Privacy Policy

An account needs only a username and a password. We do not ask for an email address or phone number, and we do not collect one. Because there is no email on file, there is no email-based password reset — if you lose your password, the account cannot be recovered.

Your profile can optionally include a display name, a short bio, and a profile picture. Anything you put there is visible to other signed-in members.

One-to-one messages are stored in our database so they are still there when you come back. Direct messages are end-to-end encrypted in your browser: the message is encrypted with a key derived from your key pair and the recipient's, so only you and the person you are messaging can read the text. The stored copy is ciphertext.

Delivery metadata is not encrypted. That means we do store who sent a message, who received it, when it was sent, whether it was read, and whether it was edited or has a file attached.

Files and images you attach are uploaded to our storage and are not end-to-end encrypted. Do not attach anything you would not want stored on our servers.

You can edit or delete your messages. Deleting removes the message — and any attached file — for both people in the conversation.

Group posts, comments, and likes are not encrypted. Anything posted in a group is visible to that group and stored in plain text.

Following someone is a request, not an automatic action. When you follow a person, a pending request is stored and shown to them; it only becomes an accepted follow after they approve it. If they decline, the request is removed.

We store the pair of accounts involved and the request's status. Both people can see the follow relationship between them, and follower counts are visible on profiles.

Blocking is enforced by the database, not just hidden in the app: while a block is in place, neither account can send messages to the other. You can unblock later and review the conversation again from your inbox.

Floater uses two separate 4-digit codes, and we never store either one.

Your encryption passcode unlocks the private key used to read and send encrypted messages. The private key is stored only in an encrypted form, wrapped with a key derived from your passcode in your browser. The unlocked key is kept in memory for the tab and is never written to disk, so a reload asks for the passcode again. Entering it correctly also refreshes the last-login time shown on your account. If you forget this passcode, nobody — including us — can recover it or the messages already encrypted with that key.

Your chat-restore PIN is the code you set when you choose to delete your chats at sign-out. It protects the stashed copy of those chats so you can restore them on your next sign-in. The PIN itself is not stored in readable form, and an incorrect PIN will not restore anything. New messages you receive while chats are stashed arrive normally and are merged in by time when you restore.

Floater has an administrator account used to operate the service. An administrator can see the list of accounts, sign-in activity, group posts, and the delivery records of direct messages, and can ban or delete accounts and send pop-up notices. Administrators cannot read the contents of end-to-end encrypted direct messages — those appear as locked entries.

We use a hosting and database provider to run the site, store your data, and deliver realtime updates. We do not sell your data and we do not use it for advertising.

Your content stays until you delete it or your account is deleted. Deleting an account removes its profile, its direct messages, and its group posts.

You can edit or delete your profile details, edit or delete individual messages, delete all of your chats at sign-out, block anyone, and decline follow requests. To have your account removed, contact the site administrator.