Privacy
Draft, last updated October 2, 2026 · not yet reviewed by a lawyer
Global Dream Journal is operated by Charles Johnson. This page explains, in plain English, what the site keeps about you, who can see it, and how to download or delete it. Dreams are personal, sometimes very personal, so we treat them as sensitive.
The short version
- Your dreams are private unless you share them. A dream you save is seen only by you. It appears in the public Echo Feed only if you tap "Share" on it, and then only under your dream name (never your legal name or email). You can make it private again at any time.
- We don't sell your data. Not your dreams, not your email, not anything else. We don't show ads.
- You can download all your dreams and delete your account yourself, in Account settings. Deleting removes your dreams for good.
What we store
- If you record a dream without an account: the words you type or say are turned into scenes and pictures. We do not save that dream to any account. The result is kept in the server's memory for about an hour (so the pictures can load) and then forgotten. Visitors' pictures may stay in a temporary picture store for up to about two days.
- Your account: your email address, a scrambled (hashed) version of your password (we can't read your password), your dream name, your artist name if you choose one, and the date you agreed to the terms.
- Private details for the 18+ rule: your legal name and date of birth, as on your state ID. Only you (in Account settings) and the site admin can see them. They are never shown to other members.
- 18+ verification result: if you complete the one-time age check, we keep only the result (verified or not), the date and the method. We never keep photos of your ID or your face. (When an outside ID-check partner is connected, that partner handles the photos under its own privacy policy.)
- Your dreams: the text of each dream you save, the scene descriptions and captions made from it, the pictures painted for it, any reading (interpretation) you ask for, whether it is private or shared, and the date.
- Optional: a mobile number if you add one for signing in by text message (used only for sign-in codes, never shown to anyone), and a link to your Apple ID if you use "Continue with Apple".
- Comments and private messages you send, and "this interpretation missed the mark" feedback.
- If you sell art: your artist profile, artworks, prices and images, and messages buyers send you.
- If you pay: payments are handled by Stripe. We never see or store your card number. We keep a record of each order or membership (amount, date, status, and the address Stripe collects for shipping and tax).
- Server logs: like most websites, the server keeps short technical logs (for example, errors and the internet address that made a request) to keep the site running and safe. Dream text is not written to these logs.
Who can see what
- Private dreams: only you. The site admin (Charles Johnson) can technically access the stored files to run and repair the site, but does not read members' private dreams.
- Shared dreams: anyone visiting the Echo Feed, shown under your dream name only.
- Your artist name and store: public, so collectors can find your work. Your artist name is kept separate from your dream name, so your dreams stay anonymous unless you choose the same name for both.
- Private messages: only you and the member you write to. Messaging is opt-in: it needs the one-time 18+ check, and the membership when memberships are switched on.
When you sign up you tick a box that lets Global Dream Journal display your submitted prompts and the pictures made from them on the platform and in curated publications, such as a possible print book, credited to your dream name. [Draft note for review: decide and state here whether publications will only ever use dreams you have shared, and whether you will be asked first. Until then, private dreams are never published.]
Services that help run the site
- OpenAI: when the site's OpenAI key is switched on, the text of a dream you record, or a dream you ask to have read, is sent to OpenAI to write the scenes, paint the pictures and write AI readings. OpenAI processes it under its API terms; under those terms, by default, data sent through the API is not used to train its models. Without the key, the site writes the scenes and free readings itself.
- Pollinations (free picture service): when OpenAI pictures are off, short scene descriptions made from your dream (not your name or email) are sent to image.pollinations.ai to paint the pictures.
- Stripe: payments for artworks and the membership, and the tax calculation. Stripe receives what it needs to take the payment.
- Email: password-reset emails, contact-form messages and artist notifications are sent through the site's email provider.
- Apple (only if you choose "Continue with Apple") and a text-message provider (only if you sign in with your phone).
- Our web host stores the site and its data.
Cookies and similar storage
- One sign-in cookie (
gdj_session) that keeps you logged in for up to 30 days. It is required for accounts to work. - Two short-lived cookies used only during "Continue with Apple" (10 to 30 minutes).
- The "Your path" buttons at the top of each page remember the pages you visited in this browser tab only (your browser's session storage). It is never sent to us and disappears when you close the tab.
- No advertising or tracking cookies.
How long we keep things
- Your account and saved dreams: until you delete them or your account.
- Password-reset links: 1 hour. Text-message codes: 10 minutes.
- Pictures that no saved dream uses: removed automatically after about two days.
- Payment and order records: kept as long as the law requires for tax and accounting, even after an account is deleted. They do not contain your dreams.
Download or delete your dreams
- Download: in your Catalog or in Account settings, choose "Download my dreams" (as readable text, a spreadsheet file or JSON).
- Delete one dream from public view: switch it back to Private in your Catalog.
- Delete your account: Account settings → "Delete my account". This permanently deletes your account, all your dreams (private and shared) and their readings and pictures, your comments, your private messages, and your artist store (works, images and buyer messages). If you have a paid membership, cancel it first with "Manage membership" so you are never charged again. Copies in the site's backups, if any, are overwritten over time.
- Questions or requests (for example, a copy of everything we hold about you): write to dreams@globaldreamjournal.com.
Adults only
Accounts are for people 18 and older. If you believe someone under 18 has an account, please tell us and we will delete it.
Changes and contact
If this notice changes in an important way, we will update the date above and tell members on the site. Contact: dreams@globaldreamjournal.com or the contact page.
Global Dream Journal, operated by Charles Johnson. Mailing address: [MAILING ADDRESS TO BE ADDED]