Privacy Policy

Who we are

Familynk is a family tree app at familynk.io. In this policy, "we" and "us" mean Familynk. Questions about privacy go to support@familynk.io.

What we collect

• Your family tree: the names, relationships, photos, notes and facts (like birth years or places) that you and your family add.
• Account details: the email address or phone number you sign in with. If you use Google, we receive your Google account's email address and name. Relatives who join from an invite start as guests with a random ID and no email until they choose to save their spot.
• Payment status: if you buy Family Vault, Stripe handles your card. We never see or store card numbers; we only keep your plan, its status and a Stripe customer reference.
• Technical data: our hosting provider keeps standard server logs (such as IP address, browser type and time of request) to run and protect the service. Your browser also keeps a copy of your tree on your device so it works offline.

Trees include information about other people

A family tree is about more than one person. It can include living relatives and children, who did not create the tree themselves. Please only add what you'd be comfortable with them seeing, respect a relative's wish to be left out, and take extra care with details about children and living people.

Who can see a tree

• Only the tree's members can see it: its keeper (the person who created it) and the relatives they invite. Members are viewers, editors or admins, and the keeper controls who is in the tree.
• Nobody else, including other Familynk users, can open your tree. Our database and storage rules enforce this.
• If you send a snapshot link, anyone who has that link can see a frozen, view-only copy of the tree without photos. Share it only with people you trust.
• Photos are only shown to members. As with most photo services, anyone who is given the exact web address of a photo can open that one photo, so don't post photo addresses publicly.

Services we use

• Firebase (Google) stores trees and photos and handles sign-in. Firebase privacy
• Stripe processes Family Vault payments. Stripe privacy
• Vercel hosts the website and our payment server. Vercel privacy

They process data only to provide these services to us. Data may be stored and processed in the United States.

Cookies and local storage

• What's needed: your browser stores your sign-in session and a copy of your tree so Familynk works and stays fast, even offline. This is essential and can't be switched off while you use the app.
• Nothing else loads without your OK: the app's code, its font and the Firebase library are served from our own site. We don't use advertising or tracking pixels. Analytics or other optional tools, if we ever add them, only load after you tap Accept on the cookie banner.
• Change your mind any time: in the app, open Settings and tap Cookie choices.
• Stripe and Google set their own cookies only when you choose to pay or to sign in with Google, on their pages.

What we never do

• We never sell your data or your family's data.
• We never show ads, and we don't use your tree for advertising or to train AI models.
• We don't share your tree with anyone outside its members, except the services above that run Familynk for us, or when the law requires it.

Export or delete your data

• Export: in the app, open Settings and tap Export backup to download the whole tree as a file.
• Delete a tree's contents: the tree's keeper can open Settings and tap Reset tree to delete every person and photo.
• Leave a tree: members can leave from Members & invites.
• Delete a whole tree or your account: email support@familynk.io from the address on your account. We'll delete it within 30 days, along with its photos. Cancel any Family Vault subscription first under Manage subscription.

Asking to be removed from someone's tree

If you're in someone else's tree and want your details or photos removed, ask the tree's keeper first. If that doesn't work, or you don't know who they are, email support@familynk.io with your name and any details that help us find the tree. We'll work with the keeper and remove your information where appropriate. Parents and guardians can do this on behalf of their children.

Children

Familynk accounts are not for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them through accounts. Children may appear in a tree that a family member creates. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us and we'll delete it.

How long we keep data, and security

We keep your tree for as long as it exists in Familynk. Deleted trees and accounts are removed within 30 days, and from backups after that. Data travels over encrypted connections (HTTPS) and is stored by Google with encryption at rest. Access is limited to tree members by security rules. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong password.

Changes and contact

If we make important changes to this policy, we'll update the date above and let you know in the app. Questions or requests: support@familynk.io.