Privacy policy
This policy covers the Android app TalX and this website. It is deliberately split in two, because the two work in completely different ways.
Controller
Section titled “Controller”Controller within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
TalX MessengerSascha Güntherc/o Autorenglück #69965Albert-Einstein-Straße 4702977 HoyerswerdaGermanyE-mail: info@talx-messenger.appPart 1 · The TalX app
Section titled “Part 1 · The TalX app”The core in one sentence
Section titled “The core in one sentence”TalX collects no personal data and transmits none to the provider. There is no user account, no registration, no phone number, no e-mail address, no analytics, no advertising identifiers and no usage tracking.
What stays on your device
Section titled “What stays on your device”This data is created locally only and is never transmitted to the provider:
| Data | Purpose | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Messages, attachments, chat histories | the actual function | encrypted database (SQLCipher, AES-256); attachments additionally AES-256-GCM |
| Contacts and their public keys | delivery and encryption | as above |
| Your display name, profile picture, status message | shown to your contacts | as above, additionally distributed encrypted to your contacts |
| Cryptographic keys | encryption and decryption | behind a hardware-bound master secret in the Android keystore |
| Transcripts of voice messages | local readability | purely local; deleted along with the message |
| Translations | local readability | purely local; deleted along with the message |
| App settings | behaviour of the app | local |
If the app is uninstalled, this data goes with it.
What leaves the device, and in what form
Section titled “What leaves the device, and in what form”All content is end-to-end encrypted on the device before it is transmitted. Neither the provider nor a network operator nor the operator of the brokering can read content.
a) Direct connections between devices
Section titled “a) Direct connections between devices”Over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, the local network or a direct internet connection, the encrypted data travels straight from device to device. No server is involved, and no data arises at a third party.
On a local network the device announces itself so that contacts can find it. Its own identifier is visible to other participants on that network in the process – content stays encrypted.
b) Delivery through the brokering
Section titled “b) Delivery through the brokering”If the contact is not directly reachable, delivery runs through brokering operated by the project.
| What arises there | Details |
|---|---|
| Encrypted message content | ciphertext only; not readable |
| Sender and recipient identifiers | pseudonymous key identifiers, no names, no phone numbers |
| Time of delivery | technically necessary |
| IP address of the connection | technically necessary to establish the connection |
| Retention | a maximum of 7 days; after delivery the content is removed |
Stated honestly: the operator of the brokering can infer from this which identifiers communicate with each other, and when – but not who those identifiers are or what is exchanged. Anyone who wants to rule that out too uses TalX exclusively over the direct connections or runs their own brokering.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR – performance of the usage relationship, that is, the delivery of your messages.
c) Push notifications
Section titled “c) Push notifications”If the app is closed, a wake-up signal can be sent to your device through Google’s push service (Firebase Cloud Messaging). This wake-up call contains no content – the app then fetches the message itself, encrypted.
A device-side push identifier is processed for this service. The provider is Google Ireland Limited; a transfer to third countries may take place. Without push TalX works fully, but reception while the app is closed may be delayed.
Permissions and what they are for
Section titled “Permissions and what they are for”| Permission | What for |
|---|---|
| Nearby devices / Bluetooth (scan, advertise, connect) | delivery without internet between devices in range. The scan is explicitly flagged as not for deriving location. |
| Local network access, Wi-Fi state | finding contacts on the same network and connecting directly |
| Location (only up to Android 12L) | required by the operating system of older Android versions for Bluetooth discovery. TalX does not collect, store or transmit location data. From Android 13 the permission is no longer needed. |
| Internet, network state | delivery over the internet |
| Camera | scanning QR codes, taking photos and videos, video calls |
| Microphone | voice messages, voice and video calls |
| NFC | connecting contacts by holding the devices together |
| Notifications | notice of new messages and calls; optional |
| Foreground service (connected device, microphone, camera) | reception while the app is closed, ongoing calls |
| Full-screen notification | showing incoming calls on the lock screen |
| Saving to the gallery (only up to Android 9) | “save to gallery” for media |
Camera, microphone and NFC are only requested when you first use the corresponding feature.
Third-party services
Section titled “Third-party services”| Service | When | What is transmitted |
|---|---|---|
| Google Play Services (Nearby Connections) | continuously, while offline connections are enabled | technical short-range data; no content |
| Firebase Cloud Messaging | while push is enabled | the device’s push identifier; no content |
| Google Drive | only if you use backup | an encrypted blob in your own Google account, in the private app folder. TalX can see nothing there but its own folder. |
| Language model server | once, the first time you transcribe in a language | download of a model file. No audio, no text. The archive is verified against a checksum built into the app before it is unpacked. |
| Translation models (ML Kit) | once per language pair | download of a language model. No message text. The translation itself then runs on the device. |
There is no analytics, advertising or crash-reporting service. No advertising ID, no fingerprinting, no usage profile.
Automatic content checking
Section titled “Automatic content checking”Display names, status texts and group names are checked against a list stored locally in the app in order to prevent far-right content. The check runs entirely on the device – when sending and when receiving. No texts are transmitted and no matches are reported.
Retention
Section titled “Retention”- On your device: as long as you keep the content. You can delete individual messages, whole contacts including the history, or the entire app.
- At the brokering: a maximum of 7 days, usually until delivery.
- In the backup: until the next backup overwrites it, or until you delete it. The backup sits in your own Google account and is under your control.
Deleting your data
Section titled “Deleting your data”There is no account that would need deleting. A detailed step-by-step guide is on the delete your data page. In brief:
- In the app: delete individual messages (for everyone as well), remove contacts along with their history, leave or delete groups.
- Device data: in the Android settings under Apps → TalX → Storage, “clear data”, or uninstall the app. All local data and keys are then gone.
- Backup: delete it in your Google account under the application data.
- Brokering: only undelivered, encrypted content sits there, and it is removed automatically after 7 days at the latest. Attribution to a person is not possible, since only pseudonymous key identifiers exist.
Children and young people
Section titled “Children and young people”TalX is not specifically aimed at children. No age details or other personal data that could establish an age are deliberately collected. Guardians should accompany use appropriately – as with any messenger.
Part 2 · This website
Section titled “Part 2 · This website”Hosting
Section titled “Hosting”This website is a static site delivered through Codeberg Pages. The provider is Codeberg e. V., Berlin. When it is accessed, the technically necessary connection data that every web server receives is processed – in particular IP address, time, the address requested, the amount of data transferred and the browser identification.
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interest in technically faultless operation. For details on retention at Codeberg, please see their own privacy policy.
What this website does not do
Section titled “What this website does not do”- No cookies. Nothing is stored on your device that could make you identifiable.
- No analytics tools, no tracking pixels, no tracking.
- No external resources. No fonts, scripts or images from third-party servers. Everything is loaded from the same address as the page itself.
- No contact form that sends data to a server. The feedback and bug reports page assembles your report in your browser only; nothing is submitted unless you copy the text and send it over a channel you choose yourself.
The only technical storage is your choice between the light and dark design – it lives in your browser’s local storage and does not leave your device.
Links to other providers
Section titled “Links to other providers”This website links to Ko-fi and Liberapay. These are ordinary links – no data is transmitted in advance. Only when you click a link do you reach the respective provider, and from that point their privacy terms apply.
Your rights
Section titled “Your rights”Under the GDPR you have the right of access (Art. 15), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20) and objection (Art. 21). Please contact the controller named above.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR).
A practical limitation, stated openly: since TalX collects no personal data and the brokering only ever sees pseudonymous key identifiers and ciphertext, a request for access will as a rule contain no data – there simply is none that could be attributed to you. That is not an evasion but the intended result of the design.
Last updated: 22 August 2026. This policy is adjusted when the app changes substantially.