🔒 Privacy Policy

The short version

We collect the minimum needed to run ListSeed: your email and password (to log you in), your alias and activity (to make the garden work), and analytics (to understand how the site is used). We don't sell your data. We don't show ads. We use your email mainly to verify your account and to send a weekly digest — every account is subscribed by default, and you can turn it off anytime from your profile.

What we collect

• Account info — email address, password (stored as a secure hash, never in plain text), and the alias you choose.
• Content you create — seeds, branches, comments, and your profile bio. ListSeed avatars are generated from your alias and a color/frame you select — there's no image upload involved. The only place an image can appear is if you paste a link to an externally-hosted image inside your seed or branch text, which renders as a regular link.
• Activity data — votes (water/wilt), follows, bookmarks, streaks, and growth stats tied to your account, used to power the features you see (My Garden, Following, Seed Forest, notifications).
• Technical data — standard server logs (IP address, browser type, pages visited) collected automatically by our hosting provider for security and troubleshooting.
• Analytics — Google Analytics is used to collect anonymized usage data (pages visited, general location, device type). See the Cookies section below.

How we use it

• To create and maintain your account, and to let you log in.
• To display your seeds, branches, comments, and profile to other users (alias only — your email is never shown publicly).
• To send transactional emails: email verification codes, and notifications you've triggered (mentions, follows, replies).
• To send the weekly digest email — every account is automatically subscribed, and you can unsubscribe anytime from your profile settings or the link included in every digest email.
• To moderate the platform — reviewing flagged content, enforcing the Community Guidelines, and taking action on accounts that violate them.
• To understand overall usage patterns and improve the site, if analytics are enabled.

What we don't do

• We don't sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.
• We don't show third-party ads on ListSeed.
• We don't share your email publicly or with other users.
• We don't use your content to train AI models or share it with third parties beyond what's needed to operate the site (e.g. our hosting provider).

Cookies and similar technology

ListSeed uses a session cookie to keep you logged in — this is essential for the site to function and isn't used for tracking or advertising. Google Analytics also sets cookies to measure site usage; this data is anonymized and aggregated, and Google's own privacy practices apply to that data. You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings, though doing so will log you out of ListSeed.

Third-party services

ListSeed relies on a small number of third-party services to operate:

• Our hosting provider — hosts our servers and database, and handles outgoing email delivery (verification codes, notifications, the weekly digest).
• Ko-fi — used for optional voluntary tips to support ListSeed. Ko-fi has its own privacy policy and handles payment information directly; ListSeed never sees or stores your payment details.
• Google Analytics — used for anonymized site usage statistics.
• Google Search Console — used to monitor how ListSeed appears in Google Search results.

Each of these services has its own privacy policy governing how they handle data.

Data retention and deletion

We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete a seed, branch, or comment, it's hidden from public view immediately but may be retained briefly for moderation purposes (e.g. our Recently Deleted admin tool, which allows recovery of accidental deletions for a limited time). If you'd like your account fully deleted, email [email protected] and we'll remove your personal data, retaining only what's legally required or necessary to maintain the integrity of public discussions you participated in (e.g. your alias may remain attached to content others have replied to, similar to how most discussion platforms handle account deletion).

Content posted by other users

ListSeed is a public discussion platform — anything you post in a seed, branch, or comment is visible to other users and the public internet, including search engines. Saving a seed to My Garden doesn't make it private — it only bookmarks an already-public seed for your own reference. Please don't post personal or sensitive information about yourself or others.

We're not able to monitor every piece of content in real time. We rely on the community's 🔥 Burn flag and admin review to catch content that violates our Community Guidelines — including content that exposes someone else's private information without consent. If you see content like this, please flag it; if it involves your own personal information, you're also welcome to contact us directly using the details below so we can review and remove it.

Children's privacy

ListSeed is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can remove it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we'll note the updated date at the top of this page. Continuing to use ListSeed after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.

Questions?

If you have questions about this policy or how your data is handled, or you'd like to request a copy or deletion of your data, email us at [email protected].