This policy explains how Village Memory handles information when you use the website and app. Family history can include sensitive details about living people. Add information only when you are allowed to do so, and review the sharing and AI choices described below.

Controller and privacy contact

Village Memory is operated by Silvio Giancola as an individual based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia). For privacy questions, access or deletion requests, email silvio.giancola@gmail.com. This is currently a free side project with no advertising. It is intended for people the operator knows, including people in Saudi Arabia, France, Italy and elsewhere; the service may be accessible outside those locations as well.

Information we handle

• Account and sign-in information: email address, authentication identifiers, sign-in method, session information, and your language preference. When you choose Google sign-in, Google supplies the basic account information needed to authenticate you. Village Memory does not request access to Google Drive, contacts, or other Google content.
• Family information you add: names, dates, places, relationships, biographies, testimony, sources, profile claims, Shared Tree contributions, and GEDCOM import records or files. This may include information about living and deceased people and may reveal sensitive family circumstances.
• Invitations and collaboration: invitee email addresses, tree roles, invitation details, and activity needed to provide Shared Tree access.
• Feedback: messages and optional attachments you submit, along with support context such as the page, language, browser, viewport size, and account email. Attachments are stored privately; if an issue is filed, a temporary signed link may be included in the issue.
• Device and service information: authentication and language cookies, local app preferences, offline family data and pending edits stored in your browser, and usage or performance measurements from the hosted service.

How we use information

We use information to authenticate accounts; store, display, export, synchronize, and protect trees; send invitations; respond to feedback; operate offline features; prevent abuse; and understand service reliability and performance. We do not sell family or account information or use it for targeted advertising.

Private and Shared Trees

My Private Tree is restricted to its owner. A Shared Tree is available to its members according to their roles. Members can see the people and contributions in the Shared Trees they belong to. Village Memory does not make these trees publicly searchable. You control whether to add information to a private or Shared Tree; do not put private material in a Shared Tree unless you intend its members to see it.

AI features

Local AI runs on your device. Devices without a saved AI choice default to Village Memory–sponsored GPT-6 Luna. When you press Ask or Analyze with this option selected, your request and relevant saved family-tree context are sent to OpenAI. The notice shown beside the form explains this transfer; pressing the button is consent for that request. There is no user fee, and availability can pause when the shared daily allowance or monthly sponsor budget is reached. Online requests are not made merely by opening the form or typing. Provider terms and retention practices apply to information they process. OpenAI requests disable stored Responses; this is not a promise that OpenAI retains no data. OpenRouter requests ask for data-collection denial and zero-retention routing, but provider availability and policies still apply.

You can choose on-device AI, free OpenRouter, or add your own OpenAI or OpenRouter key in Settings. Village Memory stores your key encrypted for future requests on your account. Do not enter confidential information into an online AI request unless you accept the selected provider’s handling of that information. AI output is a suggestion and should be reviewed by a person.

Service providers

We use service providers to operate the app. Supabase provides authentication, database, and private file storage. Vercel hosts the application and provides analytics and performance measurements. Google processes Google sign-in. Resend delivers Shared Tree invitation emails. GitHub may receive in-app feedback when issue filing is configured. OpenAI receives information when you submit with sponsored GPT-6 Luna selected, or when you choose your own OpenAI option. OpenRouter receives information only when you choose its online option. These providers process information under their own terms and privacy notices:

• Supabase
• Vercel
• Google
• Resend
• GitHub
• OpenAI
• OpenRouter

Cookies, browser storage, and analytics

Essential cookies support sign-in and language preferences. The app also uses browser storage, including IndexedDB and local storage, to keep tree snapshots, pending private edits, preferences, and downloaded local models on your device. Signing out clears the active account’s local tree data when possible; downloaded app and model files may remain. You can remove browser site data through your device settings.

Hosted versions use Vercel Analytics and Speed Insights to measure traffic and performance. We do not use these tools for advertising. Your browser and device may send technical information needed to serve and secure the site.

Retention and deletion

Account and tree information is kept while the account and relevant trees remain active. You can remove tree content through the app. To request account closure or deletion of personal information, email us from the address associated with your account so we can verify the request. We will handle it subject to applicable law and legitimate security or record-keeping needs. Provider backups, security logs, and local browser copies may remain for a limited period under the relevant provider’s retention practices.

Security and international processing

We use access controls, private storage, and encrypted connections to protect information. No online service can guarantee absolute security. The production Supabase project, which stores the primary account, database and private-storage data, is configured in the eu-west-3 (Paris, France) region. Production serverless functions on Vercel are configured in iad1 (Washington, D.C., United States); static assets are delivered through Vercel’s network. Other providers may process information in additional countries depending on the feature used and their current arrangements. This means information may be processed outside Saudi Arabia and the country where you live. Contact us for current information about a provider or transfer related to your data.

Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, export, restrict, object to, or request deletion of personal information, and to withdraw consent where processing relies on it. Contact us at the address above. You can also disconnect Google in Settings, stop using online AI, and clear local browser data. If you believe we have handled information unlawfully, you may contact your local data-protection authority.

Children and family information

Accounts are intended for people who can agree to these terms under the law where they live. An account holder may record information about a child in a family tree only when they have a lawful reason to do so and should take extra care with living children’s information. The service does not ask for a child’s account or profile to establish a person’s age; do not add a child’s information unless you are permitted to do so.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the service changes. We will update the effective date above when we publish a revised version.