Privacy & Security

Our Philosophy

We practice radical data minimization.

We collect as little information as possible and don't use your data for anything beyond providing you with blogging services. In fact, we'd prefer if you gave us as little as possible.

Email is optional. Unlike most platforms, we don't require an email address to sign up. You can create an account with just a username and subdomain. If you choose to add an email, we only use it for password recovery and critical account notifications - no marketing, no tracking, no spam.

What We Collect (Barely Anything)

Authentication Data

Username: Your unique identifier for login
Support PIN: A 7-digit number auto-generated for account recovery (acts as a backup identifier)
Email address (optional): Only if you choose to provide one - used for password recovery
Encrypted password: Stored using industry-standard bcrypt hashing
Session data: Temporary cookies to keep you logged in (deleted when you log out)
Subdomain: Your chosen blog address (e.g., yourname.hayduke.blog)

Content Data

Your blog posts and pages: The content you create (stored as Markdown)
Images you upload: Stored securely on Contabo S3-compatible storage with strict file type validation
Blog settings: Your customization preferences (theme, colors, fonts, layout)
Navigation links: Custom menu items you create for your blog
Social media credentials (optional): If you configure social posting, encrypted access tokens for Mastodon/Bluesky/Nostr

Subscription Data (If Applicable)

Stripe customer ID: Used to manage your subscription (if you choose to upgrade after the 14-day free trial)
Trial period: We track when your 14-day free trial ends (everyone gets one automatically)
Subscription status: Whether you have an active paid subscription, are on trial, or are a lifetime/admin user

What We DON'T Collect

❌ No analytics or tracking cookies
❌ No IP address logging (beyond standard server logs)
❌ No behavioral tracking
❌ No third-party advertising scripts
❌ No social media trackers
❌ No fingerprinting

Security Measures AUDITED OCT 2025

Authentication & Authorization

✅ Devise authentication: Battle-tested Rails authentication framework
✅ Encrypted passwords: Bcrypt hashing with salt
✅ CSRF protection: Prevents cross-site request forgery attacks
✅ Session security: Secure, httpOnly cookies

Data Protection

✅ Multi-tenant isolation: Your data is completely separate from other users
✅ SQL injection protection: All database queries use parameterized statements
✅ XSS protection: Content sanitization prevents malicious script injection
✅ Mass assignment protection: Strong parameters prevent unauthorized data changes
✅ Email obfuscation: Reply-by-email addresses protected from scrapers

File Upload Security

✅ File type validation: Only JPEG, PNG, GIF, and WebP images allowed
✅ File size limits: 10MB maximum to prevent abuse
✅ Content type verification: Validates actual file content, not just extensions

Infrastructure Security

✅ HTTPS/TLS encryption: All traffic encrypted in transit with Let's Encrypt certificates
✅ Environment variables: Secrets never hardcoded in source code
✅ Docker containers: Isolated application environment
✅ Background jobs: GoodJob for reliable, secure background processing (social posting, cleanups)
✅ Database encryption: PostgreSQL with encrypted connections
✅ Regular security audits: Code reviewed for vulnerabilities monthly
✅ Dependency updates: Automated security patches for gems and libraries

Your Rights

Data Access

You can access all your data anytime by logging into your account with your username and password. Everything you've created is visible in your dashboard. There are no hidden settings or buried data.

Account Recovery

Forgot your password? Use your email (if you provided one) or contact support with your username and 7-digit support PIN. This PIN is shown to you once when you sign up - save it somewhere safe!

Data Export

Your blog content is yours, always. You can copy and paste your posts, use the RSS feed to export your content to any other platform, or simply view your public blog at your subdomain. No proprietary formats, no lock-in. Your content is just Markdown - take it anywhere.

Data Deletion

Want to leave? You can delete individual posts, pages, or your entire account anytime from your settings. We don't do "soft deletes" to keep your data around - when you delete something, it's permanently removed from our systems (though you may want to cancel your subscription first if you have one).

Transparency

This entire platform is built with open principles. Have questions about how something works? Check our security documentation (available in our GitHub repository) or join our Discord to ask. The code is open, the practices are transparent. Or join our Matrix room for privacy-focused community support.

Third-Party Services

What We Use

Hosting: Your data is stored on secure cloud infrastructure (Contabo VPS)
Object Storage: Contabo S3-compatible storage for uploaded images
Email (optional): If you configure reply-by-email, only addresses you provide are used
Payment processing: Stripe (if you choose to subscribe) - they handle payment data, we never see your credit card
Social posting (optional): If you choose to share posts to Mastodon/Bluesky/Nostr, we use your provided credentials - we don't access these without your explicit configuration

What We Don't Use

❌ Google Analytics or any analytics services
❌ Facebook Pixel or social media tracking
❌ Third-party ad networks
❌ Marketing automation platforms
❌ Data brokers or aggregators
❌ Email marketing services (we don't send newsletters)
❌ Customer tracking or behavioral profiling tools

How We're Different

Most platforms treat you as the product.

They collect your data, build profiles, track your behavior across the web, and sell insights to advertisers. Your content is just bait to keep you engaged while they harvest your attention.

We're the opposite. You're the customer, not the product. We provide a service (blogging), you optionally pay for it (if you want premium features), and that's the entire relationship. No surveillance, no tracking, no algorithmic manipulation.

We're inspired by the philosophy of Edward Abbey and the ethos of digital self-determination. Your voice, your platform, your data.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have questions about privacy, security, or how we handle data:

💬 Join our Discord community
� Join our Matrix room (privacy-focused)
�📧 Email us at support@hayduke.app (we actually read these)
🔍 Review our open approach to security

Last updated: October 5, 2025
Security audit: October 2025
Authentication system: Username + Support PIN (email optional)

🔒 Privacy & Security