Privacy Policy

The Village (“we,” “us”) helps families coordinate care in a private, invite-only app. Your trust is the whole point, so here is how we handle your information, in plain language.

1. What we collect

Account details (name, email), the information you add to your village (care log entries, medications, appointments, notes, contacts), files you upload (documents, photos), and basic, non-identifying usage data that helps us keep the app working.

2. How we use it

Only to provide and improve the service for your village: showing your information to the people you invite at the access level you choose, sending the notifications you ask for, and keeping the app running and secure. We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for advertising.

3. Who can see your information

Only the members you invite to your village, limited by their role. Each village is walled off from every other at the database level, so one family can never see another’s information. Our service providers (for hosting, database, and email) process data only to run the service on our behalf.

4. How we protect it

Your information is encrypted in transit and at rest. Access is controlled by role and enforced at the database level. Uploaded files live in private storage and are opened only through short-lived secure links by a signed-in member of your village. Important actions are logged. No online service can promise perfect security, but security is our foundation, not an afterthought.

5. Keeping and deleting information

We keep your information while your account and village are active. Some records use soft deletion (hidden, not destroyed) to preserve the integrity of the care record; deletions and cancellations are logged with a reason. You can request deletion of your account and content by emailing us, subject to any legitimate record-keeping needs.

6. Your choices

You can view and update your information in the app, control which notifications you receive, and request a copy or deletion of your data. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under local privacy laws, which we honor where they apply.

7. Text messages

We do not sell, rent, share, or otherwise disclose your mobile phone number, or the fact that you consented to receive text messages, to any third party for their own marketing or promotional purposes. No mobile information is shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing. Your number is used only to deliver the messages described here, and is shared only with the messaging provider that carries them on our behalf.

What we send. An invitation when a family member invites you to their village; notifications about the person your village is caring for, such as appointment reminders and care updates; one-time sign-in codes when you sign in by text; and occasional notices about the app itself.

How you opt in. Either by accepting an invitation someone in your family sent to your number, or by adding and confirming your own number in your account settings. We do not buy, rent, or import phone numbers, and there is no public signup.

Message frequency. Message frequency varies and depends on activity in your village. Most people receive only a few messages per month.

Message and data rates may apply. We do not charge for text messages, but your mobile carrier may.

How to stop. Reply STOP to any message to opt out, and you will receive one confirmation. Reply HELP for help, or email contact@ourvillagecare.org. You can also remove your number in your account settings. Opting out of texts does not remove you from your village or affect email.

The full messaging program, including the exact consent wording shown in the app, is set out on our Text messages page.

8. Children

The app is intended for adults coordinating care. Information about a minor may be entered only by an authorized adult in that village.

9. A note on HIPAA

The Village is a personal tool that families use for their own loved ones. It is generally not a HIPAA-covered service. If that ever changes (for example, if we work directly with healthcare providers), we will update this policy and put the appropriate agreements in place.

10. Changes

We may update this policy as the app grows or after legal review. We will change the “last updated” date above, and note material changes.

11. Contact

Questions about privacy? Email contact@ourvillagecare.org.