Security and Privacy

This document outlines the security measures and privacy commitments of the SELF ecosystem.

Zero-Knowledge Architecture

SELF implements zero-knowledge architecture - a security model where the server cannot access, read, or decrypt your data. Your conversations, memories, and messages are encrypted on your device before they ever leave your device. The server stores only encrypted data that it cannot decrypt.

What This Means

• Your data is encrypted client-side using industry-standard AES-256-GCM encryption
• The server stores only encrypted data - it cannot decrypt or read your data
• Even if the server is compromised, your data remains protected
• Only you can decrypt your data using your Passkey

We Cannot See

• ❌ Your conversation messages with AI
• ❌ Your memory bank entries
• ❌ Your AI responses
• ❌ Your encrypted data
• ❌ Your messages or any content
• ❌ Your vault files and folders (names, contents, structure)

We Can See

• ✅ Encrypted data (only able to be decrypted by you)
• ✅ Your email address
• ✅ Account name and tier status

Client-Side End-to-End Encryption

All Tiers Protected:

• Both free (Zero) and paid (Connect) tiers use the same client-side E2E encryption
• Encryption happens in your browser using WebCrypto API
• Data is encrypted before transmission to the server
• Server performs routing only - it never sees plaintext

Encryption Standards:

• Algorithm: AES-256-GCM (military-grade encryption)
• Key Derivation: Passkey-based wallet system (industry-standard WebAuthn/FIDO2)
• Key Source: Passkey creates encryption keys (you control the keys)
• Perfect Forward Secrecy: P2P messaging with automatic key rotation
• Vault Storage: Files encrypted client-side before upload, server stores encrypted blobs only (Connect tier: 20GB)

Important: This is local encryption on your device (your computer or phone), not in Google Chrome or any browser company's servers. Encryption happens on your device using industry-standard WebCrypto API before data leaves your device.

Passkey-Based Wallet System

Industry-Standard Security:

• Uses WebAuthn/FIDO2 standard trusted by major platforms worldwide
• Passkey creates and secures your encryption keys
• Same wallet can power future blockchain wallet features
• Proven security model used by billions of users

Key Benefits:

• Self-Sovereignty: You control your encryption keys
• Multi-Device Access: Create additional passkeys on other devices for redundancy
• No Backdoors: Zero-knowledge means no recovery without your passkey
• Future-Proof: Same wallet can power blockchain features later
• Backup Strategy: Create additional passkeys in security settings on trusted devices

Sealed Sender Privacy (Messaging)

Message Privacy:

• Server cannot determine who sent messages
• Encrypted sender metadata using shared room keys
• Anonymous routing tokens prevent user linkage
• Matches and exceeds Signal's privacy level

Contact Request Privacy:

• Server cannot see who requested contact
• Encrypted requester metadata
• Better privacy than competitive offerings
• Works for all tiers

Metadata Retention:

• More aggressive deletion than Signal
• Metadata deleted immediately after read confirmation
• Delivered messages deleted after 7 days
• Old metadata automatically deleted after 30 days

Multi-Device Security

Seamless Cross-Device Access:

• Create passkeys on multiple devices for redundancy
• Each device can access your encrypted data independently
• Each device stores encryption keys locally (browser-managed security)
• No password friction - vault auto-unlocks after authentication

Security Model:

• Wallet seed stored in IndexedDB (browser-managed security)
• Encryption keys derived on-demand from your passkey
• Keys cleared from memory on logout
• Zero server knowledge of your encryption keys
• Backup Strategy: Create additional passkeys in security settings on trusted devices

Authentication Security

Passkey-First Authentication:

• WebAuthn standard with Face ID/Touch ID support
• Phishing-resistant cryptographic authentication
• Leverages device Secure Enclave hardware
• Universal fallback: Magic link email authentication

Session Security:

• HTTP-only secure cookies
• Session isolation between users
• No wildcard domain cookies
• Secure session management

AI Privacy and Isolation

SELF AI Privacy Guarantees:

• Personalized LLM: Dedicated infrastructure, not shared with other services
• No External Model Access: Your conversations never touch external models (Ollama, Meta, or any model creators)
• No Model Training: We do not use your conversations to train models, and model providers do not receive your data
• Isolated Containers: Each user has dedicated isolated containers ensuring complete privacy
• Web Search Privacy: Search queries processed without revealing your identity (Connect tier)

How Private AI Works:

1. Your Passkey creates encryption keys - Keys are generated and stored locally on your device
2. You send a message - Your device encrypts it locally before it ever leaves your device
3. Encrypted Relay routes to SELF AI - Encrypted Relay receives encrypted data it cannot decrypt, only routes it
4. SELF AI processes - Personalized LLM runs on your own dedicated infrastructure (not external models)
5. Web search (Connect tier) - SELF AI can access real-time web search without revealing your query
6. Response encrypted - AI response is encrypted before storage
7. Your device decrypts - Only your device can decrypt the response using your local keys
8. Your data never touches external models - SELF AI is isolated, your conversations stay private

User Infrastructure: Email-Only Registration

Key Differentiator:

• Email-only registration - No phone number required
• Eliminates permanent identity link that phone numbers create
• Better privacy than Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram (which require phone numbers)
• No permanent identifier tying your real-world identity to your account

Data Sovereignty

Complete User Control:

• Export: Download all your data in decrypted JSON format
• Deletion: Complete data removal capabilities
• Portability: Full data ownership and portability
• Recovery: Create additional passkeys on other devices in security settings for redundancy

No Data Harvesting:

• Strict no-data-harvesting policy
• Minimal tracking (privacy-first approach)
• No third-party data sharing
• Transparent data handling practices

Technical Implementation

Encryption Flow

1. User Setup: Create Passkey (WebAuthn/FIDO2)
2. Key Derivation: Passkey → Wallet seed → AES-256-GCM encryption key
3. Data Encryption: Encrypt conversations/memories/files in browser
4. Transmission: Send encrypted data to server
5. Storage: Server stores encrypted data (cannot decrypt)
   • Conversations and memories: PostgreSQL encrypted blobs
   • Vault files: Cloudflare R2 encrypted blobs (Connect tier: 20GB)
6. Retrieval: Fetch encrypted data, decrypt on your device
7. Display: Show decrypted content to user

Authentication Flow

1. Passkey/Magic Link: Authenticate to server
2. Auto-Unlock: Vault automatically unlocks after authentication
3. Key Derivation: Retrieve wallet seed, derive encryption keys
4. Session State: Store keys in memory (cleared on logout)
5. Ready: Access all encrypted features immediately

Multi-Device Flow

1. New Device: Login with existing passkey or create new passkey
2. Detection: App detects no local wallet
3. Wallet Creation: Passkey creates wallet seed and encryption keys
4. Auto-Restore: Wallet stored locally, vault auto-unlocks
5. Seamless Access: User can immediately use all features
6. Backup Strategy: Create additional passkeys in security settings on trusted devices for redundancy

Security Guarantees

What We Defend Against

✅ Server Breach: Encrypted data is useless without your passkey
✅ Man-in-the-Middle: TLS + E2E encryption
✅ Phishing: Passkey authentication is domain-bound
✅ Rogue Employees: Zero-knowledge prevents internal access
✅ Device Theft: Seed in IndexedDB protected by browser security
✅ Metadata Analysis: Sealed Sender prevents sender identification
✅ Message Correlation: Aggressive metadata deletion prevents correlation

User Responsibility

⚠️ Passkey Loss: If you lose access to all devices with passkeys, data cannot be recovered (by design)
⚠️ Backup Strategy: Create additional passkeys on trusted devices in security settings for redundancy
⚠️ Device Malware: Active malware on device can capture keys in memory

Privacy Comparison

Feature	SELF	Signal	WhatsApp	Telegram	ChatGPT	Claude
Zero-Knowledge	✅ Server cannot decrypt	✅ Server cannot decrypt	❌	❌	❌	❌
Sealed Sender	✅ Message sender encrypted	✅ Message sender encrypted	❌	❌	N/A	N/A
User Infrastructure	✅ Email only	⚠️ Phone number required	⚠️ Phone number required	⚠️ Phone number required	✅ Email only	✅ Email only
Metadata Deletion	✅ Zero-knowledge & deletion	⚠️ Some metadata stored	❌	❌	❌	❌
AI Conversations	✅ Zero-knowledge encrypted	N/A	N/A	N/A	❌ OpenAI can see all	❌ Anthropic can see all
Memory Bank	✅ Zero-knowledge encrypted	N/A	N/A	N/A	⚠️ Stored unencrypted	⚠️ Stored unencrypted
File Storage	✅ Zero-knowledge encrypted vault (20GB Connect tier)	N/A	N/A	N/A	❌ No file storage	❌ No file storage
Cryptographic Recovery	✅ Passkey-based with additional passkeys	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Key Management	✅ User-controlled passkeys	⚠️ Device-generated keys	⚠️ Device-generated keys	⚠️ Device-generated keys	N/A	N/A

How SELF Exceeds Other Platforms

Compared to Messaging Apps (Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram):

1. User Infrastructure - SELF uses email-based registration (no phone number required), eliminating the permanent identity link that Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram's phone number requirements create.

2. Key Management - SELF gives you control over your encryption keys through Passkey-based authentication. Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram use device-generated keys that are device-bound - if you lose your device, you lose access. With SELF, you control your master key and can create additional passkeys on other devices in security settings for redundancy.

3. Metadata Deletion - SELF deletes metadata immediately after read confirmation and delivered messages after 7 days. Signal stores minimal metadata (connection times and message timing), while WhatsApp and Telegram store extensive metadata. SELF's zero-knowledge architecture means the server cannot see any metadata at all.

4. AI & Memory Privacy - SELF encrypts AI conversations and memory bank with zero-knowledge architecture (unique to SELF). Messaging apps don't offer AI features, but this demonstrates SELF's commitment to encrypting all user data, including AI interactions.

Compared to AI Platforms (ChatGPT, Claude):

1. Zero-Knowledge AI Conversations - SELF encrypts all AI conversations with zero-knowledge architecture. ChatGPT and Claude can see and store all your conversations, and may use them for training. SELF's server cannot decrypt or see your AI conversations.

2. Encrypted Memory Bank - SELF's memory bank is zero-knowledge encrypted. ChatGPT and Claude store memories unencrypted, allowing their servers to see and potentially use your stored information.

3. No Training Data Usage - SELF never uses your conversations to train external models. ChatGPT and Claude may use your data for AI training (with opt-out options that may limit functionality).

Result: SELF is the only platform that combines messaging and AI with complete zero-knowledge privacy. Compared to messaging apps, SELF provides better user infrastructure (no phone number), user-controlled key management (Passkey-based with additional passkeys vs device-bound keys), and superior metadata protection. Compared to AI platforms, SELF is the only one that encrypts AI conversations and memories with zero-knowledge architecture.

Code Security

• All smart contracts undergo rigorous security audits
• Continuous monitoring for vulnerabilities
• Active bug bounty program for responsible disclosure

Bug Bounty Program

We value security researchers who help identify vulnerabilities in our platform. Our Bug Bounty program rewards responsible disclosure:

Severity	Reward
Low	25,000 SELF
Medium	50,000 SELF
High	100,000 SELF

Note: For general user experience issues, use Settings → Bugs in the SELF App. For support, partnerships, jobs, or privacy enquiries, use Settings → Contact Us (replies via Alerts). The Bug Bounty program is specifically for code and security vulnerabilities.

To report a security vulnerability, email security@self.app with detailed information.

View full Bug Bounty details →

Anti-Gaming and Verification

• Payment verification functions as real-user verification; we do not store full payment details beyond what is required by the processor
• Economic deterrence: a minimum cost to game the system reduces sybil attacks
• Access control with privacy-preserving authentication

Compliance & Auditing

Regulatory Compliance:

• GDPR: Full compliance with EU data protection regulations
• EU Data Residency: Data stored in EU for GDPR compliance
• Australian Privacy Act: Compliance with Australian privacy principles
• SOC 2: All infrastructure providers SOC 2 compliant

Transparency:

• Clear privacy policy and terms of service
• Regular security and privacy updates
• Public disclosure of security incidents
• Transparent reporting of data access

Last updated: November 13, 2025