A quiet place still needs careful boundaries.

The garden is anonymous by design, ephemeral by default, and moderated to protect the people who enter it.

What is stored

Published message text, a random flower design, creation time, expiry time, and acknowledgement count are stored in a private database outside the public website directory. Messages are automatically deleted after 24 hours. Reports and “I heard you” acknowledgements disappear with the message.

Network information

As with any website, the web server sees IP addresses in ordinary access logs. The application does not place raw IP addresses in its message database. It uses secret one-way identifiers for rate limiting, duplicate acknowledgements, and duplicate reports. Rate-limit files expire automatically.

No identities

There are no accounts, profiles, display names, follower lists, comments, direct messages, or public locations. Messages containing links, email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses, or social handles are rejected.

Moderation

Before publication, deterministic filters reject obvious personal information, threats, sexual exploitation of minors, dehumanizing slurs, spam, and direct statements of imminent self-harm. Visitors can report anything that bypasses the filters. Three independent reports automatically hide a flower for safety.

Crisis language

The garden is not a crisis service. Direct language indicating imminent self-harm is not displayed publicly. Instead, the person is encouraged to contact local emergency services, someone they trust, or a confidential service listed at Find A Helpline.

Limits

Automated moderation can make mistakes and cannot understand every language or context. Do not use this site to report emergencies, crimes, or imminent threats. Contact the appropriate local authority or emergency service directly.

Retention

Visible and hidden messages are deleted after their 24-hour expiry. The SQLite database and rate-limit files are private to the hosting account. Normal server backups may retain database snapshots according to the operator's infrastructure policy, although the application itself does not create a permanent archive.

Effective date

This policy is effective August 11, 2026.