Before opening any counseling app, everyone has the same worry. "Could someone see what I say here?" Here is exactly how CounselCat protects your anonymity.
Why anonymity matters
To open up honestly, you need to trust that your words won't come back to you.
Online, anonymity and pseudonymity contribute to the "online disinhibition effect"—more honest self-expression than offline (Joinson, 2001). Conversely, fear of being seen is one of the biggest barriers to seeking help (Kessler et al., 2005).
That is why anonymity is the first principle of CounselCat (상담냥), an AI counseling app.
CounselCat's three anonymity principles
1. No sign-up
No name, email, or phone number. Download and start talking. No personal data collected means no personal data to leak.
2. Conversations stay on your device
Chat history is stored only on your device, never sent elsewhere. Where mental health app data is stored and shared directly affects user trust (Torous et al., 2018).
3. Nothing is shared with third parties
No third-party sharing, no ad targeting. See our privacy policy for details.
Common worries
"Will my words train an AI somewhere?"
CounselCat conversations never leave your device.
"What if I switch phones?"
History lives on the device—when you change devices, previous chats are gone. Wiping your device wipes your history.
Anonymity helps you speak
Lieberman et al. (2007) showed that putting emotions into words reduces stress responses—but you need a safe space first. CounselCat builds that space with no sign-up and no off-device storage.
Closing
The harder a worry is to say out loud, the safer the space needs to be. CounselCat is an anonymous AI counseling app, available 24/7, with conversations stored only on your device.
The story you have never told anyone—today, you can let it out.
References
- Joinson, A. N. (2001). Self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31(2), 177–192.
- Kessler, R. C., et al. (2005). Prevalence of 12-month DSM-IV disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 617–627.
- Torous, J., et al. (2018). Rating mental health apps. JAMA Psychiatry, 75(11), 1171–1173.
- Lieberman, M. D., et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421–428.