Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 9, 2026

1. Introduction

RelaRoots ("we," "our," or "us") operates the RelaRoots platform at relaroots.com. We are committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information and your family's data. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, and profile image through our authentication provider (Clerk). If you sign in with Google or another social provider, we receive your basic profile information from that provider.

Family Tree Data

You may enter information about family members including names, dates of birth and death, biographical details, life events, locations, and relationships. This is the core data you create and manage within the platform.

Photos and Stories

You may upload photos and write stories. Photos are stored securely in cloud storage (Cloudflare R2). We generate thumbnails for display purposes.

Payment Information

Payment processing is handled entirely by Stripe. We do not store your credit card number, bank account details, or other payment credentials. We only store a Stripe customer identifier to manage your subscription.

Usage Data

We collect basic usage information such as pages visited, features used, and error logs to improve the platform. We do not use third-party tracking or advertising services.

3. How We Use Your Information

  • To provide and maintain the RelaRoots platform and its features
  • To process your subscription and payments through Stripe
  • To send transactional emails (welcome messages, invitations, billing confirmations)
  • To respond to support requests
  • To improve the platform based on usage patterns
  • To enforce our Terms of Service and protect against misuse

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information or family tree data with third parties for marketing purposes.

4. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored on secure servers hosted by Railway (application) and Cloudflare (file storage). All data is transmitted over encrypted HTTPS connections. Database access is restricted and scoped to your family workspace — you can only access data belonging to families you are a member of.

Photos are stored in Cloudflare R2 with access controlled through time-limited presigned URLs. Files are never publicly accessible.

5. Data Sharing

We use the following third-party services to operate the platform:

  • Clerk — authentication and user management
  • Stripe — payment processing
  • Cloudflare — CDN, DNS, and file storage (R2)
  • Railway — application and database hosting
  • ArcGIS — geocoding for location features

Each provider only receives the minimum data necessary to perform their function. We do not share your family tree data with any of these providers.

6. Shared Views

You may create secure share links that give non-registered users read-only access to portions of your family tree. Share links are tokenized, can be set to expire, and can be revoked at any time. Share link recipients cannot modify your data.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access all personal data we hold about you
  • Correct inaccurate data
  • Export your family tree data (GEDCOM export is available)
  • Delete your account and all associated data
  • Withdraw consent for optional data processing

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@relaroots.com.

8. Cookies

We use essential cookies required for authentication and session management. We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics cookies.

9. Children's Privacy

RelaRoots is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes via email. The "last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.

11. Contact

For questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, contact us at info@relaroots.com.