Privacy Policy

Welcome to Pawprints

At Pawprints.Love, a service of Alta Ventures LLC ("Pawprints," "we," "our," or "us"), we understand that you're trusting us with something precious: the memories of your beloved pets. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and share your information when you use our website, mobile applications, and services (collectively, the "Service").

We've written this policy in plain language because we believe you deserve to understand exactly how your data is handled—especially when that data includes irreplaceable photos, heartfelt letters, and cherished memories.

By using Pawprints, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't use our Service.

Table of Contents

1. Information We Collect
2. How We Use Your Information
3. Content Ownership and Licensing
4. How We Share Your Information
5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
6. Data Storage and Security
7. Data Retention
8. Memorial Profiles and Legacy Access
9. Your Rights and Choices
10. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)
11. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)
12. International Data Transfers
13. Children's Privacy
14. Third-Party Links and Services
15. Changes to This Policy
16. Contact Us

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

• Name and email address
• Password (stored in encrypted form)
• Profile photo (optional)
• Billing address (for paid subscriptions)

• Pet names, breeds, species, and birthdays
• Adoption dates and origin stories
• Personality descriptions and tags
• Photos and videos you upload
• Adventures, milestones, and timeline entries
• Letters you write to your pets
• Memorial dates (if applicable)

• When you subscribe to a paid plan, our payment processor (Stripe) collects your payment card information
• We do NOT store your full credit card number, CVV, or PIN
• We receive only a transaction confirmation and the last four digits of your card for your records

• Messages you send to our support team
• Feedback and survey responses
• Newsletter signup information

• Tributes and condolence messages you leave on others' memorial pages
• Belly rubs, treats, and other virtual interactions
• Comments and likes on public profiles

Information We Collect Automatically

• Pages you visit and features you use
• Time spent on the Service
• Actions taken (uploads, edits, shares)
• Referring websites or apps

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Device type (mobile, desktop, tablet)
• Unique device identifiers

• General location derived from IP address (city/region level)
• Precise location only if you choose to tag adventures with a location (and only when you explicitly enable it)

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Create and maintain your account
• Store and display your pet profiles, photos, and memories
• Process your subscription payments
• Enable sharing features and community interactions

• Understand how people use Pawprints so we can make it better
• Personalize your experience (e.g., adventure suggestions based on your pet's age/energy level)
• Develop new features based on user needs

• Send important account notifications (password resets, security alerts)
• Respond to your support requests
• Send our newsletter and gentle memory prompts (if you've opted in)
• Notify you of significant changes to our Service or policies

• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security threats
• Enforce our Terms of Service
• Moderate content to maintain a safe, respectful community

• Comply with applicable laws and regulations
• Respond to lawful requests from authorities

What We Will Never Do

• Sell your personal information to advertisers or data brokers
• Use your private content for advertising without your explicit consent
• Train AI models on your photos, letters, or personal memories
• Share your data with third parties for their own marketing purposes

3. Content Ownership and Licensing

You Own Your Content

Let's be crystal clear: you retain full ownership and all intellectual property rights to every photo, video, letter, and story you upload to Pawprints. We do not claim ownership of your content. Your memories belong to you.

The License You Grant Us

To provide our Service, we need certain technical permissions to handle your content. Here's exactly what you're granting us:

• A limited license to host, store, back up, and display your content only to you and the specific people you authorize
• We will never display private content publicly or use it for marketing

• A worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, display, and distribute your content in connection with operating the Service
• This includes the right to feature public profiles, tributes, or photos on our website, social media, or marketing materials to celebrate pets and inspire our community
• We will always credit you as the source when featuring your content in marketing

• You can change any content from public to private at any time
• You can delete your content at any time (see Data Retention for details)
• If we've featured your public content in marketing and you later make it private, we will remove it from future marketing materials within 30 days of your request

Tribute and Interaction Content

When you leave a tribute on someone else's memorial page or interact with another user's profile:

• You grant us and the profile owner the right to display that content
• The profile owner may moderate or remove tributes at their discretion
• You retain ownership but cannot delete tributes from others' profiles after 30 days

4. How We Share Your Information

We share your information only in these limited circumstances:

Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party companies that help us operate Pawprints:

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the services they provide to us.

With Your Consent

• When you share a profile link publicly
• When you choose to connect social media accounts
• When you explicitly opt in to a partner offer or promotion

For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information if required to:

• Comply with a law, regulation, or valid legal process
• Protect the safety of any person
• Protect our rights or property
• Investigate potential violations of our Terms

Business Transfers

If Pawprints is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on our Service before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Aggregated or De-Identified Data

We may share aggregated, anonymized data that cannot identify you (e.g., "80% of users upload photos within the first week") for research, marketing, or other purposes.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

What We Use

• Required for the Service to function (login sessions, security)
• Cannot be disabled

• Help us understand how people use Pawprints
• We use Google Analytics with IP anonymization enabled
• You can opt out (see below)

• Remember your settings and choices
• Enhance your experience

We Do NOT Use

• Advertising or retargeting cookies
• Cross-site tracking for ad purposes
• Third-party cookies for behavioral advertising

Your Cookie Choices

Browser Settings: Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. Note that blocking essential cookies may prevent the Service from working properly.

Google Analytics Opt-Out: Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on

Do Not Track: We honor Do Not Track browser signals for analytics cookies.

6. Data Storage and Security

Where Your Data Lives

Your data is stored on secure servers in the United States, provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Vercel. We maintain encrypted backups in geographically separate locations to protect against data loss.

How We Protect Your Data

• Encryption in Transit: All data transmitted to and from Pawprints uses TLS/SSL encryption (HTTPS)
• Encryption at Rest: Stored data is encrypted using AES-256 encryption
• Access Controls: Employee access to user data is strictly limited and logged
• Regular Security Audits: We conduct periodic security reviews and vulnerability assessments
• Secure Password Storage: Passwords are hashed using industry-standard algorithms (never stored in plain text)

Our Commitment to Your Memories

We understand that the photos and letters you store with us are irreplaceable. We maintain:

• Redundant backups across multiple data centers
• Disaster recovery procedures
• 99.9% uptime target for data availability

Security Incidents

If we discover a data breach that affects your personal information, we will:

• Notify affected users within 72 hours
• Provide details about what information was involved
• Explain steps we're taking to address the situation
• Offer guidance on protecting yourself

7. Data Retention

Active Accounts

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service.

Account Deletion

When you delete your account:

• Your profile and content will be removed from public view immediately
• We will permanently delete your data from our primary systems within 30 days
• Backup copies may persist for up to 90 days before being purged
• Certain data may be retained if required by law or to resolve disputes

Important: Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. We strongly recommend exporting your data first (see Your Rights and Choices).

Memorial Profiles

Memorial profiles are designed to be permanent tributes. However:

• The account owner can delete a memorial profile at any time
• If an account becomes inactive (see Inactive Accounts below), memorial profiles may be preserved but become read-only

Inactive Accounts

If an account shows no login activity for 5 consecutive years:

• We will attempt to contact you via email
• If we receive no response within 90 days, the account may be converted to "archived" status
• Archived accounts preserve memorial profiles but remove other content
• You can reactivate an archived account by logging in and verifying your identity

Tributes and Interactions

• Tributes on memorial pages are retained as long as the memorial exists
• The profile owner may delete individual tributes
• If you delete your account, tributes you've left on others' profiles will be anonymized (displayed as "A Pawprints Member")

8. Memorial Profiles and Legacy Access

We recognize that Pawprints holds deeply meaningful content that may outlive both pets and their human caretakers. We've designed our policies with this reality in mind.

What Happens to Your Account If You Pass Away

Pawprints offers a Legacy Contact feature (available to Buddy and Pack subscribers):

• You may designate a trusted person to manage your account if you become incapacitated or pass away
• Your Legacy Contact can: maintain memorial profiles, download your content, or delete the account
• Your Legacy Contact cannot: access private letters unless you explicitly grant that permission

Requesting Access to a Deceased User's Account

If you are an immediate family member or estate executor of a deceased Pawprints user and need to access their account:

1. Contact us at legacy@pawprints.love
2. Provide:
   • Proof of death (death certificate)
   • Proof of your relationship or legal authority (estate documents, power of attorney)
   • A description of what access you're requesting

We will review requests on a case-by-case basis, balancing respect for the deceased user's privacy with the legitimate needs of their loved ones.

Perpetual Memorial Promise

We believe memorial profiles should last. Our commitment:

• Memorial profiles are designed to remain accessible indefinitely
• If Pawprints ever shuts down, we will provide at least 90 days notice and a free data export tool
• We are exploring partnerships with digital preservation organizations to ensure long-term accessibility

9. Your Rights and Choices

All Users Have the Right To:

• View all personal information we have about you
• Request a copy in a portable format (JSON or PDF)

• Update inaccurate or incomplete information
• Edit or update your pet profiles at any time

• Delete individual photos, letters, or adventures
• Delete entire pet profiles
• Delete your entire account

• You may request a copy of your content at any time
• Contact us at privacy@pawprints.love to request an export
• We will provide your data in a standard format within 30 days

• Unsubscribe from marketing emails (link in every email)
• Adjust notification preferences in account settings
• Note: You cannot opt out of essential account notifications

• Change any content between public and private
• Control who can view your pet profiles
• Approve or reject tributes before they appear

How to Exercise Your Rights

• Self-Service: Most actions can be taken directly in your account settings
• Email: Contact privacy@pawprints.love for requests we can't handle automatically
• Response Time: We respond to all requests within 30 days

10. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

Your CCPA Rights

• Right to Know: Request what personal information we've collected, used, or shared
• Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do NOT sell your personal information, so this right does not apply
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not treat you differently for exercising your rights

Categories of Information We Collect

Exercising Your CCPA Rights

Contact us at privacy@pawprints.love with the subject line "CCPA Request." We will verify your identity before processing your request.

Authorized Agents

You may designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf. We will require written authorization and verify both your identity and your agent's authority.

11. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data based on:

• Contract: To provide the Service you've signed up for
• Consent: For optional features like marketing emails
• Legitimate Interest: To improve our Service and ensure security
• Legal Obligation: To comply with applicable laws

Your GDPR Rights

• Access: Obtain a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate data
• Erasure: Request deletion ("right to be forgotten")
• Restriction: Limit how we process your data
• Portability: Receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Withdraw Consent: Revoke consent at any time (without affecting prior processing)

Data Protection Officer

For GDPR-related inquiries, contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@pawprints.love.

Supervisory Authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have violated your rights.

12. International Data Transfers

Pawprints is based in the United States. If you access our Service from outside the US, your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the US.

How We Protect International Transfers

• We use Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission for transfers from the EEA
• Our service providers are required to maintain appropriate safeguards
• We comply with applicable data transfer regulations

By using Pawprints, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other countries where we or our service providers operate.

13. Children's Privacy

Pawprints is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@pawprints.love. We will promptly delete such information.

For Teens (13-17): We recommend that teenagers use Pawprints with parental awareness and guidance, especially when sharing content publicly.

14. Third-Party Links and Services

Pawprints may contain links to third-party websites, services, or applications (e.g., social media platforms, partner retailers in our Shop). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third parties.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you visit. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external sites.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes:

• Minor Changes: We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top
• Material Changes: We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice on our Service at least 30 days before the changes take effect

Your continued use of Pawprints after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

16. Contact Us

We're real people who genuinely care about your privacy and your memories. If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please reach out:

Email: privacy@pawprints.love

Email: dpo@pawprints.love

Email: legacy@pawprints.love

We will respond to all inquiries within 30 days.

Thank you for trusting Pawprints with your precious memories. We don't take that responsibility lightly. 🐾