Privacy Policy: The Psychology of Digital Trust

Understanding why privacy matters for your cognitive freedom and decision autonomy

🧠 The Neuroscience of Privacy

Research in cognitive neuroscience shows that when people feel their privacy is protected, the prefrontal cortex (responsible for decision-making) operates more efficiently. Conversely, privacy concerns activate the amygdala (fear center), leading to decision paralysis and reduced creativity. That's why we've designed our privacy practices to maximize your psychological safety and decision-making freedom.

The Trust Equation: What We Collect & Why

Your Trust Level:
100% Protected
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Principle 1: Minimal Viable Data (The Cognitive Load Theory)

Just as your brain can only process 7±2 pieces of information at once (Miller's Law), we only collect the absolute minimum data needed to function. Why? Because data collection creates cognitive overhead - both for us to protect and for you to worry about.

What we collect:

🔍 Psychological Insight: The "Privacy Paradox" shows that people claim to value privacy highly but often trade it for convenience. We eliminate this paradox by requiring zero personal information for full functionality.

The Anonymity Advantage: How We Protect Your Decision Space

✅ What We Do

Count page views

Measure load times

Track feature usage

❌ What We Never Do

Track individuals

Store personal data

Use fingerprinting

🛡️ Your Protection

No cookies required

No account needed

No data selling

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Principle 2: Local-First Philosophy (The Autonomy Principle)

Self-Determination Theory in psychology shows that autonomy is a fundamental human need. Your wheel spins, choices, and configurations stay on YOUR device unless you explicitly choose to share them. This respects your psychological need for control and self-direction.

The "Illusion of Control" bias makes people feel better when they have control over their environment. By keeping your data local, we give you ACTUAL control, not just the illusion of it.

🎭 The Observer Effect & Your Behavior

The Hawthorne Effect shows that people behave differently when they know they're being watched. By NOT tracking individual behavior, we ensure your decision-making remains authentic. You can spin that "Should I quit my job?" wheel without worrying about digital judgment.

Fathom Analytics: Our Privacy-First Choice

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Why We Chose Privacy-Respecting Analytics

We use Fathom Analytics because it aligns with psychological well-being principles:

Fathom tells us "100 people used the restaurant picker today" not "John Smith from Chicago can't decide where to eat again."

🧩 The Paradox of Choice: Barry Schwartz's research shows that too many choices create anxiety. By not collecting personal data, we eliminate an entire category of choices you'd otherwise have to make about privacy settings, cookie preferences, and data sharing options.

Your Cognitive Rights (Things You Can Do)

The Empowerment Protocol

Based on the psychological principle of "Locus of Control," we ensure you maintain internal control over your digital footprint:

The Psychology of Shared Wheels

🔄 Social Proof & Sharing

When you share a wheel URL, you're leveraging Robert Cialdini's "Social Proof" principle - people trust decisions validated by others. The shared URL contains only the wheel configuration, not any personal information. It's like sharing a recipe, not your grocery list.

Third-Party Services: The Trust Transfer

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Our Carefully Chosen Partners

The "Halo Effect" in psychology shows that trust in one area influences trust in related areas. We only work with services that share our privacy values:

The Evolutionary Psychology of Privacy

🦁 Ancient Instincts, Modern Application: Humans evolved in small tribes where privacy meant survival. Your brain still carries these instincts. Digital surveillance triggers the same stress response as being watched by a predator. We respect these deep-seated psychological needs by maintaining your digital invisibility.

Children's Privacy: Protecting Developing Minds

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The Developmental Approach

Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory shows that children process information differently than adults. Our tool requires no age verification because we collect no personal data from anyone - children included. A five-year-old can spin a "what game to play" wheel with the same privacy protection as their parents.

Updates: The Consistency Principle

📝 Change & Cognitive Consistency

Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory shows that unexpected changes create psychological discomfort. If we ever need to update this policy, we'll announce it prominently on the homepage for 30 days. But here's our commitment: we will NEVER make changes that reduce your privacy protection.

Contact: The Human Connection

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Questions? Concerns? Philosophical Debates?

The "Mere Exposure Effect" shows that familiarity breeds trust. We want you to feel comfortable reaching out:

Email: privacy@spinwiththewheel.com
Response time: Within 48 hours
Our promise: Human responses, not automated templates

🎯 The Bottom Line: Trust Through Transparency

Daniel Kahneman's research on decision-making shows that trust reduces cognitive load and improves decision quality. By maintaining radical transparency about our minimal data practices, we free your mental resources to focus on what matters: making decisions, not worrying about privacy.

Our privacy philosophy in one sentence: Your decisions are yours alone - we're just here to make them more fun.

Last updated: January 2024

Privacy protection level: Maximum 🛡️

Your data collected: Zero 🎯

Peace of mind: Priceless 🧘