will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the twelve months preceding the claim, or (b) USD $50.
Some jurisdictions do not allow these limitations. In those places, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.
10. Termination
You may stop using Sanctuary and delete your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, with or without notice depending on the severity. On termination, sections that by their nature should survive (intellectual property, disclaimers, limitations of liability, dispute resolution) remain in effect.
11. Governing Law & Disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of [State/Country], without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in [Jurisdiction], and you consent to that jurisdiction.
If you are a consumer in the EU or UK, this clause does not deprive you of the protection of mandatory consumer-protection laws of your country of residence.
12. Changes
We may update these Terms. If a change is material, we will notify you in-app and give you reasonable notice before the change takes effect. Continued use of Sanctuary after the change means you accept the updated Terms.
13. Contact
Questions about these Terms: hello@joinsanctuary.io
Community Guidelines
What Belongs Here
- Honest reflection on what you are carrying
- Holding space for others (the "held" button is a small kindness)
- Small, gentle responses that don't try to fix
- Naming your weather without minimizing or dramatizing it
- Asking the kind of questions that help someone find their own answer
What Does Not
The following are not allowed in the Grove and will be removed:
- Harassment, bullying, or targeted cruelty. No going after another person.
- Hate speech, slurs, or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
- Graphic descriptions of self-harm, suicide methods, or eating-disorder behaviors. Talking about your struggle is welcome; describing methods that could harm someone reading is not.
- Sexual content, solicitation, or anything inappropriate. The Grove is not a dating app or a place to flirt.
- Promotion, advertising, recruiting, or proselytizing. No selling, no funneling, no MLM, no proselytizing of any kind.
- Sharing personal information about others. Don't out someone, name them, or post identifying details.
- Impersonating someone — a real person, a public figure, or another Sanctuary user.
- Illegal content, including content that violates intellectual property, depicts minors inappropriately, or facilitates harm.
- Spam, copy-paste posting, or attempts to manipulate the Grove's mechanics.
If Something Crosses A Line
Tap the ⋯ menu on any post to:
- Hide — remove the post from your view, no one is notified.
- Block — never see this person again, no one is notified.
- Report — send the post to our moderation team for review.
Reports are reviewed within 24 hours. Reported content is hidden from your view immediately. We do not require you to keep seeing something that hurts you while we review.
What Happens After A Report
Our moderation team reviews the post against these guidelines. Possible outcomes:
- No violation — the post stays. The reporter is told the report was reviewed.
- Minor violation — the post is removed and the author receives a private warning with a link to these guidelines.
- Repeated or significant violation — temporary account suspension (typically 7–30 days).
- Severe violation (harassment, hate speech, sexual content, threats) — permanent account termination.
If a post indicates someone is in crisis, our team prioritizes the wellbeing of the poster. We surface crisis resources to them and review urgently.
Appeals
If your account is restricted or terminated and you believe we got it wrong, you can appeal by emailing hello@joinsanctuary.io within 14 days. A different team member than the one who made the original decision will review.
If You Are In Crisis
The Grove is not a crisis service. Please don't post in lieu of reaching real help. If you are in danger or thinking of harming yourself, contact a crisis line (in the US: 988) or emergency services. The Grove can hold you in the long, slow seasons. It cannot catch you in an emergency.
The Promise
You can be a stranger here. You can be soft here. We will work to keep this place worthy of that.
End User License Agreement
1. License Grant
Subject to your compliance with these terms and our Terms of Use, we grant you a limited, personal, non-transferable, non-exclusive, revocable license to install and use the Sanctuary app on devices you own or control.
2. Restrictions
You agree not to:
- Reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code of the app
- Modify, adapt, or create derivative works based on the app
- Remove or alter copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices
- Sublicense, rent, lease, or sell the app or your access to it
- Use the app to develop a competing product
- Use the app in violation of any law or regulation
3. Apple App Store (if applicable)
If you obtained Sanctuary through the Apple App Store, the following additional terms apply:
- This EULA is concluded between you and us, not Apple. Apple is not responsible for the app or its content.
- Your use of the app must comply with the App Store Terms of Service.
- The license granted is limited to use on Apple-branded devices that you own or control, as permitted by the App Store Usage Rules.
- Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the app.
- If the app fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any). To the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation.
- We, not Apple, are responsible for addressing any claims relating to the app, including product liability, legal compliance, and consumer protection claims.
- If a third party claims the app infringes their intellectual property, we (not Apple) are solely responsible for investigating and resolving the claim.
- You represent that you are not located in a country subject to a US Government embargo or designated as a "terrorist supporting" country, and that you are not on any US Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
- Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of this EULA and may enforce it against you.
For reference, see Apple's standard EULA at apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula.
4. Updates
We may release updates to the app. Some updates may be required to continue using the app. Updates are governed by this EULA unless an updated version comes with new terms.
5. Termination
This license is effective until terminated. It will terminate automatically if you breach any of its terms. You can terminate it at any time by deleting the app and your account. Upon termination, you must cease all use of the app.
6. No Warranty
The app is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, to the extent permitted by law. See our Terms of Use for the full disclaimer.