Privacy policy
Last updated 17 October 2026
Workmates is a virtual event space: you open a link, pick a character and walk around talking to the people near you. It's a project by Zak Rowling, based in Australia, and it's currently in Alpha.
This policy explains what information Workmates collects when you visit this website, read the docs or join a space, why, who it's shared with, and the choices you have. We don't sell your information, and we don't use it for advertising.
What we collect
What you put into a space
When you join a space you choose a nickname and an avatar. While you're there, the things you post — chat messages, emoji reactions, poll votes, raised hands — are shared with the other people in that space. If you host a space, the settings you choose are stored too: an optional password, agenda items, a welcome banner image, and the names and links of objects in the space.
This is kept on our server only while the space is open. Every space closes 24 hours after it's created (a host can extend it by up to three hours), and its contents are then deleted. Chat keeps only the most recent 60 messages.
Our server's logs also note when someone joins or leaves a space, by nickname. These logs are kept by our hosting provider for a limited time.
Your camera, microphone and screen
Workmates only uses your camera and microphone if you allow it, and you can turn either off at any time. Video and audio are sent live, through LiveKit, to the people near you in the space. Screen shares work the same way. We don't record or store your video, audio or screen.
What's saved in your browser
To make coming back easier, your browser keeps a few things on your device: your avatar, the nickname you used in each space (for up to seven days), a random ID that lets you rejoin a space as its host, and small settings like your music volume. The random ID is sent to our server when you join; the rest stays in your browser. You can clear it at any time by clearing this site's data in your browser.
Analytics and session recordings
To understand how Workmates is used and to find and fix problems, we use:
- Google Analytics — counts visits and pages viewed.
- Microsoft Clarity — records how people use the website, docs and app (clicks, scrolling and page changes) so we can see where things go wrong.
- PostHog — records sessions in the app, including errors, so we can reproduce and fix bugs.
These tools collect things like the pages you visit, what you click, your browser and device, and your approximate location (from your IP address). They also receive events from inside Workmates, such as joining a space or opening a game. They use cookies or similar browser storage to recognise a returning visitor. Text you type into form fields is masked in session recordings. PostHog requests pass through our own domain, which forwards your IP address so locations are still accurate.
Feedback
If you send feedback using the Feedback button, it goes to a Google Form, along with whatever you choose to write in it.
Who we share it with
We use these services to run Workmates. Each handles information under its own privacy policy, and some are based outside Australia — mainly in the United States.
- Render — hosts our server.
- Cloudflare — delivers the website and protects it from attacks.
- LiveKit — carries live video, audio and screen shares.
- Google — Analytics, the feedback form, and the fonts on this website.
- Microsoft — Clarity analytics.
- PostHog — app analytics, session recordings and error reports.
- jsDelivr — serves some of the code the app and docs load.
Some parts of a space connect you to other websites directly. The club's music comes from internet radio stations, which your browser streams from them. Karaoke, the photobooth, the arcade machines, some games and any links people share (such as Figma or Miro files) open those websites inside Workmates. Those sites can see your IP address and have their own privacy policies.
Your choices
- You can join a space without turning on your camera or microphone.
- You can block or clear cookies and site data in your browser, or use a content blocker, to limit analytics. Workmates still works.
- Google offers a browser add-on to opt out of Google Analytics.
- You can ask us what information we hold about you, or ask us to correct or delete it, using the contact details below.
Keeping it safe
Workmates is served over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. Space links are long and random, and hosts can add a password. Spaces delete themselves after they close. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect what we hold.
Children
Workmates is made for workplaces and isn't intended for children under 16.
Changes to this policy
We'll update this page if how we handle information changes, and change the date at the top when we do.
Contact
Questions or requests about your information? Use the Feedback button on any page, or get in touch through zakrowling.com.