1. Introduction

NextChat ("we", "our", or "us") operates a real-time messaging platform accessible at nextchat.in. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use our service. By creating an account or using NextChat, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

NextChat is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. If you are under 18, you must not use this service.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

Account Information

When you register, we collect your username, email address, password (stored as a bcrypt hash — we never store plaintext passwords), display name, gender, age, country, and state/region if provided.

Messages and Content

We store the messages you send, including text content, images, audio recordings, and files. Messages are stored in our database to deliver them to recipients and to allow you to view message history. All message content is encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM. Direct messages are additionally end-to-end encrypted using RSA-OAEP, meaning only you and the recipient can read them.

Usage Data

We collect your last seen timestamp, online/offline status, and which channels or rooms you are a member of.

Uploaded Files

Images, voice messages, and other files you upload are stored on our cloud file hosting service (Cloudinary). These files are accessible via URL to participants of the relevant chat room.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

Deliver messages and notifications in real time
Authenticate your identity and maintain your session securely
Display your profile, avatar, and online status to other users
Maintain message history so you can view past conversations
Investigate and prevent abuse, spam, or violations of our Terms of Service
Send important service-related communications such as OTP verification codes and security notices

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

NextChat and its third-party partners use cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate and improve the service and to display relevant advertising. This section summarizes our practices — see our full Cookie Policy for details.

Essential — Local Storage, Not Cookies

NextChat keeps you logged in using your browser's local storage (not a cookie) to hold your session token. This is strictly necessary for the service to function and isn't affected by the cookie choice below.

Analytics & Advertising Cookies — Ask First

On your first visit, we ask whether you're OK with analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. We only load those scripts if you accept — if you decline or haven't chosen yet, they never load at all, and no advertising/analytics cookies are set. You can change your choice at any time by clearing your browser's site data for nextchat.in, which will show the prompt again.

Advertising Cookies (Google AdSense)

If you accept, we display advertisements served by Google AdSense. Google and its partners may use cookies to serve ads to you based on your prior visits to this website or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the internet.

You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of third-party vendor cookies by visiting aboutads.info.

Analytics

We may use analytics tools to understand how users interact with our platform. This data is aggregated and not used to identify individual users.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored on MongoDB Atlas (cloud database). Uploaded files are stored on Cloudinary. We implement the following security measures:

Passwords are hashed using bcrypt (12 salt rounds) — never stored in plaintext
All message content encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM
Direct messages use end-to-end encryption (RSA-OAEP 2048-bit + AES-GCM 256-bit) — only sender and recipient can decrypt
All API requests require a signed JWT token for authentication
All connections use HTTPS/TLS encryption in transit
Database access is restricted by IP allowlist and requires authentication

Despite these measures, no system is 100% secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password for your NextChat account.

6. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account exists. Messages and uploaded files are retained until you delete them or delete your account. When you permanently delete your account, we delete your profile, every message you sent (across all rooms and conversations), your uploaded avatar and media files from our file host, and any direct-message conversation that becomes one-sided as a result. This cannot be undone.

Guest accounts are automatically deleted after 24 hours along with all messages associated with them.

7. Information Shared With Others

By using NextChat, you understand that:

Messages you send in public channels are visible to all members of that channel
Direct messages are visible only to you and the recipient
Your username, avatar, and online status are visible to all users on the platform
Your profile information (bio, display name) is visible to other users

8. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate NextChat:

MongoDB Atlas — database hosting (MongoDB Inc., USA)
Cloudinary — image and file storage (Cloudinary Ltd., USA)
Google AdSense — advertising network (Google LLC, USA)
Vercel — frontend hosting

Each of these services has their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review them.

9. Your Rights

You have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you by contacting us at support@nextchat.in
Correct inaccurate information by editing your profile in Settings
Delete your account permanently via the Settings page — this removes your profile, messages, and uploaded media from our systems
Withdraw analytics/advertising cookie consent at any time by clearing your browser's site data for nextchat.in
Request a copy of your data by emailing support@nextchat.in
Opt out of personalised advertising via Google Ads Settings

10. Children's Privacy

NextChat is strictly intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, please contact us immediately at support@nextchat.in and we will remove the account and all associated data promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of NextChat after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal data, or how we handle information, please contact us:

Email: support@nextchat.in

Website: nextchat.in/contact