the boring cockroach

last updated: 26 may 2026

· short version

we collect the bare minimum to make the app work. we don't sell your data, we don't track you across other apps, and we don't keep backups. if you delete your account, everything you wrote is gone — no "anonymous archive", no shadow profile, no recovery.

· what we store

• your google sign-in — to know it's you next time. we never see your password.
• your chosen handle, city, and survival status — what you set in the app.
• your pulses (posts) and replies — what you type. visible to other signed-in cockroaches.
• your reactions — which feeling you tapped on which pulse.
• your push token — so we can send roll-call and reply notifications.
• aggregate map feelings — your "drop a feeling" lands on a ~5km cell, never tied to your identity. we add ±500m jitter on your device before anything leaves it.
• tonight's question — your one answer — when you write an answer in the 9 PM room, it is stored anonymously for that night only. it is shown to other cockroaches who also answered (no handle attached). at 10:01 PM IST every night, the entire answer collection is hard-deleted by a scheduled function. only the count of "how many cockroaches answered tonight" survives, used for the share card.

your real google name is never stored in our database. only the handle you pick.

· what we do NOT store

• your phone number.
• your contacts.
• your photos or files.
• your precise GPS — we ask for "approximate" location permission only.
• your other apps, your browsing history, anything outside this app.

· who can see what

• other signed-in users can see your handle, city, status, pulses, and replies.
• nobody can see your google email, your push token, or your bans/strikes — these are owner-only.
• moderators / the app admin can see reported content, hidden posts, and your ban status.

· third parties we use

• google firebase — auth, database, push notifications, hosting. servers in asia-south1 (mumbai) for india data residency.
• openfreemap — map tiles for the feelings map. ip address is visible to them when the map screen loads. no political borders are drawn.
• google play integrity — to confirm the app you're running is the real one, not a script. it returns yes/no, no personal data.

we do not use ad networks. there are no ads.

· retention

your content stays until you delete it (a single post, or your whole account). aggregate feelings on the map are kept indefinitely as anonymous numbers — there is no identity attached to delete.

tonight's question answers are an exception: they exist for at most one hour (9:00 PM IST submit, 10:01 PM IST hard-delete). nothing you write in the 9 PM room is retained past that night, anywhere — not in backups, not in logs, not in an "anonymized archive."

· deletion

settings → delete account. one tap. the function deletes, in order: every pulse you wrote (and every reply or reaction under it), every reply you wrote on other pulses, every reaction you tapped, your activity inbox, your identity, your push token, and finally your firebase auth account. no backups are retained. we do not store a hash of your phone or google account to track you across deletes — you can sign back in with the same google account later, fresh.

· children

this app is for users 18 and older. we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. if you believe a younger user is on the app, email us and we'll remove the account.

· changes

if this policy changes materially, the in-app banner will tell you. the "last updated" date at the top is the authoritative date.

· contact

questions, deletion requests, abuse: bedduworkable@gmail.com

· the boring cockroach · not affiliated with the cockroach janta party ·