Shadow Journal is a product of Inner Exploration Labs™ ("Shadow Journal," "we," "us," or "our"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and delete information when you use Shadow Journal (the "Service").

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide and operate the Shadow Journal service.

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your email address and login credentials. Passwords are securely hashed and never stored in plain text.

Entry Content

If you choose to record entries, we store the entry text you submit, along with generated reflections and analyses associated with those entries.

Personal Context (Optional)

You may optionally provide information about your life circumstances (such as stress levels or relationship context) to help tailor reflections. This information is entirely optional and can be edited or removed at any time.

Usage Information

We collect limited information about how the Service is used (such as feature access and error logs) to maintain reliability and improve functionality. We do not analyze usage data to infer emotional states or behavioral traits.

Payment Information

Payments are processed securely by Stripe. We do not store or have access to your full credit card information.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information only for the following purposes:

To provide entry recording, reflection, and pattern recognition features
To enable shadow work conversations and follow-up questions
To identify patterns across entries you choose to keep, in order to support long-term reflection
To process subscriptions and manage account access
To send essential account communications (such as trial reminders or data deletion notices)
To maintain, secure, and improve the Service

We do not sell your personal data or use it for advertising.

3. AI Processing

Entry content is processed using third-party AI services (including OpenAI) to generate reflections, insights, and conversational responses.

Your data is not used to train AI models.
AI processing is limited to providing features you actively engage with.
Memory within Shadow Journal is used only to support reflection over time (such as noticing recurring patterns or themes in saved entries).
Deleted entries and conversations are not retained or referenced.
Our AI is designed to support self-understanding, not to maximize engagement or create emotional dependency.

4. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your data:

All data is encrypted in transit using HTTPS/TLS
Passwords are hashed using industry-standard practices
Payment processing is handled by PCI-compliant providers
Access to systems is restricted and monitored

No system is perfectly secure, but we regularly review our practices to reduce risk.

5. Data Retention and Deletion

Anonymous Use

If you explore Shadow Journal without creating an account, no entry content or conversation history is saved.

Trial Users

If you use Shadow Journal during the free trial and do not subscribe, your stored entries and conversations are retained for up to 7 days after the trial ends. After this period, all trial data is permanently deleted.

Subscribers

Your entries, reflections, and conversations are stored while you maintain an active subscription. If your subscription lapses, your data is retained for 90 days, after which it is permanently deleted. We make reasonable efforts to notify you before deletion so you have the opportunity to resubscribe.

User-Initiated Deletion

You may delete individual entries or conversations at any time; deleted items are removed immediately and are no longer used by the Service.
If you delete your account, all associated data is permanently removed without delay.

6. Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to:

Access and download your stored data
Correct or update personal information
Delete individual entries or your entire account
Opt out of non-essential communications

You remain in control of what information is stored.

7. Third-Party Services

We rely on the following third-party services to operate Shadow Journal:

OpenAI — for reflection generation and conversational features
Stripe — for secure payment processing
Resend — for transactional and account-related emails

These providers process data only as needed to deliver their services.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact us at support@knowyourshadow.com.