Terms & Conditions

Effective Date: June 17, 2025
Last Reviewed: June 17, 2025

Welcome to Dear Posto, a cozy mobile app created by Dear Posto, Inc. ("we," "us," "our"). These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Dear Posto app and services (“Service”).

By accessing or using the Service, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy (together, the “Agreement”). If you do not agree, please do not use the app.

1. WHO CAN USE DEAR POSTO

You must be at least:

13 years old to use the app in the United States (per COPPA),
16 years old in the European Union and UK (per GDPR/DPA),
or 13+ with verifiable parental consent in Canada (per PIPEDA).

We do not knowingly collect personal information from users under these ages without proper consent. If you believe a child under these thresholds is using the app without consent, please contact us: diana@letterstostrangers.org.

2. ACCOUNT BASICS

To use most features, you may create an account with:

A username (does not have to be your real name),
An email address (optional for anonymous use),
A password you agree to keep secure.

You’re responsible for all activity under your account.

3. WHAT YOU CAN DO

The app is built around writing anonymous letters and emotional reflection.

You may:

Write letters or journal entries (your content),
Receive AI-curated and human-moderated responses,
Explore the Fold (an emotional map),
Earn rewards like Focusfetti and unlock visual regions.

We support anonymous and pseudonymous use. You are never asked to use real names or sensitive data. In fact, we discourage you from doing so!

4. USER-GENERATED CONTENT

You retain full rights to anything you write, but grant us a non-exclusive, revocable license to display, deliver, and store content for gameplay and advertisement purposes only.

You may not upload:

Harmful, violent, or hateful material,
Personally identifiable information about others,
Anything violating local, national, or international laws.

We may remove or block content that violates these terms.

5. INVISIBLE INK MODE

When activated:

No data (including metadata, emotion tags, timestamps, or tone) is stored. This may affect the match quality of the letter you receive from another player, but will not affect your ability to receive a letter.
The letter will still undergo our moderation process for safety purposes.
Content is not processed by any analytics or AI systems.

This is a true privacy mode aligned with GDPR Article 25 (“Data Protection by Design”).

6. VIRTUAL ITEMS, PAYMENTS, AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

Dear Posto may offer in-app purchases and subscriptions (e.g., Posto Plus).

You agree:

All purchases are final, subject to platform policies (e.g., Apple, Google).
Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled via your app store.
You may cancel at any time.

We do not process or store payment details. These are handled by secure third-party processors.

7. SAFETY & MODERATION

Letters are reviewed by a mix of:

AI moderation (for tone and safety),
Human moderators (trained in compassionate review),
Optional filters

We offer soft escalation, meaning:

A rejected letter offers guidance, not punishment.
Repeated harmful attempts may result in gentle cooldowns.
You will never be publicly shamed or penalized.

We may suspend or terminate accounts if there is repeated or severe abuse of the system.

8. YOUR RIGHTS & DATA PROTECTION

Depending on your region, you have the right to:

Access, correct, or delete your data (GDPR, PIPEDA, DPA),
Withdraw consent (GDPR, PIPEDA),
Request data portability (GDPR),
Lodge a complaint with a data protection authority.

For U.S. users under COPPA, verifiable parental consent is required if under 13.

For Canadian users, we follow PIPEDA guidelines for meaningful consent and data transparency.

9. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

All artwork, characters (Posto, Courier Friends), worldbuilding, and gameplay systems are property of Dear Posto, Inc. You may not:

Copy or reuse content,
Sell or reskin parts of the app,
Reverse-engineer or decompile the game.

Fan art, letter-inspired writing, or community tributes are welcome with attribution.

10. SERVICE LIMITATIONS

The app is provided “as-is.” While we aim for reliability, we cannot guarantee:

Continuous uptime,
Delivery of every letter,
Emotional nuance and depth

You acknowledge that this app is not a substitute for professional mental health services.

11. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS

We may update these Terms with reasonable notice. Major changes will require re-acceptance.

12. CONTACT INFORMATION

For all inquiries or data rights requests:

Dear Posto, Inc.
EMAIL: diana@letterstostrangers.org