In Their Words

In Their Words (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website at intheirwords.ai and a related SMS-based storytelling service (the “Service”). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. By using the Service, you agree to the practices described below.

1. Who the Service is for

Our Service is designed for two kinds of people: (a) “Subscribers,” who pay for an account and enroll a family member to receive questions, and (b) “Recipients” (typically a parent or other loved one), who receive SMS questions and reply with their stories.

2. Information we collect

From Subscribers

Account information: name, email address, and hashed password.
Billing information: handled by our payment processor (Stripe). We do not store full credit card numbers.
Information you provide about your Recipient, including their name, phone number, relationship to you, and preferred message frequency.

From Recipients

Mobile phone number (provided by the Subscriber during enrollment).
The content of SMS messages Recipients send to our service number, including their answers to questions.
Metadata such as timestamps and message delivery status.

Automatically

Basic device and usage information (browser type, pages visited, referring URLs).
Analytics events via PostHog (used to improve the product).
Error logs via Sentry (used to diagnose bugs).

3. How we use information

To deliver the Service (send SMS questions, receive and store replies, display them in your dashboard).
To generate conversational follow-up questions using the Anthropic Claude API. Message contents are sent to Anthropic for this purpose under their data processing terms.
To process subscription payments and prevent fraud (via Stripe).
To send transactional emails (account notifications, billing receipts, silence alerts).
To respond to support requests.
To improve the Service and fix bugs.
To comply with legal obligations.

4. SMS messaging and consent

No SMS messages are sent to a Recipient until they affirmatively opt in by replying YES to our initial invitation message. Recipients can reply STOP, QUIT, CANCEL, or UNSUBSCRIBE at any time to immediately stop all future messages. Replying HELP returns instructions and support contact information. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies but is typically one question every three days.

We will never sell, rent, or share SMS opt-in data or phone numbers with third parties for marketing purposes. Mobile information (phone numbers and SMS consent) collected for the Service will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Information sharing with subprocessors listed below is strictly limited to what is necessary to operate the Service.

5. Who we share information with

We share information only with the following categories of third parties, strictly to operate the Service:

Twilio — SMS delivery and receipt.
Supabase — authentication and database hosting.
Stripe — subscription payments.
Anthropic — generation of conversational follow-up questions. Message content is processed but not used to train models.
Resend — transactional email delivery.
PostHog — product analytics.
Sentry — error monitoring.
Render — application hosting.

We may also share information when legally required (for example, in response to a valid subpoena or court order) or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our users or the public.

6. How long we keep information

We retain account and message data for as long as your subscription is active. If you cancel, we retain your archive for 90 days so you can reactivate or export it, after which we permanently delete it unless you request otherwise. You may request immediate deletion at any time by emailing privacy@intheirwords.ai.

7. Your choices and rights

Access and export: Subscribers can view and export all messages from their dashboard at any time.
Correction and deletion:Contact us to correct or delete your account or a Recipient's data.
SMS opt-out: Recipients can reply STOP at any time to stop all messages.
Marketing opt-out: We do not send marketing email without consent, but if we ever do, you can opt out via the unsubscribe link in the message.
Residents of California, the EU, UK, and other regions: You may have additional rights under applicable law (such as the right to access, portability, correction, or erasure). Contact us to exercise them.

8. Children

The Service is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

9. Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your information, including TLS encryption in transit, encrypted database storage, and access controls. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify Subscribers by email or through the dashboard. The “Effective date” at the top of this page indicates when it was last updated.

11. Contact us

Questions or requests? Email privacy@intheirwords.ai.