Legal
Privacy Policy
Effective 10 October 2026
Who we are
FamilyAtlas is a private family photo map for Android, operated by an individual developer: Roman Kuchuk (individual developer). The developer is the data controller for the personal data described here. Contact: support@family-atlas.uk. This policy covers the FamilyAtlas app and the family-atlas.uk website.
What we collect
Account data: your email address, display name, optional avatar, a hashed password (if you sign up with email) or your Google account ID, name and email (if you use Google Sign-In), and your email-verification status. Family data: the family you create or join, its name and cover image, your role, and invite links you create or use. Content you add: photos, their captions, events (title, description) and the map coordinates you choose for a photo or event. Photo metadata: we store the original image file as you upload it. Photos taken with a phone often contain EXIF metadata, which can include the exact GPS location where the photo was taken, the date and time, and the camera or phone model. We do not remove this metadata, so anyone in your family who opens or downloads the original can see it. Technical data: login sessions (a random token kept in your phone's secure storage and a hashed copy on our server, with its expiry time) and file sizes, used to count your family's storage. Our hosting provider may also keep standard server logs, such as IP address and request time, for security.
Location
The app asks for location only while it is open, and only when you tap “my location” or choose to place a photo at your current position. We save only the coordinates you confirm for a photo or event. There is no background location tracking. You can always place a photo by hand on the map instead, or refuse the location permission.
Camera and photos
The app uses the camera and your photo library only when you choose to take or pick a photo for an upload, your avatar, or a family cover. We upload only the photos you select.
Why we use your data
To create and secure your account and let you sign in (legal basis: performance of our contract with you). To show your family's photos, events and map to members of your family (contract). To send service emails such as verification codes, password reset and email change codes (contract). To count storage and keep the service working, prevent abuse and fix problems (our legitimate interest in running a safe service). Where the law requires consent, for example for device location, we ask for it and you can withdraw it at any time in Android settings.
Who can see your content
Photos, captions, events, coordinates and photo metadata are visible only to members of your family. There are no public profiles and no public feed. Anyone with a valid invite link can join your family while the link is active, so share invites only with people you trust. The family owner can remove members and delete any photo or event.
Service providers
We do not sell your data and we do not share it with advertisers. We use these providers only to run the service: Render (application server), Neon (PostgreSQL database), Cloudflare R2 (photo and image storage), Resend (sending service emails), Google Sign-In (optional sign-in with your Google account) and Google Maps (showing the map in the app). They process data on our behalf, and Google also under its own privacy policy. We may disclose data if the law requires it.
No ads, no analytics
FamilyAtlas has no advertising, no third-party analytics and no tracking SDKs. We do not build advertising profiles. If we add crash reporting in the future, we will update this policy first.
International transfers
Our providers may store and process data outside your country, including in the United States and the European Union. Where required, transfers rely on safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses used by these providers.
How long we keep data
We keep your account data while your account exists. Login sessions expire after 24 hours, or after 30 days if you choose to stay signed in. Verification and reset codes expire after a short time. Photos and events stay in the family until a member deletes their own content, the owner deletes them, or the family is deleted. When a family is deleted, its photos are removed from storage. Unfinished uploads are cleaned up automatically. Backups held by our providers may keep deleted data for a short period before it is overwritten.
Deleting your account
You can delete your account in the app: Profile → Settings → Delete account. Or email support@family-atlas.uk from the address on your account. Deleting your account removes your profile, email, name, avatar, password hash or Google link, and all sessions, and removes you from your family. If other family members remain, photos and events you added stay in that family's shared library until they are deleted in the app. If you are the only member, the family and its photos are deleted too. If you want shared photos removed while others remain, delete them before you delete your account, or ask us. Full steps: family-atlas.uk/delete-account/.
Security
All traffic between the app and our servers uses HTTPS. Passwords are stored only as secure hashes. Session tokens and one-time codes are stored hashed. Photos are kept in private storage and served through short-lived signed links. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your data.
Children
FamilyAtlas is not directed at children. You must be at least 16 years old, or the age of digital consent in your country, to create an account. Children's photos may appear in a family's library, which is shared only with the invited family. If you believe a child under that age has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, including under the GDPR, you can ask to access, correct, delete or export your data, restrict or object to processing, and withdraw consent. You can edit your name, avatar, email and password in the app at any time. To use any other right, email support@family-atlas.uk. You may also complain to your local data protection authority.
Changes
We may update this policy. We will change the date above and, for important changes, tell you in the app or by email before they take effect.
Contact
Questions about privacy: support@family-atlas.uk.