Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 8, 2026

Refuge — Soul Companion ("Refuge," "we," "our," or "us") is an AI companion for Christian-guided reflection, built by Dr. Jon Thompson. We take your privacy seriously. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your data.

Information We Collect

Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your email address and, if you use Apple Sign In, the information Apple provides (name and email). We use this to authenticate your account and manage your subscription.

Conversation Data: The messages you send to Refuge and the responses generated are stored to maintain your conversation history and enable the Soul Profile feature. Your conversations are private to your account.

Soul Profile: Refuge maintains a profile of themes, struggles, and details you share across conversations. This is used to provide more meaningful, personalized responses over time. You can view and edit your Soul Profile at any time within the app.

Payment Information: Subscription payments are processed by Stripe. We do not store your credit card number, bank account details, or other payment credentials. Stripe's privacy policy governs their handling of your payment data.

Device Information: If you enable push notifications, we store your device token to deliver notifications. We collect basic device information (platform type) for this purpose only.

Notification Preferences: We store your notification settings (daily inspiration timing, journey reminders) to deliver notifications according to your preferences.

How We Use Your Information

• To provide and maintain the Refuge service
• To generate AI-guided responses to your messages
• To maintain conversation history and Soul Profile continuity
• To process subscription payments
• To send push notifications you have opted into
• To improve the quality and reliability of the service

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your conversations to train AI models. We do not display advertising.

Third-Party Services

Refuge uses the following third-party services to operate:

• Anthropic (Claude API): Your messages are sent to Anthropic's API to generate AI responses. Anthropic's usage policies govern their handling of this data. Anthropic does not use API inputs to train their models.
• Supabase: Our database and authentication provider. Your account information and conversation data are stored in Supabase's cloud infrastructure with encryption at rest.
• Stripe: Payment processing for subscriptions. Stripe handles all payment credentials directly.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging: Used to deliver push notifications to your device. Only your device token is shared with Firebase for this purpose.
• Vercel: Hosts our web application frontend.
• Railway: Hosts our backend application server.

Data Retention

Your conversation data and Soul Profile are retained as long as your account is active. Soul Profile context older than 120 days is automatically retired unless you bring it forward in conversation.

If you delete a conversation, it is permanently removed from our database. If you delete your account, all associated data — conversations, Soul Profile, preferences, and payment records — will be permanently deleted.

Data Security

We use industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) for all data transmission, encrypted storage at rest through our database provider, and secure authentication through Supabase.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your conversation history and Soul Profile within the app
• Edit or correct your Soul Profile at any time
• Delete individual conversations
• Delete your account and all associated data
• Opt out of push notifications at any time through the app settings or your device settings
• Request a copy of your data by contacting us

Children's Privacy

Refuge is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

Crisis Situations

Refuge is an AI companion, not a therapist or medical provider. If a user expresses suicidal thoughts or indicates immediate danger, Refuge provides the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) and encourages the user to contact emergency services. Refuge is not a substitute for professional mental health care.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes through the app or by email. Your continued use of Refuge after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this privacy policy or your data, contact us at:

Dr. Jon Thompson
Refuge — Soul Companion
Email: jon@refugeapp.ai