Privacy Policy

01 Our Commitment to You

HuggingSouls is a gentle space built for people navigating grief and loss. We understand that the tributes and letters you write here are deeply personal. This policy explains clearly and honestly what information we collect, how it is used, and how it is protected.

02 Account-Based Identity

HuggingSouls requires you to create a free account to post tribute letters and use personalised features. Your account is identified by the email address and password you register with — not by browser session IDs or cookies.

This means:

• Your tributes and letters are securely tied to your account, not to a specific browser or device.
• You can log in from any device and access your content.
• Clearing your browser data or switching devices will not cause you to lose your letters.
• Google Sign-In is offered as an alternative login method. If used, we only receive your name and email from Google — no other Google data is accessed.

03 Information We Collect

We collect only what is necessary to provide the service. Here is a full breakdown:

• Account information: your name, email address, and encrypted password when you register.
• Tribute letters: your pet's name, pet type, years together, your name, the tone you selected, and the letter content.
• Anniversary reminders: your pet's name and the date you provide, used solely to send you an annual remembrance message.
• Contact messages: your name, email, subject, and message when you use the Contact form.
• Technical logs: standard server logs (IP address, page requested, timestamp) retained briefly for security and error monitoring. These are not linked to your identity.

We do not collect payment information, location data, or any biometric data.

04 How Your Information Is Used

• To authenticate your account and allow you to access your letters and tributes.
• To generate and save your personalised memorial letters.
• To send anniversary reminder emails if you opt into that feature.
• To respond to contact form submissions.
• To maintain the security and stability of the platform.

We do not use your data for advertising, behavioural profiling, or any purpose beyond providing HuggingSouls' services to you.

05 Sharing & Third Parties

Your personal data is never sold, rented, or traded to third parties. We do not use third-party advertising networks.

Limited data may be processed by trusted service providers solely to operate our platform (e.g., email delivery for anniversary reminders). These providers are contractually bound to use your data only for the service we request.

We may disclose data if required by applicable law or to protect the rights and safety of our users and platform.

06 Storage & Security

All data is stored in a secured database. Passwords are stored using industry-standard one-way hashing — we cannot see or recover your password.

Access to user data is restricted to authorised administrators only. Admin access is protected by separate credentials and is not exposed to the public.

07 Cookies & Session Data

We use a single session cookie solely to keep you logged in during your visit. This cookie does not track you across other websites, does not contain personal information, and expires when you log out or close your browser.

We do not use advertising cookies, analytics cookies, or any third-party tracking scripts.

08 Your Rights & Controls

• Delete letters: You can delete any tribute letter you have written at any time from your account. Deletion is immediate and permanent.
• Delete your account: You may request full account deletion by contacting us via the Contact page. All your associated data will be removed.
• Access your data: You may request a copy of the data we hold about you at any time.
• Corrections: If any information we hold is inaccurate, contact us and we will correct it promptly.

09 Children's Privacy

HuggingSouls is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will remove it immediately.

10 Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of HuggingSouls after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

If you have questions about this policy, please reach out via the Contact page.