Mindful Journal AI

Welcome to Mindful Journal AI ("Aura," "the App"). By accessing or using our application, you ("User," "you") agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). Please read them carefully before using the App.

1. AI Limitations and Accuracy

Mindful Journal AI is powered by artificial intelligence. While Aura aims to provide insightful reflections and helpful suggestions, AI technology has inherent limitations:

Potential for Inaccuracies: AI-generated content may sometimes contain inaccuracies, errors, outdated information, or omissions. It may also generate responses that seem plausible but are incorrect.
Not Definitive Facts: Information and analysis provided by Aura should not be considered as definitive facts, professional advice, or undisputed truth. Always critically evaluate the information provided.
Understanding Nuances: AI may not always fully understand the complexities, subtleties, or emotional nuances of your unique situation or written entries.

Aura is intended as a tool for self-reflection and exploration. It is not an infallible source of guidance and its responses should be viewed with discernment.

2. User Responsibility and Assumption of Risk

You acknowledge and agree that:

Your use of Mindful Journal AI is at your sole risk.
You are solely responsible for any decisions, actions, interpretations, or conclusions you make based on the content or suggestions provided by the App.
The creators and providers of Mindful Journal AI shall not be liable for any direct or indirect consequences, damages, distress, or any form of loss that may arise from your use of this service or reliance on its content.

3. Not a Substitute for Professional Help

Mindful Journal AI is designed to support general emotional well-being, self-awareness, and stress management. It is explicitly NOT a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or therapy from a qualified healthcare provider, psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, or other licensed mental health professional.

If you are experiencing:

Severe emotional distress, anxiety, or depression.
A mental health crisis (e.g., thoughts of self-harm, harming others, or suicidal ideation).
Symptoms of a potential mental health condition.
Or if you have concerns that require specialized professional attention...

You MUST seek help from a licensed therapist, counselor, doctor, or appropriate emergency services immediately.

Do not rely on Aura as your primary source of support for serious mental health issues. Aura can be a supplementary tool for self-reflection but cannot replace the personalized, in-depth care, diagnosis, and treatment plan that a human professional can provide, especially for complex or severe cases.

4. Data Storage, Privacy, and Security

Your privacy and data security are important. Please understand how data is handled in Mindful Journal AI:

Firebase Backend: Your user account information (email, encrypted password) is managed by Firebase Authentication. Your journal entries (diary text, mood, timestamps, and AI reflections) are stored in Firebase Firestore, a cloud-hosted NoSQL database.
Firebase Security: Firebase provides robust security measures for its services. We configure security rules in Firestore to ensure that users can only access their own data. However, the overall security of your data also depends on maintaining a strong, unique password and securing the device you use to access the App.
AI Processing: The content of your diary entries is sent to a third-party AI model (Google Gemini API) for analysis to generate Aura's reflections. While we select services with privacy in mind, this transmission is necessary for the App's core functionality. Please review Google's privacy policies for more information on how they handle data.
No Sale of Personal Data: We do not sell your personal identification information or journal content.
Sensitive Information: Even with Firebase security, we advise you to be mindful of the information you share. Avoid entering highly sensitive personal data that you would not want potentially exposed, and do not use passwords for this app that you use for other critical accounts.
Account Deletion: You have the right to delete your account at any time through the Profile Page. Upon confirmation, this action will permanently delete your authentication record and all associated diary logs (journal entries and AI reflections) from our systems. This process is irreversible, and your data cannot be recovered once deleted.

5. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Mindful Journal AI uses certain web technologies for functionality:

Local Storage: We use your browser's local storage to remember your consent preferences regarding analytics.
Firebase SDK: The Firebase SDKs (for Authentication and Firestore) use their own mechanisms, which may include IndexedDB for offline data persistence and tokens (often stored in local or session storage) to manage your authentication state and session.

6. Intended Use and Prohibited Conduct

The App is intended for personal, non-commercial use for journaling, self-reflection, and exploring general stress-management techniques. You agree not to use the App for any unlawful purpose or in any way that could harm, disable, overburden, or impair the App or its AI services.

7. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, logging in, or otherwise accessing or using Mindful Journal AI, you signify your understanding, acknowledgment, and acceptance of these Terms of Service in their entirety.

8. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. If changes are made, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of these terms. Your continued use of the App after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms.

9. Contact

For questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us through our support page or via the contact information provided in the application.