Privacy Policy

This privacy policy was last updated June 21st, 2026.

1. Introduction

At Five Year Journal, we care about your privacy. This privacy policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, and how we keep it safe. By using our website, you agree to this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect a small amount of information to provide our services:

• Email Address: When you sign up for an account, we collect your email address. This is used to communicate with you, such as account activation, account-related updates, and the email reminders described below.
• Your Journal Entries: Any content you write in your journal (such as text and images) is stored securely on our servers, so we can show it back to you and to anyone you choose to share it with (see “How Your Entries Are Shared” below).
• Profile and Settings: We store preferences you set, such as your time zone, how far back you look at past entries, your default entry visibility, and your email reminder preferences.
• Follow Relationships: We store who you follow and who follows you, so that shared entries can be displayed to the right people.
• Subscription Information: If you subscribe to Premium, we store information needed to manage your subscription, such as your Stripe customer and subscription identifiers, your plan, your subscription status, and when the current billing period ends. We do not store your full payment card details (see “Payments” below).

We do not collect any other personal information unless you provide it directly, such as in your journal entries.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for these purposes:

• To Provide Our Service: We use your email address to create and manage your account, and to send you important updates related to your account.
• To Send Reminders: If you opt in, we send email reminders to come back and write an entry, and warnings when your journaling streak is about to lapse. You can turn these off in your settings.
• To Manage Subscriptions: We use your subscription information to determine whether you have access to Premium features.
• To Process Payments: If you make a payment, we use Stripe to process it. Stripe collects your payment details directly; we do not receive or store your full card information. You can learn more about how Stripe handles your data by reading their Privacy Policy.

4. How Your Entries Are Shared

You control who can see each journal entry through its visibility setting:

• Private: visible only to you. This is the default.
• Mutuals: visible to people you follow who also follow you back.
• Public: visible to anyone who follows you.

We only share your entries with other users in the way that your chosen visibility setting allows. We do not sell your personal information or your journal entries, and we do not share them with advertisers.

5. How We Protect Your Information

We take your privacy seriously. We use strong security measures to protect your email address, journal entries, and any other information we collect. Your data is stored securely, and we work hard to ensure it stays safe.

6. Your Rights

You have rights over the information you share with us:

• Access to Your Information: You can always view or edit the information we have on file, including your email address and journal entries.
• Deleting Your Account: If you no longer want to use our service, you can request to delete your account and all your journal entries. Use the "delete account" button on your settings page, or contact us at [email protected].

7. Third-Party Services

We use Stripe to handle payments. Stripe is a trusted third-party service, and they have their own privacy policy. We don’t have access to your full payment card details, but you can read Stripe's privacy policy here.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

From time to time, we may update this privacy policy to reflect changes in how we handle information or updates to laws. Any changes will be posted on this page, so please check back occasionally.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about your privacy or our policy, feel free to contact us: [email protected]