Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 8 September 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Kindred, a family tree and memory-sharing application operated by Sheriax, operating from India ("we", "us", or "our"), collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects your personal information when you use our mobile application and website (collectively, the "Service").

We comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act") and the Information Technology Act, 2000 of India, along with their associated rules.

1. Who we are

Kindred is a private, invitation-based family tree app that lets you build a shared history with your relatives — profiles, relationships, photos, voice notes, stories, and messages. The Service is operated by Sheriax from India.

Contact: support@kindredtree.app

2. Data we collect

We collect only the information needed to run the Service:

  • Account identifiers (via our authentication provider Clerk): your name, email address, profile photo, and a unique Clerk user ID.
  • User-generated content (uploaded via UploadThing and stored by Kindred): photos, videos, voice recordings, messages, captions, comments, and any other content you create or share in the Service.
  • Family graph data (stored in Convex): the profiles you create, the relationships you define (parent / child / spouse / sibling), memories, group memberships, and friendship connections.
  • Advertising data: when ads are enabled, Google AdMob may process IP address, device identifiers, app interactions, and diagnostic data for ad delivery, measurement, and fraud prevention. Kindred requests non-personalized ads and uses Google's consent system where required. Non-personalized ads may still use device storage.
  • AI questions and family context: when you send a question to Kindred AI, your question, chat history, and connected family profiles and relationships are sent to the AI service to generate an answer. This context can include names, dates, birthplaces, and biographies. Do not include information you do not have permission to share.

We do not knowingly collect any special-category personal data (for example, financial data, health data, or biometric identifiers) beyond what you voluntarily add to a profile.

3. Why we process your data

  • To create and secure your account.
  • To provide the core family-tree, messaging, and memory-sharing features.
  • To deliver notifications about messages, comments, and relatives joining.
  • To diagnose and fix bugs and to improve the Service.
  • To comply with applicable Indian law.

4. Who we share your data with

We use a small number of trusted third-party processors. Each of them processes data only on our instructions and is bound by their own privacy commitments:

We do not sell your personal data. Advertising and AI providers receive the data described above to provide those features.

5. How long we keep your data

We keep your account data and content for as long as your account is active. When you request deletion (see Section 7), we remove your personal data from our production systems within 30 days. Residual copies may remain in secure, time-limited backups until those backups rotate out of storage (typically within 90 days).

Certain data may be retained for longer if required by law, to resolve disputes, or to prevent fraud and abuse.

6. Your rights under the DPDP Act, 2023

As a Data Principal in India, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.
  • Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Erase your personal data (see Section 7).
  • Withdraw consent you previously gave for processing.
  • Nominate another person to exercise these rights in the event of your death or incapacity.
  • Raise a grievance about how we handle your data (see Section 11).

To exercise any of these rights, email support@kindredtree.app from the email address registered to your account.

7. Account deletion

To delete your account and all associated data, email support@kindredtree.app from the email registered to your account with the subject “Account deletion request — Kindred”. We will verify your identity, delete your profile, user-generated content, messages, memories, and relationship data, and confirm completion within 30 days of receipt, in accordance with the DPDP Act, 2023.

The in-app More › Settings › Delete Account button opens your mail client with this request pre-filled. You can also use our account deletion page without installing the app.

8. Children

The Service is not directed at individuals under the age of 18 without the verifiable consent of a parent or lawful guardian. In accordance with Section 9 of the DPDP Act, we require such parental or guardian consent before processing the personal data of a child. If you become aware that a child has registered without the appropriate consent, please email us at support@kindredtree.app and we will remove the account.

9. Security

Data is transmitted over HTTPS. At rest, data is encrypted by the underlying storage providers (Clerk, Convex, UploadThing) using industry-standard encryption. Access within Sheriax is limited to authorised personnel who require it to operate the Service. No system is perfectly secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Cross-border data transfer

Our processors (Clerk, Convex, UploadThing, Google and DeepSeek) host data in data centres outside India, primarily in the United States and the European Union; DeepSeek may process AI questions and family context in China. By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your personal data to these jurisdictions under the contractual safeguards the respective providers maintain. We do not transfer data to any country the Central Government of India has notified as restricted under Section 16 of the DPDP Act.

11. Grievance redressal

For any grievance or question regarding the processing of your personal data, please contact us at support@kindredtree.app with the subject “Grievance — Kindred”. We will acknowledge your grievance promptly and provide a response within 15 days, as required by the DPDP Act, 2023.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India as set up under the DPDP Act.

12. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you in-app and by email. The updated version will show a new "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the Service after a change means you accept the updated Policy.

13. Contact

If you have any questions about this Policy or our handling of your data, email us at support@kindredtree.app.

Questions? Email support@kindredtree.app.