Privacy policy
Tincan is built so that the things you share never reach us. This page lists everything our server does handle, why, and for how long.
Last updated
In short
- Your calls, shared screens, chat messages, files and game moves go directly between the two browsers, encrypted. They never pass through our server.
- There are no accounts, no cookies, no analytics, no ads and no trackers.
- The server keeps what it needs to run rooms in memory only, and forgets it when you leave or the room closes.
- Our logs contain room codes, random session IDs and times. No IP addresses, names or content.
What passes through our server
To list rooms and introduce two browsers to each other, the signaling server handles the following:
| Data | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Your IP address | To limit how many rooms one address can open and to slow down PIN guessing | In memory while you are connected. A count of wrong PINs is kept for up to 5 minutes. Never written to logs |
| Your display name | To show the other person in your room who they are talking to | In memory while you are connected |
| Room name and code | To show the room in the public list | Until the room has been empty for 10 minutes |
| Room PIN | To check that people joining know it | Only a salted SHA-256 hash is kept, in memory, and deleted with the room |
| Connection setup messages | Passed to the other person so your browsers can connect. They contain network addresses and encryption fingerprints, not content | Relayed as they arrive, not stored |
| Server log | To keep the service running | Room codes, random session IDs and timestamps only |
Address lookup (STUN)
Your browser sends a small request to our STUN responder, which replies with the public address it saw so the two browsers can find a direct path. Nothing about these requests is stored.
What never reaches us
Audio and video from your camera and microphone, your shared screen and its sound, chat messages, files and game moves all travel over an encrypted WebRTC connection straight between the two browsers. There is no relay server that could see them, and nothing is recorded.
What the other person receives
Because the connection is direct, the other person's browser learns the network addresses (IP addresses) your browser uses to reach it, as happens with any peer-to-peer call. They also see your display name and anything you choose to share in the room.
What is stored in your browser
tincan:nickin local storage holds the name you chose, so you don't have to type it again.- Files you receive are kept in this browser's storage (IndexedDB), block by block, so an interrupted transfer can pick up where it stopped, in the same room or another one. They stay on your device. Inside a room, Saved on this devicelists them and lets you delete one or all.
- When you join a room with a PIN from the home page, the PIN is held in session storage just long enough to hand it to the room page, then removed.
Tincan sets no cookies. Clearing this site's data in your browser removes your saved name and any stored files.
Hosting
The website is served by Cloudflare, which processes requests, including IP addresses, to deliver pages under its own policy. The signaling and STUN server runs on a virtual server in Germany. Neither receives the content of your calls or files.
Children
Tincan is not directed at children under 13 and we don't knowingly handle their information.
Your choices
Since we keep no account or history, there is nothing about you to export or delete after you leave. If you have a question about your data, open an issue on GitHub.
Changes to this policy
If how Tincan handles data changes, this page changes with it and the date at the top is updated. The full history is public in the source repository.