LineageNet Privacy Policy

Effective date: 1 October 2026

Operated by: LineageNet, India

1. What LineageNet is

LineageNet is an app for recording your family tree (Lineage) and the people in your wider network, such as friends and colleagues (Network). You can also share a small card of your own details with another person by QR code. This policy explains what information the app handles, why, who can see it, and the choices you have. By creating an account or using the app you agree to it.

2. Information we collect

Account details. Your email address and a password. The password is handled by Google Firebase Authentication. We never see it in readable form.

Information you enter about people. For yourself and for each person you add: name, pet name or the name they are commonly known by, gender, date of birth, date of death or passed-away status, phone number, email address, city and country, occupation, notes, how people are related, and which circles they belong to. You decide what to enter. Every field except a name is optional.

Your activity log. A record of changes you make, such as adding or editing a person, kept so your devices can stay in sync.

Information you choose to share by QR code. When you create a QR code, a card containing only the fields you picked is stored temporarily, so the other person can receive it. Live pairs keep sending the details you chose until either of you stops. See section 4.

Camera. The app asks for camera access only to scan another person's QR code. Images from the camera are not saved or uploaded.

Crash and device information. If the app crashes, Firebase Crashlytics receives a crash report with technical details such as your device model, Android version, app version and what the app was doing. It does not include your family tree or contacts.

What we do not collect. We do not collect your precise location, your phone contacts, your photos library, or advertising identifiers. Photos you attach to a person stay on your device and are not uploaded.

3. How we use your information

To run the app: store your tree, keep your devices in sync, and show your family and network.
To let you share a card and keep live pairs up to date, when you choose to.
To keep the app secure and to find and fix crashes.
To answer your support requests.

We do not sell your information. We do not show ads. We do not use your information to profile you or to train advertising systems.

4. Sharing and visibility

Your own data is private to your account. Your tree and network are stored under your account and are not visible to other users.

QR codes. A short-lived code stops working after 10 minutes. A long-lasting code works until you switch it off or delete it, and can only share a card, never a live pair. Anyone who scans the code while it works can see the card fields you chose. Choose carefully before putting a long-lasting code on a poster or business card.

Exchanges. If you exchange cards, you receive the other person's chosen fields once. You pick whether they are added under Lineage or Network.

Live pairs. A live pair shares the specific details you both agreed to (for example current city and occupation), and updates them when they change. Either of you can stop at any time. After you stop, details already received stay with the other person, and no new updates are sent.

Service providers. We use Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore and Crashlytics) to store and process data. Google acts for us under its own terms and privacy policy. Your data may be processed on Google servers outside India.

Legal requests. We may disclose information if the law requires it.

5. Information about other people

The app lets you store details about relatives and contacts. Please add only information you are entitled to keep and that you would be comfortable with those people knowing about. If someone asks you to remove their details, please do. If a person contacts us about information a user has entered about them, we will look into it and, where appropriate, ask the user to remove it.

6. How long we keep information

We keep your data while your account is open. Recovery window: if you delete a person, a note, a circle, a QR code or any other item, or change an item, we keep the deleted or earlier version for 30 days. This lets you ask us to undo a mistake by writing to support@lineagenet.com. After 30 days it is permanently deleted. Account deletion: if you delete your account, your data is hidden and no longer used, and we keep it for 30 days so you can ask us to restore the account. After 30 days we permanently delete your account, tree, network data, QR codes and live pairs from our servers. During these periods nobody else can see the data, and we use it only to restore it at your request. Immediate erasure: if you do not want the 30-day recovery period, email support@lineagenet.com from the address on your account and ask for immediate deletion. We will permanently delete your data within 2 working days of receiving your request. Copies in routine backups can take a short further time to clear. Crash reports are kept by Firebase for a limited period under its settings. Files you exported yourself are in your control and are not deleted by us.

7. Your choices and rights

You can view and edit everything you entered, choose what a QR code shares, stop or remove live pairs, switch off or delete long-lasting codes, export a backup, and delete items or your account from inside the app or by writing to support@lineagenet.com. Deleted items and accounts can be restored on request for 30 days, as described in section 6. Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you also have the right to access your personal data, to have it corrected or erased, to nominate someone to act for you, and to complain about how it is handled. Write to us at support@lineagenet.com and we will reply within 30 days.

8. Security

Data is sent to our servers over encrypted connections. Access rules on our database allow each person to read and write only their own records. You can lock the app on your phone. No system is completely secure, so please keep your password private and use a strong one.

9. Children

LineageNet is meant for adults. It is not directed at children under 18, and we do not knowingly create accounts for them. If you believe a child has an account, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to this policy

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will update the date at the top and tell you in the app. Please check back from time to time.

11. Contact and grievances

Questions, requests or complaints: support@lineagenet.com. For privacy grievances under Indian law, write to the Grievance Officer, LineageNet, at the same address.