Time Archive is built to store writing across long stretches of time, so privacy rules need to be clear, durable, and proportionate to what the product actually does.
What we collect
That currently includes the text you submit, the timing you choose, whether the record is private or public, and an email address when the flow needs one. The system also records operational metadata such as timestamps, delivery status, and limited request-level signals used to keep submission rules enforceable.
Public and private records
Private records are meant to return only to the person who can prove control of the related email address. Public archive records may become readable at their permanent public URL once their opening time arrives. If you choose a public record, that content should be treated as eventually public.
Email use
For private records, email is required so the archive can verify the submission and later help the record find its way back to you. For public records, email is optional and is used only to send a permanent link when you ask for that convenience. Login and verification links are one-time use and are designed to expire quickly.
Cookies and sessions
These are used to keep you signed in to your private archive on a device, remember language selection, and remember theme preference when you choose one. They are functional settings, not an advertising profile.
Retention
Because permanence is part of the product meaning, accepted records and their core audit timestamps are intended to remain stable rather than being treated as disposable draft data. Operational rows related to delivery, verification, and sessions may change over time as the system runs, but the archive is designed around preserving accepted records and their time semantics.
Infrastructure
The current system uses standard hosted infrastructure for the web app, database, and email delivery. Those providers necessarily process the data required to store records, send verification or login email, and keep the service running, but the product is designed to minimize unnecessary dependencies and avoid turning archive data into an analytics asset.
Questions
If you want clarification about how a record, email, or private archive flow is handled, contact the archive directly.
timearchive@wenfengxing.com