Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 14, 2026

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how Block Thyme, LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you use the Dogecat service, website at dogecat.com, APIs, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By using the Service, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Service.

🚨 CRITICAL PRIVACY WARNINGS — READ BEFORE USING

❌ NO ENCRYPTION ON INFERENCE NETWORK

The Gonka decentralized network does NOT use confidential computing or end-to-end encryption for inference processing. Node operators CAN potentially see your prompts and AI responses in plaintext.

✅ EPHEMERAL CHAT — WE DO NOT STORE YOUR CONVERSATIONS

Your chat history exists only in your browser memory. We do not store your prompts or AI responses on our servers. When you close your browser tab, your conversation is gone forever. This is by design for maximum privacy.

🤖 APPLICATION BUILT WITH AI ASSISTANCE

This application was largely developed with the assistance of AI coding agents. While we strive for quality, the software may contain bugs, security vulnerabilities, or unexpected behaviors inherent to AI-assisted development.

🚫 DO NOT SEND (Node operators can see this):

Passwords or authentication credentials
API keys, tokens, or secrets
Credit card numbers or financial account information
Social security numbers or government IDs
Medical records or health information
Trade secrets or confidential business data
Private keys or cryptocurrency seed phrases
Any information you need to remain confidential

2. Decentralized Network — No Confidential Compute

⚠️ NO ENCRYPTION DURING INFERENCE

Dogecat routes your AI requests through the Gonka decentralized network. This network operates WITHOUT confidential computing guarantees:

Node operators can see your prompts — Your input text is visible to the operators processing your request
Node operators can see AI responses — The generated outputs are also visible during processing
No end-to-end encryption — Data is not encrypted in a way that prevents node access
No trusted execution environments — Processing does not occur in secure enclaves
Operators may log data — Node operators may record, cache, or retain your data indefinitely
Unknown jurisdictions — Nodes operate globally under varying legal frameworks

Treat every prompt as if it will be read by unknown third parties. Do not submit any data you need to keep private or confidential.

3. Ephemeral Chat — No Server-Side Storage

✅ YOUR CHATS ARE NOT STORED ON OUR SERVERS

Dogecat uses an ephemeral chat model similar to Venice.ai:

Browser-only storage — Your conversations exist only in your browser memory
No database storage — We do not save your prompts or AI responses to any database
Close tab = gone — When you close your browser tab, the conversation is permanently deleted
No chat history — You cannot retrieve previous conversations
No backups — We have no backup copies of your chats because we never stored them

This design maximizes your privacy. Block Thyme, LLC cannot access, review, or disclose your conversation content because we simply do not have it.

4. Information We Collect

4.1 Information You Provide

Account Information: Email address and profile information when you create an account
Payment Information: Billing address and payment details (processed by Stripe; we do not store full card numbers)
Communications: Information you provide when contacting support or providing feedback

4.2 Information We DO NOT Collect

Chat content: We do not store your prompts or AI responses
Conversation history: We have no record of your conversations

4.3 Information Collected Automatically

Usage Metrics: Token counts, timestamps, and model selections (but NOT the content of messages)
Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system
Log Data: Server logs, error reports (excluding message content)
Cookies: Authentication tokens and session identifiers

4.4 Information from Third Parties

Authentication providers (Clerk)
Payment processors (Stripe — transaction confirmations only)

5. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Provide, maintain, and improve the Service
Route your inference requests to the Gonka network (content is not stored)
Process payments and manage your subscription
Track token usage for billing purposes (not content)
Send transactional communications (receipts, account notifications)
Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
Monitor for abuse and violations of our Terms of Service
Comply with legal obligations

6. Data Retention

6.1 Block Thyme, LLC Retention

Our Data Retention Practices:

Chat content: NOT RETAINED — ephemeral by design
Account data: Retained while your account is active, deleted within 30 days of account closure
Usage metrics: Token counts retained for 90 days for billing reconciliation
Payment records: Retained as required by law (typically 7 years)

6.2 Decentralized Network Retention

IMPORTANT: We cannot control data retention by Gonka network node operators. Your prompts and responses may be logged, cached, or retained by independent node operators indefinitely. We have no technical ability to delete such data from the decentralized network.

7. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

7.1 Decentralized Network Processing

Your prompts and inputs are transmitted to Gonka network nodes for inference processing. Node operators can see this data. This is essential to providing the Service and cannot be avoided.

7.2 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf:

Payment processing (Stripe)
Authentication (Clerk)
Cloud hosting (Vercel, Neon)

7.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or government request. However, we cannot disclose chat content that we do not have — our ephemeral model means we have no conversation data to produce.

7.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your account information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

8. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including:

Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL)
Secure authentication via Clerk
No storage of sensitive chat content (cannot be breached if never stored)
Access controls and authorization

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. The decentralized Gonka network presents additional privacy considerations as described in Section 2. You use the Service at your own risk.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

9.1 General Rights

Access: Request a copy of the account information we hold about you
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate information
Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data
Export: Request your account data in a portable format
Opt-out: Opt out of marketing communications

9.2 Chat Content Rights

Regarding Chat History:

Because we do not store your chat content, many traditional data rights do not apply:

We cannot provide copies of conversations — we do not have them
We cannot delete conversations from our systems — they were never stored
Right to be forgotten requests for chat content are automatically satisfied

However, we cannot delete data that may have been retained by Gonka network node operators.

9.3 California Residents (CCPA)

California residents have additional rights under the CCPA. We do not sell personal information.

9.4 European Residents (GDPR)

If you are in the EEA, you have rights under the GDPR. Given the decentralized nature of the inference network and limitations on controlling data at the network layer, European users should carefully consider whether to use the Service.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies for:

Essential cookies: Required for authentication and security
Functional cookies: Remember your preferences and settings

We do not use advertising or extensive analytics cookies. You can control cookies through your browser settings.

11. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for users under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete such information.

12. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. The Gonka decentralized network operates globally, meaning your prompts may be processed by nodes in various jurisdictions. By using the Service, you consent to such international transfers.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy with a new "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

14. Contact Us

For questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Block Thyme, LLC

Email: privacy@dogecat.com

Website: dogecat.com