Your device is the center of Ratspeak.

Privacy at a glance

Who and what this policy covers

This policy applies to the Ratspeak application, ratspeak.org, and services explicitly operated by Ratspeak LLC. It does not govern independently operated Reticulum infrastructure, channel hubs, websites, or other third-party services. Those operators may process network data under their own terms and policies.

When this policy says “Ratspeak,” “we,” or “us,” it means Ratspeak LLC.

Information stored on your device

Depending on the features you use, Ratspeak stores information locally such as:

• Reticulum and LXMF identities, keys, addresses, and display names;
• contacts, trust decisions, blocked peers, paths, and peer observations;
• messages, attachments, voice messages, channel history, game state, and call history;
• interface, propagation-node, theme, accessibility, privacy, and channel settings; and
• diagnostic and activity information shown inside the app.

This local information is not automatically uploaded to Ratspeak LLC. Anyone with access to your unlocked device, device backup, exported identity, or recovery material may be able to access some of it. Protect your device and recovery material.

Direct messages, media, and calls

Direct communications

Ratspeak uses Reticulum and LXMF to route direct communications. Message content is encrypted for the destination identity, but network participants may observe limited routing and timing information needed to deliver traffic. Recipients receive their own copy and may retain, copy, or share it. Ratspeak cannot recall content from a recipient or their backups.

Calls and voice messages

Audio is processed when you choose to place or answer a call or record a voice message. Live call traffic is transported over the network; voice messages are delivered like other message content. Ratspeak does not use microphone audio for advertising or analytics.

Propagation nodes and relays

A propagation node can temporarily store encrypted LXMF payloads so a recipient can retrieve them later. Ratspeak LLC operates some propagation nodes listed in the app’s node directory. Those nodes may process encrypted payloads and the protocol metadata needed to queue, route, limit abuse, and expire traffic. Where an interface uses IP networking, the node can also process the connecting IP address and it may appear in operational logs. Independent propagation nodes are controlled by their own operators.

Ratspeak-operated propagation nodes are not intended to read the content of end-to-end encrypted direct messages or use network addresses to profile users. Queued traffic is removed as it is delivered, expires, or is removed under operational limits. Exact network copies may also exist on independently operated infrastructure outside our control.

Public and shared channels

Channel messages do not have the same privacy model as direct messages. A channel hub relays and can read messages submitted to its channels. Other channel participants may also retain or redistribute them.

Unless a hub is clearly labeled as an official Ratspeak hub, it is independently operated. Ratspeak LLC does not select its participants, review all content, guarantee its availability, or control its moderation and retention practices. Independent hubs may expose you to offensive, misleading, harmful, or illegal content. You can leave a hub, block participants locally, and report safety concerns from the app.

Ratspeak does not currently operate a public channel hub. If we begin doing so, official hubs will be clearly identified and their moderation rules will be published. A hub merely appearing in discovery does not make it an official Ratspeak service or an endorsement by Ratspeak.

Website, downloads, and support

Ratspeak.org uses Vercel Web Analytics to measure aggregate website usage, including pages and routes visited, referrers, country, browser, operating system, and device type. This website measurement is separate from the Ratspeak app and is not linked to your Ratspeak identity, contacts, messages, or in-app activity.

Vercel and our website hosting and security providers may also process ordinary request information such as IP address, time, requested page, browser details, and security signals to deliver, measure, and protect the site. We do not use this information to build advertising profiles.

If you email mail@ratspeak.org, submit a safety report, or send beta feedback, we receive the information you choose to provide, your email address, and related correspondence. Channel reports are prepared for your review and are not sent automatically.

Device permissions

Ratspeak requests platform permissions only when needed for a feature. Depending on your device, these can include local network access, Bluetooth, microphone, camera access for QR scanning, photos or files for attachments and exports, and notifications. You can change permissions in system settings, although the related feature may stop working.

Retention, deletion, and security

Local app data remains until you delete it through Ratspeak, clear application data, or uninstall the app, subject to device backups. Deleting local data does not delete copies already delivered to other people or stored by independent infrastructure.

Support correspondence and safety reports are retained only as reasonably needed to respond, protect users, document action, and meet legal obligations. You may ask us to delete support information associated with your email, subject to safety, fraud-prevention, and legal retention needs. Official node data follows operational expiry and capacity limits.

We use technical and organizational safeguards appropriate to the information we operate, but no device, radio link, network, or storage system is perfectly secure.

Your choices and controls

• Use Ratspeak without creating a centralized Ratspeak account.
• Choose your interfaces and propagation node, or operate compatible infrastructure.
• Decline optional permissions or public-channel access.
• Block peers, leave channels, and prepare a report for safety review.
• Delete local conversations, channel history, contacts, identities, or app data using the available controls.
• Contact us to access or delete information you intentionally sent to Ratspeak support.

Adults only

Ratspeak and its public-channel features are intended only for people age 18 or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided information to an official Ratspeak service, contact us so we can investigate and delete it where appropriate.

Questions or requests

We may update this policy as Ratspeak and its official services change. Material changes will receive a new effective date and, when appropriate, an in-app notice.