Privacy, in plain language

Last updated: August 2026

OCD is private. We designed Surf OCD so that your most sensitive data cannot leak, because it is only ever stored on your phone. This page explains exactly what stays local, what leaves your device and why, and what we will never do.

The short version

  • Surf has no accounts. We do not know who you are, and there is nothing to sign up for.
  • Your OCD data - themes, exposure logs, chat history, memories, and reflections - is stored only on your device.
  • We run no server-side storage of your content. Our backend is a relay that passes AI messages through and keeps nothing.
  • We do not sell data, show ads, or build profiles. This website sets no cookies and runs no trackers.

What stays on your phone

Everything you would worry about: your OCD themes and hierarchies, exposure plans and completion history, conversations with the companion, urge-surfing sessions, memories, reflections, streaks, and settings. If you delete the app, this data is gone with it - which is also why Surf offers a manual backup (below).

What leaves your phone, and why

  • AI messages. When you chat with Surf AI or use AI-guided features, the message content needed for that reply is sent over an encrypted connection to our server, which forwards it to an AI provider (such as Anthropic or OpenAI) to generate the response. Our server is stateless: it does not store or log your messages. The request is not tied to your name or identity, because we do not have one for you.
  • A random device identifier. Requests include a random per-install identifier used for abuse prevention and fair daily limits. It is not your name, email, or advertising ID.
  • Crash reports. If the app crashes, a technical crash report is sent (via Sentry) so we can fix it. These reports are configured to exclude personal information and message content.
  • Purchases. If you subscribe to Surf Plus, the purchase is processed by Apple or Google and our subscription partner (RevenueCat). We receive subscription status, not your payment details.

Backups are yours, literally

Because there is no cloud copy, Surf lets you export a manual backup file of your data. That file is created on your device and goes wherever you choose to put it. Treat it with care: it contains your data in readable form, and whoever holds the file can read it. Restoring or deleting it is entirely in your hands.

Your controls

  • Export: create a backup file of everything, any time, from Settings.
  • Delete: erase all Surf data from your device, any time, from Settings. Because we keep no copy, deletion is genuinely final.

Designed not to become a compulsion

People with OCD know that an app itself can get pulled into the checking loop - one more board to monitor, one more history to reread. Surf is deliberately built without those hooks: there is no feed to refresh and no community board to check, the companion never gives reassurance (rereading comforting answers is a compulsion, and we refuse to feed it), and urge-surfing chats are designed to be left behind, not reread - they do not join your chat history. Privacy here means protecting you from surveillance and from the loop.

This website

surfocd.com is a static site. It sets no cookies, runs no analytics scripts, and collects nothing. The interactive urge-surfing wave runs entirely in your browser and stores and sends nothing.

Children

Surf is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone - child or adult.

Changes and contact

If we ever change how Surf handles data, we will update this page and the "last updated" date above before the change takes effect. Questions deserve answers: hello@surfocd.com.