Privacy Policy - Trellis

1. Introduction

Trellis Digital Inc. ("Trellis," "we," "us," or "our") operates the Trellis mobile application and website at findtrellis.app (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use our Service.

We are committed to protecting the privacy of our users and their families. By using the Service, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

Account information: Email address, phone number, first and last name, profile photo, bio, nationality, and languages spoken
Family profile information: Family display name, family photo, languages spoken at home, neighborhood, arrival date, expected duration of stay, schooling philosophy, and interests
Children's information: First name, birth year, birth month, and gender (all optional). This information is entered by the adult account holder and is used solely for family matching purposes
User-generated content: Posts, comments, messages, reviews, recommendations, meetup details, and photos you share on the Service
Payment information: Processed by Stripe — we do not store your credit card number or bank details on our servers
Identity verification data: If you opt into identity verification, processed by Stripe Identity — we receive only the verification status, not the underlying documents

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

Device information: Device type, operating system, app version, and unique device identifiers
Usage data: Features you use, pages you view, and actions you take within the Service
Location data: When you create a meetup or recommendation, the geographic coordinates associated with that content. We do not continuously track your real-time location
Push notification tokens: Device tokens for delivering push notifications (iOS APNs and Android FCM)

2.3 Information from Third Parties

Authentication providers: If you sign in with Google or Apple, we receive your name, email address, and profile photo as permitted by the provider

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

Family matching: To match your family with compatible families based on children's ages, languages, location, interests, and other profile attributes
Service operation: To provide, maintain, and improve the Service, including messaging, meetups, recommendations, and community features
Content moderation: To review user-generated content for compliance with our community standards using automated AI moderation and human review
Communication: To send you notifications about activity on the Service, including messages, meetup reminders, match notifications, and moderation actions
Translation: To provide content translation features using third-party translation services
Safety and security: To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms of Service
Payment processing: To process subscription payments and manage billing through Stripe

4. AI and Automated Processing

Trellis uses artificial intelligence for the following purposes:

Content moderation: All user-generated content (posts, messages, comments, reviews, profile text, meetup descriptions) is automatically reviewed by AI models for safety and compliance with our community standards
Image moderation: Uploaded photos are automatically analyzed for inappropriate or harmful content
Match explanations: AI generates personalized explanations of why two families may be a good match
Content translation: User content can be translated on demand using Google Cloud Translation

AI moderation is used to protect the safety of our community, particularly children and families. Content flagged by AI may be immediately removed or held for human review depending on the severity of the violation.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share your information only in the following circumstances:

5.1 With Other Users

Your profile information, family profile, posts, reviews, and recommendations are visible to other users of the Service as determined by your privacy settings and the visibility settings of each piece of content. Direct messages are visible only to conversation participants.

5.2 With Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers that help us operate the Service:

Amazon Web Services (AWS): Cloud infrastructure, data storage, content moderation (Bedrock, Rekognition), push notifications (SNS), and email delivery (SES)
Google Cloud: Translation API for content translation features
Stripe: Payment processing and identity verification
Apple and Google: Push notification delivery, authentication, and app distribution

These service providers are contractually obligated to use your information only for the purposes of providing their services to us.

5.3 For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Trellis, our users, or the public. In cases involving child exploitation or imminent threats of harm, we will report to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.

6. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed at children under 18. Only adults (18+) may create accounts. Children do not interact with the Service directly and do not provide personal information to us.

Family profiles may include limited information about children (first name, birth year, birth month, gender) entered by the adult account holder. This information is used solely for family matching purposes — to help families with children of similar ages connect with each other. Children's information is:

Visible only to other authenticated users of the Service
Not used for advertising or marketing purposes
Not shared with third parties except as necessary to operate the Service
Deletable at any time by the adult account holder

If you believe a child under 18 has created an account, please contact us immediately and we will delete the account.

7. Data Retention

Account data: Retained while your account is active. Upon account deletion, your profile is deactivated and your content is no longer visible to other users
Messages: Retained while the conversation participants have active accounts
Moderation records: Retained indefinitely for safety and legal compliance
Audit logs: Retained indefinitely for security and compliance purposes
Payment records: Retained as required by tax and financial regulations

We may retain certain anonymized or aggregated data indefinitely for analytics and service improvement purposes.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

Encryption of data in transit (TLS) and at rest
Secure authentication through AWS Cognito with multi-factor options
Role-based access controls for internal systems
Regular security audits and monitoring
Presigned URLs for secure file uploads with size and type restrictions

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

9. International Data Transfers

Trellis is operated from Canada and uses infrastructure hosted in the United States (AWS us-east-1). Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to these countries. We ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for international data transfers in compliance with applicable data protection laws.

10. Your Rights and Choices

10.1 Account and Profile

You may update or correct your profile information at any time through the app
You may delete your account through the app settings
You may add, edit, or remove children's information from your family profile at any time

10.2 Communications

You may manage push notification preferences in the app settings
You may mute individual conversations
You may opt out of non-essential email communications

10.3 Data Access and Portability

You may request a copy of your personal data by contacting us. We will respond to your request within 30 days or as required by applicable law.

10.4 Data Deletion

You may request deletion of your personal data by deleting your account or contacting us at legal@findtrellis.app. Certain data may be retained as described in the Data Retention section above. For full details, see our Data Deletion page.

10.5 Rights Under GDPR (EEA Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation, including the right to access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, and the right to object to processing. To exercise these rights, contact us at the address below.

10.6 Rights Under Canadian Privacy Law

If you are located in Canada, you have rights under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), including the right to access your personal information, request corrections, and withdraw consent. To exercise these rights, contact us at the address below.

11. Cookies and Tracking

The Trellis website may use essential cookies for authentication and session management. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking pixels. The mobile app does not use cookies.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you through the app or by email at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at:

Trellis Digital Inc.
Email: privacy@findtrellis.app

For data protection inquiries from EEA users, you may also contact your local data protection authority.