Last updated August 2, 2026.

What we collect

Account info: a username and a password (stored as a salted hash, never in plain text). We do not require or collect an email address at registration.

Content you provide: threads, posts, chat messages, direct messages, an optional profile picture, and an optional custom title.

Technical data: your IP address, used to enforce rate limits and CSRF protection and recorded in a staff-only audit log for moderation actions. Session and CSRF tokens are stored in cookies needed to keep you logged in and to protect state-changing requests — see "Cookies" below.

Payment data: if you subscribe to Silver or Gold, Stripe collects and stores your payment details directly — we only ever receive a customer/subscription reference and status, never your card number.

Cookies and local storage

A session cookie keeps you logged in, and a separate cookie carries a CSRF token that protects your account from cross-site request forgery. Both are strictly necessary for the site to function and are not used for tracking. A light/dark theme preference is saved in your browser's local storage, not a cookie, and never leaves your device.

Pepcels shows ads served by Google AdSense, which may set its own cookies and use data about your visits here and elsewhere to show ads it judges relevant. We don't control this directly — you can review or opt out of personalized advertising through Google's Ad Settings, and read more in how Google uses information from sites that use its services.

How we use it

To operate the forum (showing your posts and profile to other members), keep accounts secure, enforce the Rules and investigate abuse reports, process subscription payments, and — only if you've verified an email on an account that has one — send account-related mail like email verification links.

What we don’t do

We don't require an email address to use the site. We don't read your direct messages except when you report a conversation to staff for review, or as part of investigating a violation of the Rules.

Retention

Posts, threads, and chat messages stay as part of the community record even after you deactivate your account, the same way they would if you had simply stopped visiting. Account credentials and private messages are deleted or anonymized if you ask staff to remove them, subject to what's needed to keep the forum's history coherent (for example, a deleted account's posts are reattributed to "Deleted member" rather than removed).

Your choices

From Your account you can see and revoke your active sessions, remove your uploaded avatar, download a copy of your own posts and account data as JSON, and deactivate your account.

For anything else — correcting information, deleting specific content, or a question about this policy — message a staff member.

Children

Pepcels is not directed at, and is not intended for use by, anyone under 18.

Changes

We may update this policy from time to time; the "last updated" date above will change when we do.