Privacy Policy

Introduction

Memory House is a living archive for family stories, elder wisdom, community history, and place-based memories. We collect names, stories, photographs, audio and video recordings, and location information shared by individuals, families, schools, and community organizations.

This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and the choices you have. We are committed to handling every story with care, respect, and transparency.

Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

• Story content: Written stories, audio recordings, video recordings, photographs, transcripts, and life lessons shared through our submission form or during recorded interviews.
• Submitter information: Your name, email address, phone number, and relationship to the person whose story is being shared.
• Subject information: Names and biographical details of elders and other individuals whose stories are preserved, including information about deceased individuals.
• Location data: City, province/state, country, and map coordinates associated with stories and QR installations.
• Donation information: Donor name, email, and message, processed securely through Stripe.
• Contact inquiries: Name, email, and message content when you contact us, request an interview, or submit a correction.
• Usage analytics: Aggregated, anonymous data about page views, story views, and QR code scans. We do not track individual users' locations or store personal browsing data.

Stories About Elders and Deceased Individuals

Many stories in our archive involve elders, vulnerable individuals, and people who have passed away. We treat this information with particular care:

• We require the submitter to confirm they have obtained appropriate consent from the story subject or their family before publishing.
• Stories can be set to different privacy levels: public, unlisted, family-only, private, or memorial/QR-only.
• Family members may request changes or removal of a story at any time through our correction and removal process.
• We do not publish sensitive personal details (such as home addresses or grave plot references) in publicly visible content.

Story Submissions and Consent

When you submit a story, you confirm that:

• You have the right to share the story and any accompanying media.
• You have obtained consent from the story subject (or their family, if the subject is deceased or unable to consent).
• You understand the privacy level you have selected and how the story will be visible to others.
• You acknowledge that once a story is published publicly, it may be indexed by search engines and shared by visitors.

If you need to change the privacy level of a story or request its removal, please use our correction and removal form.

QR Installations and Location Data

Memory House places QR codes at physical locations such as benches, landmarks, memorial sites, and heritage buildings. When a visitor scans a QR code:

• We record an anonymous scan count (no personal data is collected from the visitor).
• The installation's public description and any linked stories are displayed.
• We do not collect or store the visitor's location, device information, or browsing data.

Map coordinates for stories and installations are reviewed by our team before being displayed. Exact locations are only shown for public sites; private residences and sensitive locations are displayed approximately or not at all.

School and Municipal Partnerships

Memory House works with schools, libraries, seniors' organizations, and municipalities to record and preserve community stories. When working with partners:

• We require consent from all participating individuals (and parental/guardian consent for minors).
• Partner organizations may help facilitate story collection but do not receive access to private story data.
• Stories collected through partnerships are subject to the same privacy controls and consent requirements as all other submissions.

Donations

Donations are processed securely through Stripe. We receive your name, email, and optional message, but we do not see or store your credit card information. Donation records are visible only to Memory House administrators and are never published publicly.

Cookies and Analytics

We use minimal analytics to understand how the archive is used — for example, which stories are viewed most often and how many times a QR code has been scanned. We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or third-party profiling. No personally identifying information is collected through our analytics.

Data Retention

Stories and associated media are preserved indefinitely as part of the archive's purpose — that is the core of what we do. If you request removal of a story, we will remove public access to it and delete associated media files. Anonymous analytics data (view counts, scan counts) is retained to reflect the archive's usage history.

Your Privacy Rights

You have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate information.
• Request that a story be made private, unlisted, or removed entirely.
• Withdraw consent for a story you submitted (subject to the rights of other individuals named in the story).

To exercise any of these rights, please use our correction and removal form or contact us directly.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Significant changes will be noted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please contact us or email hello@memoryhouse.org.