Privacy Policy & Zero-Knowledge Security Guarantee

1. Architecture: 100% Client-Side In-Browser Execution

HideMyMessages ("we", "our", or "the Service"), accessible at https://www.hidemymessages.site/, is built from the ground up to protect user communication hygiene. We believe that privacy is a fundamental human right.

Unlike conventional cloud services that store or analyze your documents on remote servers, our encoding and decoding algorithms operate exclusively within your local JavaScript engine. When you close or refresh your browser tab, sensitive cryptographic session state in memory is immediately cleared.

2. Data We Do Not Collect: Zero-Knowledge Guarantee

Because of our client-side zero-knowledge architecture, we do not collect, monitor, store, or share:

• Confidential Content: Your secret text messages, passwords, or carrier emojis.
• Uploaded Files: Original or steganographically encoded JPG or PNG image files.
• Cryptographic Keys: Passphrases, AES-256 initialization vectors, or PBKDF2 salt buffers.
• Personal Identifiers: Names, email addresses, phone numbers, location data, or social media profiles.

3. Local Storage Usage: Complete User Control

HideMyMessages uses standard browser localStorage solely for device-level convenience features:

• Saving your chosen interface theme (Light, Dark, Slate, Midnight).
• Storing optional encrypted bookmarks if you voluntarily use the local "Vault" feature.
• Remembering language selector preferences.

This data remains solely on your physical device hardware and is never synced to any remote database. You can permanently wipe this data at any time by clearing your browser cache or site storage.

4. Google AdSense & Third-Party Advertising Cookies

Google is a third-party vendor on our website. Google uses cookies (including DoubleClick DART cookies) to serve ads to users based upon their visit to https://www.hidemymessages.site/ and other websites on the internet.

• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve relevant ads based on prior browsing history.
• Users may opt out of personalized advertising at any time by visiting Google Ads Settings or AboutAds.info.
• European Union and California visitors can adjust cookie preferences or revoke consent using the Cookie Preferences dialog on our website.

5. European Union GDPR Compliance

Under the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), users possess fundamental privacy rights:

• Right to Access: You may request copies of personal data (we hold zero personal data).
• Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): No user data is stored on remote servers to erase.
• Right to Restrict or Object: You can reject non-essential third-party advertising cookies via our consent prompt.
• Data Minimization: Our design adheres to strict data minimization principles under Article 5(1)(c) of the GDPR.

6. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), California consumers have specific rights:

• No Sale of Personal Data: HideMyMessages does NOT sell, rent, or trade personal information to data brokers or advertisers.
• Non-Discrimination: All 100% free steganography features remain fully available to users exercising their privacy rights.

7. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

In accordance with the FTC Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), HideMyMessages does not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under the age of 13. The application is an open, client-side utility designed for secure communication and privacy research.

8. Technical Cryptographic Standards

HideMyMessages adheres strictly to publicly audited, standard cryptographic and steganographic specifications:

• NIST SP 800-38D: AES-256 in Galois/Counter Mode (GCM) for authenticated encryption.
• IETF RFC 2898 (PBKDF2): Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2 with SHA-256 and 100,000 iterations for brute-force resistance.
• Unicode Technical Standard #51: Tag characters (U+E0020 through U+E007E) and Zero-Width Joiner/Spaces for seamless chat app compatibility.

9. Data Protection Officer & Contact Information

If you have questions, inquiries, or security vulnerability disclosures regarding this Privacy Policy, please reach out to our privacy compliance team: