Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains what information Unfold collects, how we use it, and who helps us process it. Unfold is built for private writing. This document matches how the product works today.

This document was prepared with AI assistance and has not yet been reviewed by a lawyer. Given that Unfold includes automated crisis-detection features, we strongly recommend a legal review of this document before relying on it, particularly regarding minor-protection law, cross-border data transfer, and jurisdiction-specific mental health app regulations.

Your Journal Is Private

Your journal entries are personal. Unfold is designed to help you reflect on your own writing, not to use your thoughts for advertising or unrelated purposes.

We do not sell your journal entries, personal reflections, or private writing to third parties. Your writing is only processed when needed to provide Unfold features, such as saving your entries, syncing your data, generating patterns, creating insights, and maintaining the safety features of the product.

We limit access to your journal data and only share information with service providers that help us operate Unfold, as described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Who we are

Unfold (“we”, “us”) operates the Unfold web app from India. For privacy questions or data requests, contact hello.unfoldapp@gmail.com.

2. Information we collect

Account information

When you sign up or sign in, our authentication provider (Clerk) may collect your email address, password (stored by Clerk), username, and (if you use Google) profile details Google shares for sign-in (such as name and email). We store your Clerk user id in our database so your journal data stays tied to your account. We do not copy your password into our database.

Journal content you create

This includes entry titles, the text you write, seal dates, layout on the canvas, image captions, and search text derived from your writing. Drafts and entries may also be kept in your browser’s local storage so you can keep writing offline or between syncs.

Images you attach

When you add photos or images to an entry, we store the file with our file host (Vercel Blob) and keep a public URL, mime type, size, and optional caption in our database, linked to your account and entry. Anyone who has the URL can open the image file, so treat shared links carefully.

AI-derived artifacts

If you use sealing, pattern, or insight features, we may store AI-generated titles, topics, pattern labels, short summaries, and short verbatim quotes pulled from your writing as “evidence,” plus related pattern-card copy. Some insight results may also be cached in your browser.

Safety and quality screening results

Before an entry is analyzed for patterns, it is automatically screened by AI classifiers: one checks for indicators of crisis, self-harm, or suicidal ideation; another checks whether an entry has enough substantive, self-reflective content to be worth analyzing. For each of these checks, we store only a flag (yes/no) and a timestamp: never the classifier’s reasoning, never a description of what triggered it, and never any copy of the flagged text beyond the original entry you already control.

Feedback you provide

If you give feedback on a pattern (for example, a thumbs up or down, or a reason such as “too vague” or “doesn’t resonate”), we store that feedback linked to the relevant pattern so we can review and improve the product.

Technical data

We and our providers may process standard technical data needed to run the app (for example, session cookies from Clerk, and requests required to sync and save). We do not currently use a separate product analytics or advertising SDK in the app.

3. How we use your information

• To create and secure your account, and keep you signed in
• To save, sync, and display your journal across devices
• To store and show images you attach to entries
• To power optional AI features (page titles, pattern detection, summaries, and related copy) from your writing
• To automatically screen entries for crisis/self-harm indicators and content substance, before any pattern analysis runs
• To review feedback you give us and improve pattern quality over time
• To keep the service reliable and secure
• To respond when you contact us

We do not sell your personal writing or account data.

4. How AI uses your writing

Some features send limited portions of your journal text, or short quotes already extracted from it, to Anthropic’s Claude API to generate titles, patterns, and summaries. Prompts treat the text as a private journal. We send what the feature needs (not your entire account history in one request), subject to size limits in the product.

Crisis and content screening. Before pattern analysis runs on an entry, it is automatically checked by AI for indicators of crisis, self-harm, or suicidal ideation, and separately for whether it has enough substantive content to analyze. If an entry is flagged for crisis indicators, Unfold does not generate pattern analysis for it, and instead shows a message encouraging you to reach out to someone: a person you trust, or a local crisis helpline or mental health service.

This screening has real limits. It is automated, is not reviewed by a person in real time, and is not guaranteed to detect every instance of crisis content. Like any automated system, it can fail to flag content it should, or (less critically) flag content it shouldn’t. It is a supplementary safety feature only, never a monitoring service, a crisis line, or a substitute for professional or emergency care. If you are in crisis, please contact a local emergency number or crisis line directly rather than relying on this feature.

If an AI feature cannot reach the provider, Unfold may fall back to local, non-AI behavior for that feature; in the case of the crisis and quality screening steps specifically, a provider failure does not block your ability to write or save, and the entry is treated as unflagged for that check.

How AI Providers Handle Your Writing

Some Unfold features use artificial intelligence to generate titles, summaries, patterns, and reflections from your writing.

When you use these features:

• We send only the information needed for that specific feature.
• We do not send your entire journal history in a single request unless required for a specific feature.
• AI providers process your writing only to provide the requested functionality.

AI-generated insights are created automatically and may not always perfectly represent your thoughts or experiences. They are intended as tools for reflection, not as definitive interpretations of your emotions, personality, or mental health.

5. Who we share information with

We use service providers (“processors”) only to run Unfold. They receive what they need for their role:

• Clerk: authentication, sessions, and account credentials
• Our database host (PostgreSQL): storing your entries, pattern data, feedback, and attachment metadata, scoped to your account
• Vercel Blob: hosting attached image files
• Anthropic: AI inference on text/quotes you trigger through product features, including safety and quality screening
• Google: only if you choose Google sign-in (via Clerk), and for fonts loaded by the app

We may disclose information if required by law, or to protect Unfold, our users, or others from harm or abuse.

6. Where data is stored and governing jurisdiction

Unfold is operated from India, and our data processors may store or process data in India or other countries where our providers operate. By using Unfold, you understand your information may be processed outside your own country, potentially under different data protection laws.

If you are located outside India, you are still responsible for ensuring your use of Unfold complies with your local laws, and you accept that your data will be handled according to this Privacy Policy and applicable Indian law, to the extent applicable. Client drafts and caches may also live in your browser (local storage / session storage) on your device.

7. Retention, deletion, and entry removal

We keep your account and journal data while your account is active. When you delete an entry in Unfold, we soft-delete it and clear its stored writing in our database for sync purposes; some related files or derived records may take further cleanup. Automated full account wipe and data export are not built into the product today.

To request account deletion, correction, or a copy of your data, email hello.unfoldapp@gmail.com. We will respond and delete or anonymize personal data we control, unless we must retain something for legal or security reasons. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights over your personal data under local law; contact us to make a request and we will respond as required by applicable law.

8. Age requirement

Unfold is only for users 18 years of age or older. By creating an account, you confirm you are at least 18. Unfold is not directed to, and should not be used by, anyone under 18. If we become aware that a user is under 18, we will take steps to close the account and delete associated personal data.

9. Your choices

• You can edit or delete individual entries in the product
• You can stop using AI-triggered features by not using those flows
• You can sign out and stop using the service
• You can request account deletion, correction, or help with your data via email

Security Measures

We use trusted infrastructure providers and security practices designed to protect your information.

These include:

• Secure authentication through Clerk.
• Account-based access controls to ensure users can only access their own data.
• Encrypted connections when your data is transmitted between your device and our services.
• Restricted access to systems that store or process user information.

No online service can guarantee complete security. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password and avoid sharing access to your account.

Incident Response

We take the security of your personal information seriously.

If we become aware of a security incident that affects user data, we will investigate the issue, take steps to reduce any potential impact, and provide notifications when required by applicable laws.

11. A note on sensitive content

Unfold includes automated safety screening for crisis-related content, but this screening is not a mental health service, is not monitored by a human in real time, and cannot guarantee detection of every instance of crisis content. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact a local emergency number or crisis line directly rather than relying on this product.

12. Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy as Unfold evolves. We will change the “Last updated” date above. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.

13. Related

Your use of Unfold is also covered by our Terms and Conditions.