Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2 October 2026
Talking Stick lets people talk and chat in temporary rooms, passing a virtual speaking stick. This policy explains, in plain language, what data is used when you use the site.
Who is responsible
Talking Stick (talkingstick.me) is run by its owner. Contact us about anything in this policy at talkingstick.me@gmail.com.
What we collect
- What you type: your display name, the room name and chat messages. Everyone in the room can see them, and people who join later can read the earlier chat.
- Voice: live audio is sent through our voice relay (Cloudflare) to the people in your room. We do not record or store it. Other people in the room cannot see your IP address.
- Technical data: your IP address and browser details are processed when you connect, for hosting, security and to tell humans from bots (Cloudflare Turnstile).
- In your browser: a temporary verification token and a temporary room key are kept in session storage so your connection keeps working, and are cleared when you close the tab. We do not set cookies ourselves. Cloudflare may use technical cookies or browser storage for security and bot protection.
- Advertising: Google AdSense loads on our pages. Google and its partners may receive your IP address and browser details, and may set or read cookies for advertising (see "Advertising" below).
- Emails: if you write to us, we receive your email address and message.
There are no accounts, and we do not use analytics. The site shows ads through Google AdSense (see "Advertising" below).
Why we use it, and on what basis
To run the service, to keep it safe from abuse and bots, and to show ads that help pay for it. Where the law asks for a legal basis (for example the EU and UK GDPR), running and protecting the service is our legitimate interest, and ads that use cookies or personal data are based on your consent, which you can withdraw at any time. We do not sell your personal data.
Who else handles it
- Cloudflare hosts the site and the room server, runs the bot check, and provides the voice relay.
- Google Fonts delivers the fonts on our pages, so Google receives your IP address when a page loads.
- Google AdSense shows ads on our pages and handles the data needed for them, under Google's own privacy policy.
- Google (Gmail) handles emails you send us.
- Other people in your room see your name and your chat messages and hear you when you hold the stick.
These providers operate worldwide, so your data may be processed in other countries, such as the United States, under the safeguards they offer. We share data with authorities only when the law requires it.
Advertising
The site shows ads through Google AdSense. Google and its advertising partners, which are third-party vendors, may use cookies, your IP address and details about your browser or device to show and measure ads, including ads based on your earlier visits to this and other websites. In the EU, UK and similar regions, we ask for your consent before ads use cookies or personal data, and you can change or withdraw your choice at any time using the privacy choices on the site. Elsewhere, you can turn off personalised ads in Google's Ads Settings. To learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services, see policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
How long we keep it
The room name and chat messages are kept, in full, only while the room exists. They are saved on our server so they survive a restart, and are deleted about a minute after the last person leaves. Technical logs and advertising data are kept by our providers (including Google) under their own policies. Emails are kept as long as needed to answer you.
Your rights
Depending on where you live (including the EU, UK and some US states), you may ask us to access, correct or delete your data, restrict or object to its use, withdraw consent you gave, or receive a copy. You can also complain to your local data protection authority. Email talkingstick.me@gmail.com. Because there are no accounts, and rooms and chat are deleted automatically, we often hold nothing about you. If you think we do, we may ask for details such as the room code and time to find it.
Security
Connections to the site, to chat and to voice are encrypted in transit. Chat and voice are not end-to-end encrypted, because our servers have to handle them to deliver them to the people in your room.
Changes
If we add analytics or change how we use ads, we will update this policy first and ask for your consent where the law requires it. The date at the top shows the latest version.
Questions or reports: talkingstick.me@gmail.com · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use