Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 20, 2026

Overview

Phasm is a steganography tool that hides encrypted text messages inside JPEG photos. Your privacy is fundamental to what we do. All steganography processing — encoding, decoding, and encryption — happens entirely on your device. We never receive, store, or have access to your images, messages, or passphrases.

This policy explains how we use analytics cookies on this website (phasm.app) and your rights regarding that data.

What Data We Collect

If you consent to analytics cookies, we use Google Analytics 4 (via Google Tag Manager) to collect anonymized usage data, including:

• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• How you arrived at the site (referral source)
• Device type, browser, and operating system
• Approximate geographic location (country/region level, not precise)
• Session duration and interaction events (e.g., button clicks)

This data is aggregated and anonymized. We do not collect names, email addresses, or any personally identifiable information through analytics.

What We Do NOT Collect

Phasm is designed with privacy at its core. We want to be explicit about what we never collect:

• Your images or photos (all processing is client-side)
• Your secret messages or text content
• Your passphrases or encryption keys
• Any data from the iOS or Android apps (they have no analytics)

Cookies Used

If you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics sets the following cookies:

• _ga — Distinguishes unique visitors. Expires after 2 years.
• _ga_* — Maintains session state. Expires after 2 years.

If you reject cookies or have not made a choice, no analytics cookies are set. We use localStorage (not a cookie) to remember your consent preference.

We do not use advertising cookies, social media tracking cookies, or any third-party cookies beyond Google Analytics.

Purpose of Data Collection

We use analytics data solely to:

• Understand which features and pages are most useful
• Identify and fix technical issues
• Improve the website and user experience
• Understand general usage patterns and trends

We do not sell, share, or use this data for advertising purposes.

Google Consent Mode

We use Google Consent Mode v2, which means:

• No analytics cookies are set until you explicitly click "Accept"
• If you click "Reject," no tracking cookies are set at all
• Google may still collect cookieless pings (without personal identifiers) for basic measurement modeling, as permitted under Consent Mode

Your Rights

Under the GDPR (EU), UK GDPR, and other privacy regulations, you have the right to:

• Access — Request a copy of any personal data we hold about you
• Deletion — Request that we delete your personal data
• Withdraw consent — Change your cookie preference at any time
• Object — Object to the processing of your data
• Portability — Request your data in a portable format

How to Withdraw Consent

You can withdraw your consent at any time by:

• Opening your browser's developer tools (F12) and running:
  localStorage.removeItem('phasm_consent')
  then refreshing the page — the consent banner will reappear
• Clearing your browser's cookies and site data for phasm.app

After withdrawing consent, no further analytics data will be collected until you accept again.

California Residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect and to request its deletion. As described above, we only collect anonymized analytics data with your consent. We do not sell personal information.

Data Retention

Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months, after which it is automatically deleted. Your consent preference in localStorage persists until you clear it manually.

Children's Privacy

Phasm is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Significant changes will reset consent preferences so you can make an informed choice.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or want to exercise your rights, please contact us at privacy@phasm.app.