Privacy Policy
1. Information We Collect
When you use Your Message in a Bottle, we collect:
- Account Information: Email address, username, and profile photo (optional)
- Bottle Content: Messages, photos, and questions you add to bottles
- Location Data: Approximate location when you toss or find bottles (you control this)
- Usage Data: How you interact with the service (bottles viewed, tossed, found)
2. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
- Operate and improve the bottle messaging service
- Display your bottles on the map and in explore
- Send notifications about your bottles (when someone finds them)
- Prevent abuse and maintain community safety
3. Information Sharing
Your bottle messages are public by design - anyone can find and read them. However:
- Your email is never shown publicly
- You can use a pseudonym instead of your real name
- We don't sell your personal data to third parties
- We use Mapbox for maps and Supabase for data storage
4. Data Security
We implement appropriate security measures to protect your information, including:
- Encrypted connections (HTTPS)
- Secure authentication through Supabase
- Regular security updates
5. Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Access your personal data
- Delete your account and associated data
- Opt out of notifications
- Request a copy of your data
6. Cookies
We use essential cookies to:
- Keep you logged in
- Remember your preferences
- Ensure security
7. Children's Privacy
Our service is available to users of all ages, but users under 13 require parental consent.
For users under 13:
- A parent or guardian must create the account using their email
- Parents are responsible for supervising their child's use
- We recommend parents:
- Use a nickname instead of child's real name
- Disable precise location sharing
- Monitor messages their child sends/receives
- Not upload photos containing their child
Parents can request deletion of their child's account and data at any time by contacting us.
Optional analytics
With your permission, Google Analytics helps us understand visits to our public guides and clicks to the Downhome shop. We also measure visits to bottle-flow screens in our own system. These measurements are optional and stay off until you choose to allow them.
Google receives page categories, referring sites and browser/device information, and uses a cookie to distinguish visits. We do not send bottle messages, account details, bottle numbers, precise locations or URL queries to Google. Advertising features are disabled. Account, chat and bottle-action screens are excluded from Google Analytics.
We remember your choice for 60 days. Google Analytics event data is retained for two months; the existing property retains user data for 14 months and may retain aggregate reports longer. Our optional bottle-flow session cookie lasts 30 minutes. You can turn optional analytics off here at any time.
Optional analytics is off.
Essential sign-in and security features work either way. Server records of bottle actions support the service separately from optional visitor analytics. Turning analytics off does not delete historical records. For data questions, contact support@yourmessageinabottle.com.
8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. We'll notify you of significant changes via email or in-app notification.
9. Contact Us
If you have questions about this privacy policy or your data, contact us at:
Email: privacy@yourmessageinabottle.com
Or use the contact form on our website
Last updated: September 9, 2026