Privacy & Security

Effective August 29, 2026

This page explains what Prodigy Classic collects, who can see messages, and where the service's privacy protections stop. We would rather be specific than make a broad promise that everything is private.

Chat rooms are shared spaces. Instant messages are limited to the people in the conversation through normal account access, but they are not end-to-end encrypted.

What we collect

• Your Service ID, screen name, password hash, profile details, and email address when you provide one.
• Mail, instant messages, bulletin-board posts, feedback, buddy lists, and other content you choose to send.
• Connection and security information such as IP address, browser or app details, sign-in events, room joins, message-send events, and rate-limit events.
• Basic usage and cost records that help us operate the chat service and its automated room characters.

Who can see chat and messages?

• Chat rooms: everyone currently in the room can read what you post. Other people may save or capture it.
• IRC-connected rooms: messages are also sent to the connected EFnet IRC channel and are subject to EFnet and IRC participants' practices.
• Instant messages: the site checks that an account is the sender or recipient before showing a conversation. IMs are temporarily stored on the server so they can be delivered across the web and desktop apps. They are deleted from the active database when either participant logs out.
• Mail: mail is stored so recipients can read it later. Desktop-to-desktop mail may be end-to-end encrypted when the recipient has registered an encryption key. If the app says a recipient has no key, the message is sent without that protection.

Authorized administrators who maintain the server can technically access server-stored information, including unencrypted messages. We do not claim that ordinary IMs or all mail are invisible to the service operator.

Automated chat characters

Some rooms include automated characters. When they respond intelligently, the service may send your message and a limited amount of recent room context to Google Gemini or OpenRouter to generate a reply. Do not share passwords, phone numbers, addresses, financial information, or anything else you would not want processed by an outside AI provider.

Google/Gmail access

Connecting Gmail is optional. If you choose to connect it, Prodigy Classic asks Google for read-only access through the gmail.readonly permission. This lets the classic Gmail reader list your messages and show the text of a message you choose to open.

• Your browser requests Gmail data directly from Google. Gmail messages and Google access tokens are not transmitted to or stored by Prodigy Classic servers.
• The Gmail reader cannot send, delete, archive, label, or otherwise change your Gmail.
• Gmail data is not used for advertising, profiling, or AI training. It is not shared with automated chat characters or their AI providers.
• The short-lived Google access token stays in browser memory. It is cleared when the Gmail reader is closed or reloaded, and Disconnect also asks Google to revoke it.
• The reader shows message text only. It does not load remote images, tracking pixels, email scripts, or attachments.

You can disconnect at any time. You can also revoke Prodigy Classic's access from your Google Account settings.

Prodigy Classic's use of information received from Google Workspace APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.

How we protect the service

• The website uses HTTPS, and supported desktop connections use TLS.
• Passwords are stored as salted hashes rather than readable passwords.
• Sessions, CSRF protection, access checks, rate limits, and audit events help prevent account and service abuse.
• Room-message text is not written into the normal chat audit log, although recipients, connected services, and automated characters can still receive it.

No internet service can promise perfect security. Please use a unique password and avoid sharing sensitive personal information in chat.

How long information stays

Instant messages are designed to be temporary and are purged on logout. Account information, mail, bulletin-board posts, feedback, and security records remain while needed to provide and protect the service, or until they are deleted by the member or administrator where that option exists. We do not yet publish a fixed deletion schedule for every record type.

Cookies and outside services

Prodigy Classic uses essential cookies to keep you signed in and protect forms. We do not sell personal information or run behavior-based advertising. Some pages link to or embed outside services, including YouTube, Internet Archive sites, EFnet, Google Gemini, and OpenRouter. Those services have their own privacy practices.

Your choices

You can log out to clear active instant-message history, delete messages or posts where controls are provided, and ask the administrator to review or delete account information.

Children

The service is not directed to children under 13. Do not submit a child's personal information through chat or account forms.

Questions or privacy requests

Use the contact form and choose Privacy Request as the topic.

Changes to this page

As the service grows, its privacy and security protections may change. We will update this page and its effective date when the practices described here materially change.