Privacy Policy

KinLink LLC ("KinLink," "we," "us," or "our") provides a family location and check-in service through the KinLink mobile application and the kinlinkapp.com website (together, the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who can see it, and the choices you have. Location is the heart of what KinLink does, and much of that location data belongs to children and other people in your care. We wrote this policy to be read, not skimmed. If you disagree with it, please do not use the Service.

1. The Guardian and Dependent Model

KinLink has two kinds of users, and this policy treats them differently on purpose:

• Guardians are adults (18 or older) who create a KinLink account, define Places (named geo-fenced locations), and invite Dependents. Guardians control the family group.
• Dependents are the people a Guardian connects with: teenagers (13 to 17), aging parents, or other adults in the Guardian's care. KinLink requires every Dependent to be at least 13 years old. Dependents cannot create their own KinLink relationship. The only way a Dependent joins is by entering an invite code and PIN that a Guardian generated and shared with them. There is no Dependent self-signup, and no pairing can happen silently.

KinLink is a tool built for Guardians. It is not directed to children under 13, and the Service does not permit Dependent profiles for children under 13. Section 4 explains how we handle minors aged 13 to 17 and what happens if we learn an under-13 profile was created despite this rule.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account information: Email address and password for Guardians and Dependents.
• Dependent profile information: The name and profile details a Guardian enters when setting up a Dependent, which may include a date of birth or age range.
• Check-in content: Text notes (up to 500 characters), and optional photos or videos, shared in check-in requests and responses.
• Place information: Names, addresses, coordinates, geo-fence radii, and optional descriptions of the Places a Guardian creates.
• Pairing credentials: Invite codes and setup PINs generated by Guardians. We treat these like passwords: they exist to prevent unauthorized pairing, and they are usable only by someone the Guardian deliberately shares them with.
• Preferences: Notification settings and similar app configuration.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Location data: Precise GPS location. For Dependent accounts, location is collected in the background so the Service can detect arrivals at and departures from the Places a Guardian has assigned. Location is also captured when a check-in is submitted and when a paired Guardian views the live map.
• Activity events: System-generated records of geo-fence arrivals and departures, and check-in requests and responses, with timestamps.
• Device information: Device type, operating system version, device identifiers needed for push notifications, and mobile network information.
• Log data: IP address, access times, and crash reports, used for security and reliability.

The KinLink mobile app sends data only to KinLink's own systems. It does not include third-party advertising SDKs, and no advertising network or data broker receives anything from the app. Website analytics are described in Section 10 and apply to kinlinkapp.com only, not to the app.

3. How We Use Information

• Operate the Service: evaluate geo-fence boundaries, deliver arrival and departure alerts, process check-ins, and show the live map to paired Guardians.
• Authenticate accounts and protect the pairing process between Guardians and Dependents.
• Send push notifications for geo-fence events, check-in requests and responses, and important service updates.
• Maintain security, prevent abuse, and debug problems.
• Respond to support requests.
• Comply with legal obligations.

We do not use anyone's data for advertising. We do not build marketing profiles from location data. We do not use Dependents' personal information for any purpose beyond operating the Service for their family group, securing it, and meeting our legal obligations.

4. Children's Privacy

4.1 Minimum Age

Every Dependent must be at least 13 years old. KinLink is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Guardians must not create a Dependent profile for a child under 13; doing so violates our Terms of Service.

4.2 If We Learn of an Under-13 Profile

If we learn that a Dependent profile belongs to a child under 13, we will disable the pairing and delete the child's personal information. If you believe this has happened, or that a Dependent profile was created by someone without authority to consent for that person, contact support@kinlinkapp.com immediately.

4.3 Teens 13 to 17

A minor Dependent's connection must be set up by their parent or legal guardian (or with that person's express authorization), and that adult consents to the collection described in this policy on the minor's behalf. We encourage families to treat KinLink as something discussed and agreed, not imposed; the Dependent app shows every Dependent who their connected Guardians are and which Places have been assigned to them (with the exception of Private Places, described in Section 6).

The parent or legal guardian of a minor Dependent can, at any time:

• Review the Dependent's data (location history, activity log, check-in content) in the app.
• Correct profile information for the Dependent.
• Delete the Dependent's data by removing the Dependent from the family group in the app, or by deleting the Guardian account entirely (Section 8).
• Revoke consent to further collection by removing the Dependent or having the Dependent's device revoke location permission.
• Request an export of the Dependent's data by contacting support@kinlinkapp.com.

We respond to verified parental requests within 30 days.

4.4 California Minors

We do not sell or share anyone's personal information, so the CCPA's opt-in requirements for minors (consent from the minor at 13 to 15, or a parent for younger children) are never triggered in practice. See Section 9 for California rights generally.

5. How We Share Information

We do not sell personal information. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. No advertising network or data broker receives KinLink data, and this applies with special force to Dependent data. We share information only as follows:

• Within your family group: This is the core function of the Service. A paired Guardian sees their Dependent's location events, check-in content, activity log, and account email. A Dependent sees their connected Guardians' names and emails, their assigned Places (except Private Places, Section 6), and their own recent location history.
• Service providers (processors): Amazon Web Services (cloud hosting and storage for all Service data, and delivery of transactional email), and Apple Push Notification service (delivery of push notifications). These providers process data on our instructions and are prohibited from using it for their own purposes. If we add a service provider that processes children's data, we will update this policy before it takes effect.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government authority, or where disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of any person, including responding to an emergency involving a Dependent.
• Business transfers: If KinLink is acquired or merged, your information may transfer with the business. We will notify you at least 30 days before any transfer takes effect and explain your choices.

6. Private Places

Guardians can mark a Place as a Private Place. A Private Place works like any other Place: the Dependent's location is evaluated against it and the Guardian receives arrival and departure alerts for it. The difference is that a Private Place does not appear in the Dependent's own list of assigned Places. This is a deliberate safety feature for Guardians (for example, a location a Guardian is concerned about), and it means a Dependent's in-app Places list may not show every Place their Guardian monitors. We disclose this here so no one is surprised by it: if you are a Dependent, your Guardian may receive alerts about locations not shown in your app. Guardians remain responsible for using this feature lawfully and consistently with the consent representations they make in our Terms of Service.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as it serves the purpose it was collected for, and we do not keep children's data indefinitely. Our retention schedule:

• Location history, geo-fence events, activity logs, and check-in content (including photos and videos): retained for 90 days, then permanently deleted. Purpose: letting your family see recent history and context. Business need ends when the history is stale, so we delete it.
• Account and profile information, Places, and pairings: retained while the account is active, deleted when the account is deleted (Section 8). Purpose: operating the Service.
• Invite codes and PINs: replaced whenever the Guardian regenerates them and deleted with the account.
• Support correspondence and legal records: retained as needed for the purpose and as required by law.

Deletion is performed with safeguards designed to prevent unauthorized access to data in connection with its deletion. Where a legal obligation requires longer retention of a specific record, we retain only that record, only as long as required.

8. Deleting Your Account and Data

Guardians can delete their account from within the app (Account Settings). Deleting a Guardian account deletes the family record: the Guardian's account data, their Places, their pairings, and their Dependents' profiles and data. Guardians can also remove an individual Dependent in the app, which unpairs the Dependent and deletes that Dependent's data on the schedule in Section 7.

Dependents are managed profiles within a Guardian's family group, similar to how a child's account works inside a family-sharing service; a minor Dependent cannot unilaterally delete the family's records. A Dependent of any age can stop location collection at any time through their device's location settings, and any Dependent can contact us directly at support@kinlinkapp.com, including in situations where they believe the Service is being misused against them. We take those reports seriously (see our Terms of Service on prohibited uses) and can unpair connections where appropriate.

You can also request deletion by email. We complete verified deletion requests within 30 days.

9. Your Privacy Rights

9.1 California Residents (CCPA / CPRA)

California residents have the right to: (a) know what personal information we collect and how we use it (this policy is that disclosure); (b) request deletion; (c) request correction; (d) opt out of sale or sharing of personal information; and (e) not be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined in the CCPA, for any user of any age, so there is nothing to opt out of. For minors: the CCPA would require opt-in consent (from the minor at 13 to 15, or a parent below 13) before any sale or sharing; because we do neither, no such consent is ever sought. To exercise any right, use the in-app controls or contact support@kinlinkapp.com.

9.2 All Users

Regardless of where you live, you may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information. For minor Dependents, these rights are exercised by the parent or legal guardian as described in Section 4.3. We respond to verified requests within 30 days.

10. Website Analytics and Third-Party Services

The kinlinkapp.com website uses the following services, each with its own privacy policy. These run on the website only; they are not part of the mobile app and never receive app data such as location, check-ins, or Dependent information:

• PostHog (website analytics): posthog.com/privacy
• Google Analytics (website analytics): policies.google.com/privacy
• Klaviyo (waitlist and newsletter email, only if you sign up): klaviyo.com/legal/privacy-notice
• Tidio (website live chat): tidio.com/privacy-policy

AWS (aws.amazon.com/privacy) hosts both the website and the app backend as our infrastructure provider. See also our Cookie Policy for website cookies.

11. Location Data and Background Collection

KinLink asks Dependent devices for "Always" location permission for one reason: geo-fence alerts only work if the Service can notice an arrival or departure while the app is closed. That is the product. Without background permission, KinLink can only see location while the app is open, which defeats passive alerts; the app explains this during setup and continues to work in a reduced mode if permission is declined or revoked. You can change location permission at any time in device settings.

Location data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest. Access to raw location data is restricted to the systems that need it and to authorized personnel under access controls. We never provide precise location to advertising networks or data brokers.

12. Security

We protect the Service with encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and periodic security reviews. Pairing requires both an invite code and a Guardian-set PIN, so a connection cannot be established by guessing an identifier. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects your rights, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

13. Changes to This Policy

For material changes, we will notify you by email or prominent in-app notice at least 30 days before the change takes effect. If a material change affects how we handle children's personal information, we will obtain any newly required parental consent before applying it. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

14. Contact Us

KinLink LLC
Redondo Beach, California
Email: support@kinlinkapp.com