European Union
GDPR-friendly by architecture, not by paperwork.
Most apps meet the GDPR with a stack of documents arranged around an unavoidable fact: they collect data. We arranged the software so there is nothing to document.
The Eternal Journal is made by a small studio in Amsterdam, inside the Union, by people who have read the regulation rather than skimmed a compliance vendor's summary of it. Articles 5 through 9 concern the processing of personal data. We do not process your journal entries in any sense the regulation recognises — they are encrypted in your browser and stay on your device.
There is therefore no Article 28 processor agreement to sign, no Article 30 record of processing to maintain for your entries, no Chapter V transfer mechanism to argue about, and no Article 17 erasure request to service — the deletion is done by deleting the file. For institutional buyers who need something on paper, we will provide a written statement of architecture in lieu of a DPA.
Two honest exceptions. The marketing site you are reading runs privacy-respecting analytics. And checkout runs through Paddle, which is a data controller for your purchase in its own right, handles EU VAT as merchant of record, and keeps the invoice. Neither touches a journal entry. The downloaded file makes no network calls of any kind.
The interface is in English. Your writing can be in any language your keyboard produces — Dutch, Frisian, German, Portuguese, Greek, Polish — because the file stores Unicode and never sends it anywhere to be corrected.
Dutch buyers can pay by iDEAL through Paddle; invoices for BTW purposes are available on request.
The Typewriter Experience
The cursor stays. The text moves.
In Write mode, your cursor remains exactly at the centre of the screen. The page rises up to meet it. Past words fade into soft shadow at the edges, leaving the present sentence in clear focus. Switch to Read mode and the entry flattens into an evenly lit document — the fade is for writing; the flat light is for returning.
Radical Privacy & Encryption
AES-256-GCM, in your browser, with a key only you derive.
- ·PBKDF2 key derivation at 600,000 iterations — the OWASP 2024 recommendation. Existing journals upgrade transparently on first unlock.
- ·No accounts, no telemetry, no analytics, no cookies, no third-party scripts.
- ·IndexedDB storage with a localStorage fallback. Encrypted before it touches the disk.
- ·The file is not minified. You can read the source. We'd rather you trust it than us.
What It Does Not Do
- ✕No word counts chasing you across the screen.
- ✕No formatting toolbar wrestling your thoughts into neatness.
- ✕No cloud sync. No distant servers. Your words stay yours.
- ✕No social sharing. Your vulnerability is not content.
- ✕No AI assistant finishing your sentences.
- ✕No streak counters. No guilt. No gamification.
- ✕No subscriptions. No mood trackers. No noise.
Licensing & Gift Copy
One purchase covers up to three of your personal devices. It also includes a second untouched copy of the file — meant to be given to one person you trust. Lifetime updates. 30-day, no-questions refund. If you run a clinic, school, or workplace and want a copy for everyone, ask us about a site licence.
One Purchase. Yours Forever.
The price is $24 today. It will become $29.
One-time payment
Get The Eternal JournalQuestions
Do you have a DPA we can sign?
No, because there is no processing relationship to govern. Your writing never reaches us. For institutional buyers we provide a written statement of architecture instead.
Where are your servers located?
No server ever holds a journal entry. We run static hosting for these marketing pages, and checkout runs through Paddle. Both are separate from the journal file, which contacts nothing.
Can I exercise my right to erasure?
There is nothing on our side to erase. To remove the journal from your own device, delete the HTML file and clear the site's local storage in your browser. Paddle holds your purchase record as merchant of record.
Is there a cross-border transfer to worry about?
Not for your entries — nothing is transferred. Your purchase data is handled by Paddle under its own terms.
Who handles EU VAT?
Paddle, as merchant of record. VAT is calculated for your country at checkout and appears on the invoice; you can enter a VAT number if you are buying as a business.
Can I write in Dutch, German, or Greek?
Yes. The file stores plain Unicode with no autocorrect and no language detection. Accents, diacritics, and mid-sentence code-switching all survive a round trip through the encryption.
More in By Location
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An encrypted journal where the passphrase never leaves your device.
AES-256-GCM with PBKDF2 key derivation at 600,000 iterations — the OWASP 2024 recommendation. Done in your browser, not on a server.
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A journal that doesn't track you. At all. Ever.
No analytics. No cookies. No third-party scripts. No "anonymous usage data." If you view the file source, you'll see for yourself.
Comparisons
The Eternal Journal vs Day One.
Both are journals. They're built on opposite assumptions about where your writing should live.
The cursor will be there when you return.
Centered. Blinking. Patient.
Start Writing