This page is provided as a general reference for Social Break users and is not a substitute for legal advice. If you have specific legal questions, please consult an attorney.
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains what information Social Break ("we", "us") collects when you use the website, browser extension, and desktop app, and how we use it.
Information We Collect
- Account information: username, email address, and password (stored as a secure hash, never in plain text).
- Plan & media list: the apps/websites you choose to track or block, and your chosen limit settings.
- Usage data: if you connect our browser extension and/or desktop app, they monitor the URL of your currently active browser tab (extension) or the name of your currently focused application (desktop app) in order to detect whether it's on your Media List. Neither reads page content, keystrokes, form inputs, files, or any activity outside the specific sites/apps you have added to your Media List. For those, they record how much time you spend on them (in minutes) and periodically send that total to our servers so we can show your progress, weekly reports, and community averages. This data is stored both locally on your device and on our servers, tied to your account.
- Journal entries: your private journal text is encrypted at rest. If you choose to publish an entry to Community, that entry's title and text become visible to other Premium subscribers after a manual review.
- Diet & nutrition data: any custom meals, ingredients, and pantry or supplement tracking you enter on the Diet page. If you choose to share one of your custom meals to Community Meals, that meal's name, ingredients, and instructions become visible to other Premium subscribers after a manual review, the same as a published journal entry.
- Payment information: subscription payments are processed by Stripe. We never see or store your full card number - we retain only a Stripe customer/subscription reference and your subscription status.
- Communications: messages you send us through the Contact page.
- Google sign-in (optional): if you choose to sign in with Google, Google shares basic profile information (name, email) with us per your Google account settings.
Browser Extension: What It Can Access
Our Chrome extension requests broad host permissions (access to all websites) because its core function - blocking or limiting time on sites you choose - requires it to be able to check the URL of whatever site you're currently on. It does not inject scripts into pages to read their content. Specifically, the extension:
- Reads the URL (not the content) of your currently active browser tab, to check it against your own Media List.
- Uses Chrome's idle-detection API to pause time tracking while your computer is idle or locked, so time isn't counted while you're away.
- Stores your login session (an authentication token) in the extension's local storage so you don't have to log in every time; it never stores your password.
- Can redirect a tab to a local "Take a Breath" page when you reach a limit you've set, and optionally lets you save a short private journal entry from that page.
- Can show a local daily notification summarizing your day's usage; this notification is generated on your device and is not itself transmitted anywhere.
- If you disconnect or uninstall the extension, the login token and cached usage data stored locally in the extension are removed from your device immediately. Data already sent to our servers is retained per the policy below until you request deletion.
Desktop App: What It Can Access
The Social Break desktop app is a small, optional Windows tool for tracking time in native applications the same way the browser extension tracks browser tabs. It runs as a visible icon in your system tray - it never hides its own presence. Specifically, the desktop app:
- Reads only the name of whichever application currently has focus, to check it against the desktop-app entries on your own Media List. It does not read keystrokes, screen contents, file contents, clipboard data, or any other activity - not even for apps you haven't added to your Media List.
- Uses Windows' own idle-detection APIs to pause time tracking while your computer is idle or locked, so time isn't counted while you're away.
- Stores your login token encrypted on disk (via Windows' built-in Data Protection API), tied to your Windows user account - not in plain text, and it never stores your password.
- Can show its own overlay window and minimize the tracked app when you reach a limit you've set, the same enforcement moment as the browser extension's block page.
- If you log out or uninstall the desktop app, the locally stored login token and cached usage data are removed from your device immediately. Data already sent to our servers is retained per the policy below until you request deletion.
How We Use Your Information
We use this information to operate your account, track your progress against your goals, process subscription payments, respond to support requests, and send you service-related emails (such as a reply to a support message). We do not use advertising trackers or sell your data to third parties.
Who We Share Data With
We share data only with the service providers needed to run Social Break: Stripe (payment processing), Google (only if you use Google sign-in), and Sentry (error monitoring - technical crash context like the page URL and stack trace, not your journal or diet content; error reports never include request body content). We do not sell or rent your personal information to anyone.
Data Retention & Deletion
We retain your data for as long as your account is active. You can permanently delete your account and all associated data at any time from the "Delete Account" option in your account menu (top-right) - this deletes your account immediately and cannot be undone. If you're unable to access the app, you can also request deletion by contacting us at socialbreakproject@gmail.com.
Accessing Your Data
You can download your full daily habit history (every habit you're building, breaking, or limiting) as a CSV file at any time from the Habits page. For any other data associated with your account, contact us at socialbreakproject@gmail.com.
Children's Privacy
Social Break is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Continued use of Social Break after a change means you accept the updated policy.
Terms of Service
By creating an account or using Social Break, you agree to these Terms.
The Service
Social Break is a habit-tracking tool to help you reduce social media use, including a free tier and an optional paid Premium subscription that unlocks additional features. Social Break is a personal productivity tool and is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or mental health advice.
Your Account
You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for all activity that happens under your account. You must provide accurate information when registering.
Subscriptions & Billing
Premium is billed on a recurring monthly or annual basis through Stripe and renews automatically until cancelled. You can cancel anytime from the Premium page's "Manage Billing" link. Cancellation stops future renewals; we do not provide prorated refunds for the remainder of a billing period already paid for.
Community Content
If you choose to publish a journal entry to Community, or share a meal to Community Meals, it is reviewed before becoming visible to other users and must not contain illegal, abusive, or harassing content - and for shared meals, must be genuine food content. We may remove content or suspend accounts that violate this.
Acceptable Use
You agree not to misuse the service - including attempting to bypass security, scrape or reverse-engineer the API used by our browser extension or desktop app, or use the service for any unlawful purpose.
Disclaimer & Limitation of Liability
Social Break is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Social Break is not liable for any indirect or consequential damages arising from your use of the service.
Termination
We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms. You may stop using the service and cancel your subscription at any time.
Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of Social Break after a change means you accept the updated Terms.