Terms of Use

Last Updated: January 9, 2025

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using the Family History Portal ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Service.

2. Service Description

The Family History Portal is an AI-assisted family history platform that provides:

• Private family portals for preserving family history
• Tools for uploading and organizing stories, photos, documents, and audio
• Family tree creation and management
• Collaboration features for family members
• AI-powered processing for story detection, content organization, and family connections

3. Eligibility

To use the Service, you must:

• Be at least 13 years old
• Have permission from your family administrator
• Provide accurate registration information
• Maintain the security of your account

4. User Responsibilities

You agree to:

• Use the Service only for family history preservation
• Respect the privacy of all family members
• Upload only content you have rights to share
• Provide accurate information to the best of your knowledge
• Keep your login credentials secure

You agree NOT to:

• Share family information outside the family without permission
• Upload harmful, offensive, or inappropriate content
• Attempt to access other families' portals
• Use the Service for commercial purposes
• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Attempt to circumvent security measures

5. Content Ownership

Your Content: You retain ownership of all content you upload. By uploading content, you grant your family members permission to view and interact with it according to your privacy settings.

License to Us: You grant us a limited license to store, process, and display your content solely to provide the Service to you and your family.

6. Privacy and Data Protection

Your privacy is protected as described in our Privacy Policy. Key points:

• Your family data is never sold or shared publicly
• You control who sees your content
• You can export or delete your data anytime
• We comply with GDPR and other privacy laws

7. Acceptable Use

The Service is designed for family use. Prohibited uses include:

• Commercial genealogy services
• Public family tree databases
• Identity theft or fraud
• Harassment or defamation
• Copyright infringement

8. Service Availability

While we strive for 99.9% uptime, we do not guarantee uninterrupted service. We may:

• Perform scheduled maintenance
• Update features and functionality
• Modify or discontinue features with notice

9. AI Processing and Data Usage

9.1 Essential AI Features

Our AI systems provide the following essential services:

• Story Detection: Automatically identifies family stories in conversations and uploads
• Content Organization: Intelligently categorizes and connects related content
• Timeline Creation: Automatically organizes events chronologically
• Relationship Mapping: Discovers and suggests family connections
• Memory Enhancement: Improves photo quality and suggests story completions
• Pattern Recognition: Identifies themes and connections across your family history

9.2 AI Limitations and Purpose

Our AI processing is strictly limited to:

• Enhancing family history preservation and discovery
• Improving content organization and accessibility
• Facilitating family connections and storytelling

We do NOT use AI for:

• Marketing or advertising purposes
• User profiling beyond family history context
• Selling or sharing insights with third parties
• Any purpose outside of family history services

9.3 Special Category Data

Certain AI features require explicit consent:

• Face Recognition: Requires explicit consent for biometric processing
• Health Information: Medical history in stories requires explicit consent
• Minor Data: Enhanced protections for users under 18

10. Fees and Payment

If your family subscribes to a paid plan:

• Fees are billed in advance
• Prices may change with 30 days notice
• Refunds handled case-by-case
• Family administrator manages billing

11. Termination

Your access may be terminated if you:

• Violate these terms
• Request account deletion
• Are removed by family administrator
• Remain inactive for extended periods

Upon termination, you may request a copy of your contributed content.

12. GDPR Compliance Requirements

12.1 Platform Compliance Monitoring

To ensure the protection of all users' data and maintain legal compliance, we monitor privacy and data protection compliance across all family portals. This monitoring includes:

• Privacy Policy Compliance: Ensuring all portals maintain adequate privacy policies
• Data Retention: Monitoring compliance with data retention policies
• Consent Management: Verifying proper consent mechanisms are in place
• Security Measures: Ensuring adequate security protections
• User Rights: Confirming implementation of data subject rights

12.2 Minimum Compliance Requirements

All family portals must maintain a minimum GDPR compliance score of 70%. This score is calculated based on:

• Privacy Policy implementation (30% weight)
• Data Retention compliance (20% weight)
• Consent Management (25% weight)
• Security Measures (15% weight)
• User Rights implementation (10% weight)

12.3 Compliance Enforcement

If a family portal falls below the minimum compliance threshold:

1. Initial Warning: 30-day grace period to remediate issues
2. 14-Day Warning: Reminder with specific remediation guidance
3. 7-Day Warning: Urgent notice with compliance support resources
4. 72-Hour Final Warning: Last chance before suspension
5. Suspension: Portal access suspended until compliance is restored

12.4 System Privacy Policy

Most family portals inherit from our system-wide privacy policy template, which:

• Ensures consistent privacy protection across all portals
• Maintains compliance with current regulations
• Updates automatically when laws change
• Can be customized while maintaining minimum standards

12.5 Your Compliance Responsibilities

As a family portal administrator, you agree to:

• Maintain minimum compliance standards
• Respond promptly to compliance warnings
• Ensure all family members understand their privacy rights
• Report any data breaches immediately
• Cooperate with compliance reviews

13. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its design, features, and code, is owned by MySovereignty Digital NZ. You may not copy, modify, or create derivative works of the Service itself.

14. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. We do not guarantee:

• Accuracy of user-contributed content
• Continuous availability
• Compatibility with all devices
• Protection against all security threats

15. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, MySovereignty Digital NZ shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Service.

16. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify MySovereignty Digital NZ from any claims arising from your violation of these terms or misuse of the Service.

17. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand. Any disputes will be resolved in New Zealand courts.

18. Changes to Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

19. Contact Us