Last updated: September 30, 2026 · Version 1.20.10
Privacy Policy
🔐 The short version: CourtBuddy is zero-knowledge. Your case data is encrypted in your browser with AES-256-GCM before it ever reaches our servers. We store only ciphertext we cannot read. We cannot see, sell, share, or recover your family-law information — because we never have it in readable form.
1 · What we collect
| Data | What it is | Can we read it? |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | Your account identifier | Yes — needed to log you in |
| Password verifier | Argon2id hash of your password (not the password) | No — one-way hash only |
| Encrypted case blobs | Your matters, finances, documents — AES-256-GCM ciphertext | No — encrypted with keys we never hold |
| Public key / wrapped private key | RSA keys; the private key is itself encrypted with your password | No — password-wrapped |
| Theme preference | Stored in your browser's localStorage, never sent to us | N/A |
| Server logs | Standard web-server request logs (IP, time, URL) | Yes — retained briefly, see §6 |
We do not collect analytics, advertising identifiers, device fingerprints, or location data. There are no third-party scripts, fonts, or trackers anywhere in the app.
2 · Zero-knowledge architecture
- Encryption happens in your browser using the WebCrypto API: AES-256-GCM for case data, RSA-OAEP key wrapping, PBKDF2-SHA-256 key derivation (5,000,000 iterations) from your password.
- The server stores only ciphertext. A database leak, a subpoena of our servers, or a compromise of our hosting would reveal no readable case content.
- Because we cannot decrypt your data, we cannot recover it if you lose your password. There is no back door, by design.
- Document intake (uploading a court document to auto-detect fields) runs entirely client-side — the document text never leaves your browser except inside your encrypted case blob.
3 · How information is used
- Your email + password verifier: to authenticate you and only you.
- Your encrypted blobs: stored so your devices can retrieve them, and for nothing else. We do not mine, scan, or process their contents.
- We do not use your information for advertising, profiling, or any secondary purpose. There is no secondary purpose.
4 · Sharing & disclosure
- We do not sell, rent, or share personal information with third parties. There are no analytics or advertising partners to share with.
- We will disclose information only if required by a valid Ontario or Canadian court order — and even then, case content would remain unreadable ciphertext.
5 · Cookies, storage & trackers
- A single session cookie keeps you logged in. It contains only a random session identifier.
- Your theme choice is stored in your browser's localStorage and never transmitted.
- No tracking cookies, no pixels, no beacons, no fingerprinting. Our Content Security Policy forbids loading any third-party resource at all.
6 · Retention & deletion
- Case data is kept until you delete it. Deleting a case or your account removes the ciphertext from our servers.
- Server request logs are retained for a short operational window (typically ≤ 30 days) and then rotated away.
- Encrypted backups you export (the app's backup feature) live wherever you save them — we never see them.
7 · Security measures
- Randomized single-use math challenge on every login/registration (bot hardening, no third-party CAPTCHA).
- Rate limiting: 10 auth attempts per IP per 15 minutes.
- HSTS (HTTPS-only), locked-down Content Security Policy,
frame-ancestors 'none'(clickjacking defense), and CSRF tokens on all state-changing requests. - Passwords: Argon2id hashing; minimum 12 characters.
- No security is absolute. We patch promptly and publish version notes with each release.
8 · Children's information
CourtBuddy is a family-law tool; you may enter your children's names and birth dates as part of your own case. Enter only information you have the right to provide, keep it factual and minimal, and remember your encrypted exports contain it — store them securely.
9 · Your rights
- Access & portability: everything you entered is visible to you in the app and exportable as an encrypted backup at any time.
- Correction: edit any field directly in the app.
- Deletion: delete cases or your whole account in the app; the ciphertext is removed from our servers. (Your own exported backups are yours to destroy.)
- Ontario residents may also contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario with concerns.
10 · Breach notification
If we discover a breach affecting the readability of account data, we will notify affected users by email promptly and describe what happened, what was (and was not) exposed, and what we are doing about it. Because case content is zero-knowledge ciphertext, a server breach does not expose your family-law information.
11 · Contact
Privacy questions: contact us through EmergencyHousing.CA. This policy may be updated; the "Last updated" date above always reflects the current version.