Privacy Policy
At Ureka, your privacy is fundamental.
This website prioritizes user privacy and data protection through a privacy-by-design approach. It is built as a front-end interface for the decentralized Hive blockchain.
Ureka does not collect, process, or store any personal data on the Ureka server. There is no user database, and we do not use cookies or third-party trackers.
The core Ureka website is entirely browser based (client side only), meaning that once you connect to the Ureka server and download the website code to your device, you, no longer communicate with the Ureka web server. The built-in chat system is currently hosted by the team at Peakd.com and is optional. If you opt to make use of the chat system, be aware that your private messages may be stored on a PeakD server and you should review the Peakd Privacy Policy to understand your relationship with them.
The core Ureka website runs in your browser. however, if you enable the in-site notifications, your browser will connect to our PeakD Notification Server (PNS) API to fetch recent notifications and to maintain a live stream of new ones. These notifications are derived exclusively from public Hive blockchain data that matches your on-chain notification rules (written via custom_json). If you do not enable notifications, Ureka continues to operate without contacting our servers after the initial load. The notification server runs entirely open source code - available for review here.
Operational note: the PNS application does not store IP addresses or personal identifiers; any access logs at the hosting/proxy layer are disabled and are not used to build profiles.
At this time, Ureka is only served from Ureka.social - do not trust any other sources claiming to be Ureka.
Subscribe to on Hive for updates.
1. No Data Collection
Ureka does not collect:
- Personal information
- IP addresses
- Analytics data - No Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or similar tracking services.
- Behaviour tracking
Ureka does not use:
- Cookies - Application creates no HTTP cookies whatsoever.
- Web beacons
- Session IDs
- Analytics scripts
2. LocalStorage Usage
The site uses your browser's localStorage feature to remember interface preferences (e.g. themes, settings). This data:
- Stays on your device
- Is never transmitted to the Ureka server or to cloud storage or any other entity
- Can easily be cleared at any time using the “Clear Preferences” button on the site, resetting the application to a fresh state
While stored locally, the following data types are maintained in your browser:
- Authentication tokens: Cryptographic proofs (not personal data)
- User preferences: UI settings, view modes, notification preferences
- Content drafts: Unpublished post drafts and templates
- Cache data: Recent follows, favourited users, Hive blockchain API server preferences
- Read status: Notification and content read tracking
Notifications + local data: When notifications are enabled, Ureka may store small UI state locally (for example, “last seen” markers). Clearing preferences only removes this local UI state; it does not remove notifications that were retrieved from the server nor your on-chain notification rules. For clarity, the notifications server (PNS) keeps only a short-lived cache of notification items to deliver them efficiently and automatically prunes this cache on a rolling basis (currently about 30 days).
2A. Notifications (server connection)
What connects: When you enable notifications, your browser makes secure requests to our PNS API to fetch your recent notifications and opens a live stream (Server originated events) for new items.
What content flows: Only public Hive events (e.g., votes, replies, mentions, transfers) that match the on-chain notification configuration you chose to write via Hive Keychain. Your notification rules are public by design and are portable across compatible apps.
What the server stores: The PNS application does not store IP addresses or personal identifiers. It maintains only the data needed to deliver notifications derived from public blockchain events. Any infrastructure-level access logs (e.g. at a reverse proxy or host) are disabled. Notifications are not stored indefinitely on our servers. Disabling all notification types in the settings will stop any new notifications being stored on the Ureka PNS server. Note: This may cause other Hive sites that use the PeakD notification system to also stop notifications for you until you enable notifications via a new subscription on any such site.
How to opt out: You can disable notifications in Ureka’s settings at any time, or remove your on-chain notification rules. If disabled, your browser will not connect to the PNS API.
3. Blockchain Content
This website displays data published to the Hive blockchain, which is:
- Public and immutable
- Not hosted or controlled by Ureka
- Replicated across many nodes
By interacting with Hive, you are interacting with a decentralized network. Ureka does not control what Hive users publish on-chain.
Hive accounts do not require or make use of personally identifiable information - Hive usernames are public blockchain identifiers.
Secure access of Hive blockchain features relies on cryptographic authentication: Uses blockchain signatures, not personal information. No Emails are used or collected in this process.
4. Third-Party Embeds
Some pages include media from third-party platforms (e.g. YouTube, Facebook, Twitch & X.com) via sandboxed <iframe> embeds. These embeds are:
- Isolated using the
sandboxattribute to limit external tracking - Not allowed to set cookies via our site
- Loaded lazily and under limited conditions to reduce external requests
These platforms may still collect data when you interact with the embedded content. Please refer to their respective privacy policies for more details.
5. Chat Messaging
Ureka embeds a chat system that is operated by Peakd.com. Peakd is one of the main, trusted, websites on the Hive blockchain. Ureka does not operate a database to hold your chat messages and does not have any access to private chat messages that flow through the chat interface.
Direct 'user to user' chat message are end-to-end encrypted by the chat system and are stored on servers operated by the PeakD team. By using the optional chat system you agree to abide by the terms of service provided at PeakD's website.
Messages added to community chat spaces within the chat system are recorded on the Hive blockchain and are therefore entirely public. 'User to User' communications are not recorded on the blockchain and are therefore considered private between the two users.
6. No Commercial Advertising or Tracking
Ureka does not:
- Serve ads
- Track your behaviour for profit (or not for profit)
- Share or sell any data — because none is collected
7. Your Rights
Since Ureka does not process personal data, most data protection regulations (including the GDPR) do not apply to Ureka in the traditional sense. However, Ureka supports the spirit of digital autonomy:
- You can clear all preferences via the provided button in the privacy section of the settings page
- You can control all data stored in your browser
- You can avoid embeds unless you choose to interact with them
- You can disable notifications at any time; Ureka will then stop contacting the PNS server
- You can edit or remove your notification rules at any time; these rules are stored on-chain and are public by design
8. Contact
If you have questions or suggestions about privacy, you can reach out via Hive or other decentralized channels. There is no centralized company or data controller behind this project.
For maximum privacy, users can:
Use Browser Privacy Extensions
- uBlock Origin (blocks tracking scripts)
- Privacy Badger (prevents cross-site tracking)
- ClearURLs (removes tracking parameters)
Browser Settings
- Enable "Do Not Track"
- Disable third-party cookies
- Use private/incognito browsing
- Clear browser data regularly
Network Level Protection
- Use VPN for IP address privacy
- Use DNS filtering (Pi-hole, NextDNS)
- Consider Tor browser for maximum anonymity
Account Privacy
- Use pseudonymous Hive username
- Avoid linking Hive account to real identity
- Be mindful of content posting (blockchain storage is permanent)
The privacy policy is stored as a Hive blockchain post by the account, ensuring transparency and immutability.