Privacy, safety and ethics at Rhythm

The short version

• What you write is stored in a form no human can read, including the two of us who built Rhythm.
• Nothing you write is sold or shared.
• When Rhythm asks a model for a reply, it goes without your name or account attached.
• Automated software tags topics in a de-identified way. No person reads your messages.
• You can delete everything from a button in settings.
• No ads, ever.

What happens to what I tell Rhythm?

When you chat with Rhythm, your messages are sent securely to AI partners, currently OpenAI and Anthropic, which generate the replies you see alongside Rhythm's own technology. We use their official APIs.

When Rhythm sends your conversation to generate a reply, your name and account don't go with it.

Who can read my conversations?

No human, us included.

Your conversations are encrypted in the database using AES-GCM, a strong modern encryption method. That protects against outside threats, but it's also there to protect your privacy from the inside: the developers working on Rhythm can't casually read your message content while building or maintaining the product. We can see basic usage metrics like message counts. We can't see what was said.

All traffic to and from Rhythm, on the website and in the app, is protected with HTTPS, so your data is encrypted in transit too.

What do you do with my data?

Automated software reads messages to classify topics, things like work, relationships or self-improvement. That process is fully automated and de-identified, no person sees the content, and only aggregate, anonymized insights come out of it. That's how we learn what Rhythm is being used for without reading anyone's conversations.

We also collect metadata: how many messages are sent, which features are used, and general performance and error reports.

What we don't do: share your chat content with third parties, sell your data to advertisers, or run ads.

How long do you keep my conversations?

We keep your conversations as long as you want them. They're stored encrypted so Rhythm can remember what matters to you between conversations, and they're deleted when you delete them.

How do I delete everything?

Open Settings in the app and tap delete. Your account and all your conversations are removed automatically. If you'd rather a human handled it, email support@meetrhythm.app. You can also opt out of emails and future communications any time.

What happens if I'm in crisis?

Rhythm may be used during hard moments, so it has rules built into how it responds.

It reflects and validates feelings rather than trying to fix them. It avoids medical or therapeutic advice. If it detects crisis language, including thoughts of self-harm, it encourages reaching out to real people or professional support.

Rhythm is not a therapist, doesn't diagnose or treat anything, and doesn't try to manage crises. If you're in crisis, please reach a person. In Canada and the US you can call or text 9-8-8 any time.

What does this cost the environment?

Rhythm runs on real energy in real data centres. What we can do is not waste it.

There's nothing in Rhythm engineered to keep you on longer than you meant to be: no ads to serve, no streaks, no badges, no nudges we don't think help you. Every conversation Rhythm has is one somebody actually wanted or needed.