MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

Last updated: October 2026 · messageinabottleapp.com

Message In A Bottle is designed from the ground up to collect as little data as possible. You sign in with Apple and choose a username, but your identity is never shown to other users, no tracking is used, and all messages are encrypted before being stored. This policy explains what is processed and why.

1. Who We Are

Message In A Bottle is operated by wannabegeek.dev, a trading name of a.m.gacutan. For data protection enquiries, contact us at:

Email: harbor@messageinabottleapp.com

Website: https://messageinabottleapp.com

2. What Data We Process

Message content
When you submit a message, the text is encrypted on your device using AES-256-GCM before being transmitted and stored. The encrypted content is stored in our database. We cannot read your message without the encryption key embedded in the site code.

Submission timestamp
The date and time of submission is stored alongside your message. This is used only for the automatic 90-day deletion policy.

Account (iOS app)
To send or open messages you sign in with Apple and choose a username. We receive from Apple a unique identifier for you in this app and, if you choose to share it, your email address (or Apple’s private-relay address if you hide it). We do not receive your name. We also store the username you choose, when the account was created and when you last signed in. Sign-in details are held by our database provider (Supabase Authentication); your username is stored with our account records. Each message you send is linked to your account. Your username, email address and Apple identifier are never shown to other users. We look up which account sent a message only for a serious safety or legal reason — for example a credible threat, harm to a person, or a valid legal request — and every lookup is recorded with the reason and date. You can delete your account at any time in the app (menu → Account).

Anonymous device identifier (iOS app)
The app creates a random identifier when it is first opened. It is not linked to your name, Apple ID or device hardware. It is stored with the reports, blocks and ripples you make, so that you can report or ripple a message only once and block a sender. It is never shown to other users.

Hashed IP address
When a message, report or block is submitted, a one-way salted hash of your IP address is calculated. The IP address itself is not stored. The hash is used to limit how often messages and reports can be sent (these records are deleted after one hour), and is stored with each message so that senders who break our Terms of Use can be blocked. If a sender is banned, the hash is kept on a ban list for 30 days.

Reports and blocks
If you report a message, we store the message it refers to, the reason you chose, the time, your anonymous device identifier and a one-way hash of your IP address (so that several reports from one connection are counted once). If you block a sender, we store your anonymous device identifier and an anonymous key for that sender. Reports are deleted with the message; blocks are kept until you delete the app's data.

Ripples
If you send a ripple on a message, we store the message it refers to, your anonymous device identifier and the time, so that each device can ripple a message only once. The sender can see only how many ripples their message has received, using their deletion code. Ripples are deleted with the message.

Automated moderation
Messages are checked by the app on your device before they are sent and again when they are shown to you. A message that fails the check is blocked or hidden automatically, and repeated blocked attempts pause sending on that device. On our server, when several different readers report a sender's messages, that sender's account is automatically banned from posting and their messages are hidden. This is automated decision-making based only on the data described on this page; it involves no profiling. You can ask for a person to review any decision by emailing harbor@messageinabottleapp.com.

IP addresses in server logs
Like all websites, our web hosting provider (Spaceship.com) and database provider (Supabase) automatically log IP addresses as part of standard server operation. These logs are retained for a short period by those providers for security and diagnostic purposes. We do not access, store, or process these logs for any purpose.

Browser storage
We use sessionStorage to enforce a 60-second cooldown between message submissions. This is essential site functionality, expires when you close your browser tab, and contains no personal information. We use localStorage solely to remember that you have dismissed this privacy notice.

No cookies are set by Message In A Bottle.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

Message content and timestamp — processed on the basis of your consent, given by choosing to submit a message voluntarily.
Account (Apple identifier, email if shared, username, sign-in times) — processed on the basis of legitimate interest in keeping the service safe and in being able to identify a sender where there is a serious safety or legal reason, and where necessary to comply with legal obligations.
Anonymous device identifier, hashed IP address, reports and blocks — processed on the basis of legitimate interest in preventing abuse, spam and harmful content, and to meet app store safety requirements.
IP address logging by hosting/infrastructure providers — processed on the basis of legitimate interest in maintaining the security and availability of the service.

4. How Long We Keep Data

Messages are automatically deleted after 90 days from the date of submission, together with the device identifier, hashed IP address and any reports and ripples attached to them.
Your account is kept until you delete it (menu → Account). Deleting it removes your messages and your sign-in details. If an account was banned for breaking our Terms of Use, we keep a minimal record (the sign-in identifier, without your username) for up to 12 months so the ban cannot be avoided by deleting the account and signing up again.
Rate-limit records (hashed IP only) are deleted after one hour. Bans on a hashed IP address expire after 30 days; bans on an account are kept to prevent repeat abuse.
Messages that break our Terms of Use are removed from view as soon as they are reported and permanently deleted when we confirm the violation.
You may delete your own message at any time using the deletion code shown after you submit. Visit messageinabottleapp.com/delete.
SessionStorage data is deleted when you close your browser tab.
LocalStorage (GDPR notice flag) persists until you clear your browser data.

5. Third-Party Data Processors

We use two external services to operate Message In A Bottle. Both process data on our behalf under appropriate agreements. If you use the app, sign-in is provided by Apple (Sign in with Apple), under Apple’s privacy policy; sign-in details are then held by Supabase:

Supabase, Inc.
Our database provider. Encrypted messages are stored on Supabase infrastructure located in the United States (East US — North Virginia). Supabase is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and provides a Data Processing Agreement. More information: supabase.com/privacy

Spaceship.com
Our web hosting provider. Website files are served from Spaceship servers. Standard server access logs may be retained by Spaceship according to their own privacy policy: spaceship.com/legal/privacy-policy

Fonts
All fonts are self-hosted on messageinabottleapp.com. No requests are made to Google Fonts or any other external font service.

6. International Data Transfers

Your message content is stored on Supabase servers in the United States. This transfer is covered by Supabase's participation in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, providing an adequate level of protection for personal data transferred from the European Economic Area.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the following rights:

Right of access — to request information about what data we hold about you.
Right to erasure — to request deletion of your data.
Right to restriction — to request that we limit how we use your data.
Right to object — to object to our processing of your data.
Right to data portability — to receive your data in a portable format.
Right to withdraw consent — at any time, without affecting prior processing.

Erasure: You can erase your account, together with every message you have sent, at any time in the app (menu → Account → Delete my account). To remove a single message, use the deletion code shown to you at the time of submission at messageinabottleapp.com/delete. Messages sent before accounts were introduced are not linked to an account and can only be removed with their deletion code.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at harbor@messageinabottleapp.com. We will respond within 30 days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority. In the UK this is the ICO (ico.org.uk). In Ireland it is the DPC (dataprotection.ie).

8. Security

All messages are encrypted on your device using AES-256-GCM before transmission. Data in transit is protected by TLS (HTTPS). We apply HTTP security headers including Content-Security-Policy, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options. Database access is restricted using Row Level Security.

9. Children

Message In A Bottle is not directed at anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has submitted data, contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a resident of California, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) grant you specific rights regarding your personal information.

What we collect and why
Message In A Bottle collects message content and submission timestamps, and, for the account you create, your Apple sign-in identifier, your email address (Apple’s private-relay address if you hide it) and your chosen username, solely to operate the service and keep it safe. We do not collect your name, phone number, precise geolocation, or any other information that directly identifies you, and none of this is shown to other users. Server infrastructure providers may log IP addresses as part of standard operations — this is disclosed in Section 2 above.

We do not sell your personal information
Message In A Bottle does not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise share your personal information with third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising.

Your California rights

Right to Know — You may request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
Right to Delete — You may request deletion of personal information we hold about you, subject to certain exceptions. Delete your account in the app (menu → Account), use your deletion code at messageinabottleapp.com/delete, or contact us directly if you no longer have it.
Right to Correct — You may request correction of inaccurate personal information.
Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing — You have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. As stated above, we do not sell or share personal information. No action is required on your part.
Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information — We do not collect sensitive personal information as defined under CPRA.
Right to Non-Discrimination — We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA/CPRA rights.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at harbor@messageinabottleapp.com. We will respond within 45 days as required by California law. Requests may be submitted by you or by an authorised agent acting on your behalf.

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information: Message In A Bottle does not sell or share your personal information with third parties for advertising or any commercial purpose. If you are a California resident and wish to confirm this or submit a formal opt-out request, contact us at harbor@messageinabottleapp.com and we will respond within 15 business days.

11. Changes to This Policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.