Privacy notice

Last updated 4 November 2026

Ancestalk is run by Studiomi Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 17519262), registered office 66 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NA. Studiomi Ltd is the data controller for the information you send through this site. Contact me at hello@ancestalk.app.

What I collect

When you order: your first name and email, your ancestor's details (name, dates, places, job, family stories), what you'd like them to react to, and a photo if you choose to add one.
When you pay: Stripe handles payment. I see your name, email and that you paid, never your card details.
When you join the waitlist: your email address.

Please don't send information about living people other than yourself. The service is about ancestors who have died.

Why I use it

To make and email you your clip. The legal basis is the contract between us.
To keep tax and accounting records of payments. The legal basis is a legal obligation.
To email you about live conversations and new features if you joined the waitlist or ticked the marketing box on the order form. The legal basis is your consent, and every email has an unsubscribe link.

Who else handles it

Cloudflare hosts this site and stores order and waitlist details, and order photos.
Google (Gmail) receives the email that tells us about each new order.
GoatCounter counts page visits without cookies and without storing your IP address.
Stripe takes payments.
ElevenLabs turns the written script into the voice. It receives the script, not your contact details.
Google (Gemini) helps create the portrait. It receives a written description, and your ancestor's photo if you sent one.
My email provider, to deliver your clip.

Some of these companies are in the US. They transfer data under standard contractual clauses or equivalent safeguards. I don't sell your data or use it for advertising.

How long I keep it

Photos and ancestor details: deleted 30 days after your clip is delivered.
Payment and order records: 6 years, for tax.
Waitlist and marketing emails: until you unsubscribe.

Your rights

You can ask for a copy of your data, or ask me to correct or delete it, restrict or object to its use, or move it elsewhere. Email hello@ancestalk.app. If you're unhappy with how I've handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) or your local data protection authority.

Children

Ancestalk is for adults. You must be 18 or over to order or join the waitlist, and we don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we learn that we have, we delete it.

Cookies

This site sets no cookies and uses no advertising or tracking. We count visits with GoatCounter, which uses no cookies and doesn't identify you. When you submit the order form, your browser briefly keeps your email in session storage so the payment page can fill it in. It's cleared when you close the tab. Fonts are served from this site, not from Google. Stripe's checkout page sets its own cookies, needed for payment and fraud prevention.