ChatSCD is a free, non-commercial service for the Scottish Country Dance community. This page explains in plain English what the site stores and why. There are no ads, no analytics trackers, and your data is never sold or shared for marketing.
Chats and lesson plans are stored so you can come back to them. Without an account they are linked to a random identifier kept in your browser; if you sign in they are linked to your account instead. You can delete any chat from the sidebar at any time, which removes it from the server.
Your messages are sent to an AI provider (OpenAI or Google) to generate answers, and are handled under that provider's API data policies. Don't include sensitive personal information in your messages.
If you sign in with Google, we store your name, email address, and avatar so your chats follow you across devices. Nothing is posted on your behalf. If you add your own API key in Settings, it is stored encrypted and used only to answer your requests.
To keep the service affordable, each request is logged with its date, IP address, and a browser identifier. These logs enforce the daily message limits and help block abusive traffic, and are deleted after 90 days.
If you rate an answer (thumbs up/down) or leave a comment, we store the rating, your comment, and a copy of the answer with the conversation turns leading up to it, so we can diagnose and fix problems. This copy is kept even if you later delete the chat — don't include personal information in feedback comments.
The site uses only functional cookies: a session cookie if you sign in, and one for admin login. There are no third-party or advertising cookies.
ChatSCD is run by a volunteer member of the SCD community. For questions, or to have your account and data removed, email thomas.ibbotson@gmail.com.
Last updated 6 July 2026.