Overview
Nerve provides private messaging, groups, public channels, operational alerts, and optional on-device media sources. This Privacy Policy covers Nerve Ops, Nerve: Private Messenger, and the Nerve website. It explains what information we process, how we use it, and how users can contact us about privacy or data requests. Nerve is operated by TC Infra.
Data we process
Nerve may process account identifiers, passkey credential records, profile information, avatars, device push tokens, encrypted message envelopes, delivery status, app interaction metadata, diagnostics, and security logs needed to operate, protect, troubleshoot, and improve the service.
Depending on how you use Nerve, this may include user ID, handle, display name, public authentication keys, mobile device identifiers, push tokens, device model, operating system version, app version, IP address, request metadata, timestamps, channel and sender identifiers, group memberships, delivery metadata, encrypted message envelopes, encrypted recovery capsules, public posts, agent connection metadata, webhook metadata, support messages, and abuse prevention records.
Account and sign-in data
Current versions use passkeys. Creating an account does not require providing Nerve with a phone number or email address. We store a generated account ID, credential identifiers, public-key authentication records, and session metadata. Passkey private keys and device biometric data are not sent to Nerve. Your operating system or chosen credential provider manages passkey storage, synchronization, and device verification under its own policies.
Older versions supported Google or Apple sign-in. This is not the current login method; any retained legacy account records remain subject to this policy. Contacting support by email is separate from passkey sign-in.
Private messages and recovery
Private messages sent by the mobile clients are end-to-end encrypted before transmission. The service stores and routes encrypted message envelopes and encrypted key-recovery capsules; private message content is decrypted on participating devices. Public posts, profile fields, and avatars are not private encrypted message content. Hosted webhook integrations can receive plaintext event data before encrypting an alert for delivery; do not treat those integrations as end-to-end encrypted from the originating service.
Encryption does not remove all metadata. We may still process routing metadata, delivery metadata, device metadata, timestamps, sender identifiers, channel identifiers, memberships, webhook request metadata, and other information required to operate, secure, debug, and prevent abuse of the service.
Profiles, avatars, and public channels
Handles and profile information help other users find and recognize you. User and group avatars you choose to upload are stored on Nerve infrastructure and are not end-to-end encrypted. Avatar URLs can be retrieved by anyone who has the URL. Public channel or public group information and posts are intended for public access, including through public web pages. Do not publish sensitive information in these fields.
Selecting an avatar uploads the selected image, not your entire photo library. Device-local wallpaper choices are not published as profile information. Other people may retain copies of content you share with them or publish.
Optional Apps, media sources, and downloads
You may add third-party manifests, compatible music plugins, or personal media sources in Apps. Source requests, searches, artwork retrieval, and playback connect from your device to the selected provider or the endpoints its plugin uses. Those providers may receive your IP address, search terms, media identifiers, request headers, and credentials you explicitly supply to that source. Their own privacy policies apply. Nerve does not send your Nerve account session token to a media source or relay its media through the Nerve messaging backend.
Player queues, playback progress, caches, and downloads are maintained on your device. A card you deliberately share in a chat becomes part of that conversation. If you export a download using the operating system, the destination app or storage provider handles that copy. Torrent playback or downloads connect to peers and trackers, which can see your IP address and the torrent you request. Only enable sources you trust.
Push notifications
Nerve may use device push tokens, including Firebase Cloud Messaging tokens on Android and Apple Push Notification service tokens on iOS, to deliver app notifications. Push tokens are used only to provide notification functionality and maintain reliable delivery.
Push delivery depends on Apple, Google, device settings, operating systems, networks, and carriers. Notification previews, badges, and delivery behavior may be controlled by your device and platform settings.
Diagnostics and security logs
We may process technical logs, app diagnostics, crash information, device information, operating system version, timestamps, request metadata, and security events to monitor service reliability, investigate issues, prevent abuse, and protect the service.
Support and communications
If you contact us, we may process your email address, message content, attachments, diagnostic details, and related communications. Do not send sender DSNs, agent tokens, private keys, Apple or Google credentials, server secrets, regulated data, or unnecessary personal information in support requests.
How we use data
We use data to provide app functionality, authenticate users, deliver messages and operational alerts, publish the public content you choose to share, send notifications, maintain service reliability, troubleshoot problems, prevent abuse, and comply with applicable legal and security requirements.
We may also use data to maintain accounts and sync app state, detect misuse, enforce rate limits, investigate security events, respond to support requests, comply with legal obligations, and improve reliability and usability.
Data sharing
We do not sell user data. We may share limited data with service providers needed to operate the app, such as hosting, authentication, analytics, diagnostics, security, and notification infrastructure providers. These providers process data only as needed to support the service.
Service providers may include hosting, storage, DNS, CDN, authentication, push notification, app distribution, diagnostics, analytics, fraud prevention, security, email, and support providers. We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect rights and safety, to investigate abuse, or as part of a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets with appropriate notice where required.
Website analytics
Other pages of the Nerve website use Matomo for page-view and link-interaction analytics, configured without analytics cookies and to respect the browser's Do Not Track setting. Website hosting and security infrastructure may process IP addresses and HTTP request information. This privacy policy page does not load the website analytics script; its content is readable without signing in or enabling JavaScript.
No sale of personal data
We do not sell personal data. We do not use encrypted operational payloads for advertising. If this changes, we will update this policy and provide any notices or choices required by law or platform policy.
App store disclosures
App store privacy labels and data safety disclosures summarize data practices for app review and user-facing store listings. This Privacy Policy is intended to provide the more complete disclosure. If you notice a conflict between an app store label and this policy, contact us so we can review and correct it.
Data security
We use technical and organizational safeguards designed to protect data in transit and at rest. Private mobile messages are encrypted before they reach the hosted relay. No system can be guaranteed completely secure, but Nerve is built with security as a primary design goal.
You remain responsible for device security, account security, sender DSN rotation, webhook secrecy, agent token protection, local agent configuration, infrastructure permissions, and avoiding sensitive plaintext in fields that may be logged or displayed by your own tools.
Data retention
We retain data only as long as needed to provide the service, maintain security, troubleshoot issues, comply with legal obligations, and support operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason it is processed.
We may retain security logs, abuse-prevention records, support records, and limited backup records for longer periods where reasonably necessary for security, legal, accounting, operational, or dispute-resolution purposes.
User choices and account deletion
Users may contact us to request access, correction, or deletion of their data. Some information may need to be retained where required for security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, or legitimate operational purposes.
In the app, open You (account settings), choose Delete account, and complete the confirmation. This deletes the server account identity, device registrations, recovery data, memberships, and owned channels, and removes associated uploaded avatars. Logging out or uninstalling the app does not delete the server account. Encrypted direct-message history already shared with another participant may remain for that participant. Copies saved by other people, exported files, and limited retained records described above are not erased from every device or backup by account deletion.
You can also request deletion assistance or exercise your privacy rights by emailing [email protected] with "account deletion" in the subject and your Nerve ID or handle, if known. A passkey account has no required associated email address. We need to verify control of the account before acting; an email address or handle alone is not proof of ownership. Never send us a passkey, private key, device PIN, or session token.
You can reduce data processed by removing devices, rotating or deleting senders, disabling webhooks, deleting channels, disconnecting agents, removing media sources and local downloads, changing notification settings, and limiting what your scripts send to Nerve.
Regional privacy rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, export, restrict, or object to certain processing of personal data. You may also have the right to appeal a decision or contact a local data protection authority. To exercise privacy rights, contact us at [email protected].
International processing
We may process and store information in the United States and other countries where we or our service providers operate. Those countries may have data protection laws that differ from the laws where you live.
Legal bases
Where a legal basis is required, we process data to provide the service, perform our agreement with you, comply with legal obligations, protect the service and users, prevent abuse, and pursue legitimate interests such as security, reliability, support, and product improvement.
Children
Nerve is not intended for children. The app is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will update the effective date on this page.
Contact
For privacy, support, or data requests, contact us at [email protected]. Nerve is operated by TC Infra.