Privacy Policy
Last updated October 7, 2026
The short version: You read Litly without an account, but you need one (Google or Apple sign-in) to post, reply or attach photos. The public feed may start fresh from time to time, but your posts and replies stay on your profile until you delete them. We don't sell your data and we don't run ads. We store your name and email from sign-in and never show them; people only see your random username and avatar.
What we collect
- Posts, replies, photos, votes and notifications. What you write and upload, your upvotes and downvotes, when you did it, and the account it came from. We also keep the notifications shown in your bell (replies to you and upvotes on your posts), and a view count on each post. Photos are resized in your browser, which also removes location data (EXIF), before they are uploaded and stored with our hosting provider.
- Anonymous visit counts. To show how many people are awake and which countries they're in, your browser sends a random ID that changes every day. We store only a one-way hash of that ID and the date, your country (from your connection, not your precise location) and when you were last here. We don't store the ID itself or your IP address for this.
- When you're on the site, if you're signed in. To see whether people come back and to improve the feed, we record when your account visits, how long the site stays open and visible, and how recently you were last here. This is tied to your account (not shown to anyone else) and deleted after 180 days.
- A scrambled version of your IP address. We turn your IP address into a one-way hash using a secret key, and we don't store the raw address. We use the hash to limit spam, block abusers, and count one view per signed-out visitor on each post (signed-in views are counted per account, also as a one-way hash).
- If you sign in: your name, email address and profile picture URL from Google or Apple, plus a session so you stay signed in. If you use "Hide My Email" on Apple, we only get Apple's relay address.
- Basic technical logs kept by our hosting provider, such as request time, browser type and approximate location, used to keep the service secure and running.
What we don't do
- We don't sell or rent your personal information.
- We don't show ads or use advertising trackers.
- We don't show your real name or email anywhere. Your posts and replies are shown under your public username and avatar (a random pseudonym unless you change it), and your profile page lists all of them.
How long we keep things
- Posts, replies, photos and votes stay until you delete them. Deleting a post also deletes its replies, votes, views, notifications and photo. Deleting a reply that has answers under it leaves a "[deleted]" placeholder. A feed refresh only changes what the feed shows. Backups made by our database provider may keep deleted data for a limited time, up to about 30 days.
- Account details stay until you ask us to delete your account.
- IP hashes are kept only as long as needed for spam limits and abuse prevention.
Cookies and local storage
We use only what's needed to run Litly, with no advertising or tracking cookies:
- A random ID stored in your browser (local storage) that generates your daily avatar. It's not linked to your identity.
- A random daily visitor ID in local storage, used only for the visit counts above.
- A sign-in cookie, only if you sign in, to keep you signed in. Signing out removes it.
- A short-lived security cookie while you sign in with Google or Apple.
Who we share data with
We use a few services to run Litly: Cloudflare (hosting and database) and, if you choose to sign in, Google or Apple. They process data only to provide those services. We may also disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect people's safety and the service from abuse.
Your choices
- You can read Litly without an account. Posting, replying and uploading photos need one.
- To access, correct or delete your account information, email us at hello@litly.com.
- You can delete your own posts and replies yourself from your profile or the post.
- To remove Litly's access to your Google or Apple login, remove Litly in your Google or Apple account settings.
Safety and moderation
We may review posts, remove content, and block people who break our rules or put others at risk. Litly is not a crisis service. If you are in danger or thinking about hurting yourself, please contact local emergency services or a crisis line right away.
Children
Litly is for people 13 and older. If you believe a child under 13 has used Litly, contact us and we'll remove their information.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date above. If the changes are significant, we'll post a notice on the site.
Contact
Questions? Email hello@litly.com.