Privacy at Seabird
Plain-English summary. For the full legal version, read our Privacy Policy.
Last updated: April 2026
Privacy policies are confusing. But privacy is important! So here's a simplified view of what we do, and don't do, at Seabird with your data.
We don't sell your data. We don't run ads. We don't track you across the web. That's the short version. Here's the rest.
What We Do
✓ We collect account information.
That includes things like your email address, username, and profile details. We need this to create and run your account.
✓ If you sign in with Google or Apple, we get your name and email.
That's it. We don't get your password, contacts, files, or anything else from those accounts. OAuth sign-in is optional — you can always use email and password instead.
✓ We collect what you post.
If you write a post, add commentary, upload a profile image, or share a link, we need to store that because that's the whole point of Seabird. Social sharing of quality writing.
✓ We collect analytics.
We use analytics to see what features people use, where errors happen, and what parts of the product are confusing. That helps us keep Seabird usable and improve it over time.
✓ We access your contacts only if you want us to.
Finding your friends is optional and we only access your contacts for this purpose. We never store or share your contact list.
What We Don't Do
✗ We don't sell your personal information.
✗ We don't run ads or retarget you around the web.
✗ We don't use tracking pixels on our website or apps.
Our newsletter (via Kit) does use tracking pixels to measure open rates and clicks. You can block these by disabling remote images in your email client, or unsubscribe anytime.
✗ We don't use session replay or screen recording.
Analytics, in Normal Language
We use PostHog for analytics. We've configured it to avoid some of the creepier things people worry about. We don't use session replay, we don't record your screen, we don't turn on automatic scraping of everything you do, and we don't capture your IP address in analytics.
If analytics are enabled
Some analytics events may be associated with your account. That gives us a clearer picture of how people actually use Seabird and allows us to relate behavior across time or devices.
If you choose Anonymous Only
We still collect limited usage and operational data, but we don't intentionally associate those analytics events with your account.
The important thing to know is this: `Anonymous Only` doesn't mean `no analytics at all`. It means we keep the minimum analytics we think we need to run and improve the service, while trying not to tie that data back to your account.
Important: What You Post May Be Public
If you post something publicly on Seabird, other people may see it, copy it, screenshot it, quote it, archive it, or repost it somewhere else. This is true even if you set your profile to “Private”.
If you delete a post or delete your account, we can remove that material from our active systems. But we cannot erase every copy that other people may already have. Common sense internet rules apply here.
Who Helps Us Run Seabird
Xano — runs the backend and stores account and platform data.
PostHog — handles analytics.
AWS — stores uploaded images.
Kit (ConvertKit) — sends our newsletter. Uses tracking pixels to measure open rates and clicks.
Your Choices
You're not stuck with defaults. Here's what you can control:
Edit your info — update your profile in settings.
Go anonymous — switch to Anonymous Only in settings.
Skip contacts — don't enable Find Friends, or revoke access in your device settings.
Unsubscribe — opt out of our newsletter or promotional emails using the unsubscribe link in the email.
Delete your account — remove your account from settings.
Ask for your data — email us and we'll send it to you.
Why Not Go Further?
“Why don't you use end-to-end encryption, on-device-only processing, or zero-knowledge architecture like some other companies?”
Fair question. Seabird is run by a small team on standard infrastructure. Our focus, at this point, is to build a lovable, algorithm-free platform and to do no (privacy) harm. As Seabird scales we'll work to improve our approach to privacy and become best-in-class, but right now we're simply aiming to be honest, transparent, and better than the other social platforms.
Want the Full Legal Version?
Read our Privacy Policy. If you want to ask about your data, email inquiries@seabirdreader.com.