# Faction — we can’t read your messages. [Faction Privacy First](/) [Open Faction](https://app.faction.chat) Legal # Privacy Policy Last updated: March 23, 2026 This Privacy Notice for **Faction Community, LLC**, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of North Carolina, United States ("we," "us," or "our"), describes how and why we collect, store, and process your personal information when you use Faction and our related services ("Services"), including when you: - Visit faction.chat or any of our websites - Download and use the Faction desktop or mobile application - Communicate through Faction - our end-to-end encrypted platform for communities, teams, and creators. Faction provides servers, channels, direct messages, group chat, voice and video calling, forums, bots, and plugins. Direct and group messages are end-to-end encrypted. Media uploads are subject to child-safety scanning as described in the Child Safety Scanning section below. - Engage with us in other related ways, including events or support If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services. If you have questions or concerns, contact us at [legal@faction.chat](mailto:legal@faction.chat). ## 15. Regional Restrictions and Legal References We may deny or block access where required for legal compliance. As of March 15, 2026, our hard-block baseline includes sanctions jurisdictions and selected social-platform age-law jurisdictions where we do not currently provide the required compliance flow. ### U.S. sanctions and covered regions - Cuba — U.S. sanctions program: ofac.treasury.gov/.../cuba-sanctions - Iran — U.S. sanctions program: ofac.treasury.gov/.../iran-sanctions - North Korea — U.S. sanctions program: ofac.treasury.gov/.../north-korea-sanctions - Covered regions in Ukraine — Executive Order 14065 / OFAC FAQ 1006: ofac.treasury.gov/faqs/1006 ### Social-platform age-law hard blocks - Australia — social media minimum-age framework: infrastructure.gov.au/.../social-media-minimum-age - Florida — social media protections for minors (Fla. Stat. 501.1736): flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/501.1736 - Mississippi — HB 1126 (Walker Montgomery Act): billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/.../HB1126SG.htm - Tennessee — Protecting Children from Social Media Act (HB 1891): capitol.tn.gov/Bills/113/Bill/HB1891.pdf If you are in a blocked age-law jurisdiction and want us to prioritize non-invasive tokenized verification options, contact [legal@faction.chat](mailto:legal@faction.chat). We are evaluating providers such as [Yoti](https://www.yoti.com/business/age-verification/). ## 16. Privacy-First Commitment The commitments below are binding obligations we take seriously, not marketing language. We collect the minimum data we need to run, secure, and lawfully operate the service. Where our protections have limits or trade-offs - such as child-safety scanning for CSAM - we explain them directly in this policy, including the distinction between end-to-end encrypted and non-encrypted upload paths. We will never sell, rent, license, trade, or monetize your personal data or message content. We do not train AI on your messages, files, uploads, or other content. We do not run ads, build advertising profiles, or track you across other websites. We avoid tracking and profiling business models entirely. We build privacy-by-design and data minimization into the product. Our servers cannot decrypt direct or group message plaintext. We do collect limited metadata required to operate, secure, and comply - including account identifiers, security and session data, approximate IP-derived geolocation, and child-safety scanning of media as described in the Child Safety Scanning section below. **Zero-Trust Server Architecture.** Our server infrastructure assumes the server is untrusted. Direct and group message payloads are encrypted on your device before transmission and can only be decrypted by intended recipients. The server stores and relays encrypted payloads and cannot decrypt them. Media uploads are subject to child-safety scanning as described in the Child Safety Scanning section below, with different procedures depending on whether the upload path is end-to-end encrypted. **Encryption Scope.** Direct messages use the Signal protocol (libsignal) on desktop and mobile. Server channels and groups use the Message Layer Security (MLS) protocol (IETF [RFC 9420](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9420)). Voice and video are encrypted at the media frame level. File attachments within end-to-end encrypted conversations are encrypted on your device before upload; the server never receives the plaintext content. Non-encrypted upload surfaces (such as avatars, server icons, and other profile media) pass through our backend and are subject to direct content scanning. **Private Keys Never Leave Your Device.** Your cryptographic identity keys are generated and stored on your device. They are not transmitted to or stored on our servers. Multi-device support uses per-device key enrollment. **No Data Mining. No Ad Targeting. No AI Training on Your Content.** We do not analyze, profile, or monetize your communications or usage for advertising. We do not use your messages, files, or uploads to train, fine-tune, or improve AI or machine learning models. We collect only the minimum data required to operate and secure the service and to meet legal obligations, including child-safety and abuse-prevention obligations. We are committed to transparency and to minimizing data retention. ## 16a. Child Safety Scanning (Project Arachnid) To comply with child-safety laws and to help combat the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), we use [Project Arachnid](https://projectarachnid.ca) operated by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P). How scanning works depends on whether your content is end-to-end encrypted. ### Non-Encrypted Uploads (avatars, server icons, profile media) For media that is **not** end-to-end encrypted - such as user avatars, server icons, banners, and other profile or server-level images - the actual image bytes pass through our backend upload service. In this case, the raw image data is sent to the Project Arachnid Shield API for CSAM classification. If a match is detected, the upload is blocked and a Trust and Safety review is triggered. No plaintext image data is stored on our servers beyond the time required to complete the scan and deliver the file to object storage. ### End-to-End Encrypted Uploads (message attachments in E2E channels) For media attached to end-to-end encrypted messages - including file attachments in direct messages, group chats, and encrypted server channels - **the server never receives or sees the plaintext image**. Instead, your client application computes a **PDQ perceptual hash** (a one-way, non-reversible fingerprint) of the image locally on your device before encrypting the file. Only this 64-character hash - not the image itself - is sent to the Project Arachnid Shield API for matching against known CSAM databases. The original image cannot be reconstructed from this hash. If the hash matches a known CSAM signature, the upload is blocked. If no match is found, the encrypted file is stored and delivered normally. ### What This Means for Your Privacy - E2E encrypted attachments: Only a perceptual hash (not the image) is ever shared with Project Arachnid. The server and Project Arachnid never see your actual files. - Non-E2E uploads: The actual image bytes are sent to Project Arachnid for scanning because the server already has access to the plaintext on these surfaces. - Project Arachnid does not retain, store, or index your images or hashes beyond what is needed for real-time classification. See the Project Arachnid Privacy Statement for details on their data handling. We believe this approach strikes the right balance: it protects children by detecting known CSAM material while preserving the privacy guarantees of end-to-end encryption. Your encrypted messages and attachments remain unreadable to our servers at all times. ## 17. Do We Make Updates to This Notice? *In short: Yes - when privacy laws change or our practices evolve, we update this notice.* We update this notice when required by law or when our data practices change. The "Last Updated" date at the top reflects the latest version. For material changes, we will notify you through the app or by email before they take effect. ## 18. How Can You Contact Us About This Notice? If you have questions or comments about this notice, email us at [legal@faction.chat](mailto:legal@faction.chat). Faction Community, LLC is based in the State of North Carolina, United States. ## 19. How Can You Review, Update, or Delete the Data We Collect from You? You can access, correct, or delete your personal data at any time. Most actions are available in your Faction account settings. For data export, account deletion, or questions about what we store, contact us at [faction.chat/support](/support) or [legal@faction.chat](mailto:legal@faction.chat). ## Related Policies - Cookie & Local Storage Policy - Terms of Service - Security - Project Arachnid Privacy Statement - C3P Privacy Policy - Project Arachnid Terms of Use