Privacy Policy
Last updated 21 October 2026
Hobby Circles is built to collect as little as possible. No ads, no tracking, no selling of data, ever. This page explains exactly what we handle and why.
1. Who is responsible
Hobby Circles (hobbycircles.app) is run by Mohyiddine Bennaceur, who is the “data controller” for your personal data. Contact us any time at privacy@hobbycircles.app.
2. What we collect and why
| Data | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | To send your sign-in code, recognise you when you come back, and act on safety reports and bans. | Until you delete your account. |
| Display name and avatar | Shown to people in the circles you join. | Until you delete your account. |
| Sign-in session | A random token saved in your browser's local storage (not a cookie) so you stay signed in. | Until you sign out or delete your account. |
| Messages, images, drawings, writing-pad text, goals | Shared live with the people in that circle. | Kept only in server memory while the circle is open. Erased a few minutes after everyone leaves. Never saved to disk. |
| Reports | If you report someone, or are reported: both accounts' emails, the circle, and the reason. | Up to 12 months, to keep the community safe. |
| Technical data (IP address, browser type) | Needed to connect you, prevent abuse, and keep the service secure. | Short-lived server logs, typically under 30 days. |
We do not use analytics, advertising, tracking pixels or third-party cookies. We never sell or rent your data, and we never show your email to other users.
3. Voice, video and screen sharing
Calls use WebRTC, which sends your voice, camera and screen directly between the devices of the people in a circle. Your audio and video do not pass through our servers, and we do not record or store them.
Because the connection is direct, the other people in a circle can technically see your device's IP address. To help devices find each other, your browser contacts a public connection server (currently Google's STUN service), and on some networks a relay (TURN) server forwards the encrypted call. These services see your IP address but not the content of your call.
The podcast studio lets a member record a circle's audio onto their own device. Recordings are never uploaded to us. Everyone in the circle is shown a notice when recording starts.
4. Legal basis (GDPR)
We process your data because it is necessary to provide the service you signed up for (contract), and for our legitimate interest in keeping Hobby Circles safe, secure and free of abuse.
5. Who helps us
We use a small number of service providers who process data only on our instructions: our hosting provider (servers), an email provider (to send sign-in codes), and the connection servers described above. Some of them may process data outside your country, including in the United States and the European Union, with appropriate safeguards. We may disclose data if the law requires it or to protect people from harm.
6. Your rights
Wherever you live, you can:
- Delete your account instantly: open the menu under your name on the home page and choose “Delete my account”.
- Ask for a copy of the data we hold about you, or ask us to correct it.
- Object to or ask us to restrict how we use your data.
- Complain to your local data protection authority (for example, in the EU, your national supervisory authority).
Email privacy@hobbycircles.app for anything not handled automatically. We reply within 30 days.
7. Age
Hobby Circles is only for people aged 18 and over, and is not directed at children. We don't knowingly collect data from anyone under 18, including children under 13 as covered by the US COPPA law. If we learn an account belongs to someone underage, we delete it. If you believe a child is using Hobby Circles, contact safety@hobbycircles.app.
8. Security
The site is served only over encrypted HTTPS, calls are encrypted end to end by WebRTC, sign-in uses single-use codes that expire after 10 minutes, and sign-in attempts are rate-limited. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your data and keep as little of it as possible.
9. Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top and, for significant changes, show a notice on the site.