Privacy & Trust

How we protect you and your words.

Dear Dad is a space for vulnerable stories. That responsibility is taken seriously. Here is exactly how your privacy, identity, and data are handled.

Your identity

You control how much you share

You choose your username. You do not need to use your real name anywhere on Dear Dad. Your letters are published under your chosen username only. We never expose your email address, legal name, or personal details to other users.

  • ✔ Your email is private and never shown publicly
  • ✔ You choose your display name (username)
  • ✔ You can write anonymously using a pseudonym
  • ✔ You can delete your letters at any time

Important

This is not a therapy service

Dear Dad is a storytelling platform. It is not a clinical service, and no professional support is offered here. If you need mental health help, please visit our Get Help page.

Your data

What we collect & why

We collect only what's needed to run the platform: your email (for login), your chosen username, and the content you submit. We do not sell your data. We do not share it with third parties for advertising.

Your letters

Ownership of what you write

You own your words. By publishing a letter, you grant Dear Dad permission to display it on the platform. You can request deletion at any time. We will not reproduce your content elsewhere without your consent.

Moderation

How content is reviewed

All letters are reviewed before publication. We remove content that is hateful, sexually explicit, promotes violence, targets real individuals by name maliciously, or is clearly spam. We do not remove letters simply because they are angry, painful, or raw — this is a space for honest expression.

Community guidelines

What we allow & what we don't

Dear Dad is a brave space, not a harmful one. Emotional honesty is welcome. Targeted abuse is not.

✔ Allowed

  • Honest, personal letters — even angry ones
  • Expressions of grief, abandonment, and longing
  • Anonymous writing under a pseudonym
  • Comments that offer support and connection

✖ Not allowed

  • Targeted harassment or doxxing of real people
  • Hate speech based on race, gender, religion
  • Sexually explicit content
  • Promotion of violence or self-harm methods
  • Spam or commercial content

To report content that violates these guidelines, use the report button on any letter or comment. All reports are reviewed by a human moderator.

Questions or concerns?

Get in touch

If you have a privacy concern, want to request deletion of your data, or need to report something urgent, reach out directly.

hello@deardad.co.za