Privacy Policy for HackerFeed

Last Updated: April 2026

Introduction

HackerFeed ("the App") is a mobile client for Hacker News. This Privacy Policy explains how the App handles your data and what information it collects.

Information We Collect

1. Hacker News Account Credentials

If you choose to log in with your Hacker News account:

  • Your username and session cookies are stored securely on your device using Expo Secure Store
  • Your password is only used to authenticate with Hacker News and is never stored or transmitted to our servers
  • Authentication is handled directly between your device and news.ycombinator.com

2. Local Data

The App stores the following data locally on your device:

  • Your feed preferences and display settings
  • Draft comments and submissions (autosaved)
  • Cached story and comment data for offline access

3. Analytics

HackerFeed does not collect any analytics, telemetry, or usage data. We do not use any third-party analytics services.

How We Use Your Information

All data collected is used solely to provide the App's functionality:

  • Credentials are used to authenticate your actions (voting, commenting, submitting) with Hacker News
  • Local data is used to personalize your experience and enable offline access

Data Storage & Security

  • All sensitive data (credentials, session tokens) is stored using platform-native secure storage (Keychain on iOS, Keystore on Android)
  • Non-sensitive preferences are stored using AsyncStorage on your device
  • No data is transmitted to any server other than news.ycombinator.com for Hacker News API calls
  • We do not operate any backend servers

Third-Party Services

HackerFeed interacts with the following third-party services:

  • Hacker News API (Firebase) — For reading stories, comments, and user profiles
  • Hacker News Website (news.ycombinator.com) — For write operations (voting, commenting, submitting)

These services are operated by Y Combinator. Their use is governed by Hacker News's own terms and policies.

Data Deletion

You can delete all HackerFeed data at any time by:

  • Logging out of your account within the App (clears credentials)
  • Clearing the App's data through your device settings
  • Uninstalling the App

Children's Privacy

HackerFeed is not intended for use by children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally. Changes will be reflected in this document with an updated "Last Updated" date.

Contact

For privacy-related questions or concerns, contact: hackerfeed@anirudha.dev

Your data stays on your device. We don't run servers, we don't collect analytics.

Have questions about our privacy practices? Contacthackerfeed@anirudha.dev.

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