Privacy Policy

Short version: We store your data in the EU (Frankfurt), we never sell it or use it for advertising, and you can delete everything at any time. Full details below.

Who we are

The Hedge is operated by The Hedge, based in Ireland. Our data controller can be contacted at adam@ofmm.ie (or privacy@thehedge.ie).

What data we collect

We collect the information you provide when creating an account (email address, name), information about your family (children's ages, interests, your county) to personalise activity suggestions, usage data about how you interact with the platform (activities viewed, completed, rated), and technical data such as browser type and IP address for security and performance purposes. We do not collect special category data about children. Children's profiles contain only age and interest tags - no names, photos, or identifying information are required.

How we use your data

Your data is used to: provide and personalise The Hedge service; generate your daily activity recommendations; send you platform updates and (where you have opted in) our fortnightly newsletter; provide customer support; improve the platform through aggregated, anonymised analytics. We do not use your data for advertising. We do not sell your data to third parties.

Where your data is stored

All user data is stored on servers located in Frankfurt, Germany (EU). This means your data is subject to EU law and GDPR protections at all times. We use Supabase (with EU data residency enabled) as our database provider.

Your family's data, and our AI

The Hedge personalises learning to your family using only your family's own information: your Family Framework, your children's ages and interests, and the activities you have done. Your suggestions are built from your family, not from generic profiles. Your family's data and conversations are kept private to your account and stored in the EU. They are never sold, never used for advertising, and never used to train AI models. To generate ideas and answer your questions, The Hedge uses the Claude AI API from Anthropic. Anthropic does not use data sent through its API to train its models, and we only ever send the minimum needed to help you. We do not profile your family for advertising and we do not farm for engagement. You can export everything we hold about your family in a machine-readable format, or delete it entirely, at any time from your account settings or by emailing privacy@thehedge.ie.

Your rights under GDPR

As an EU resident, you have the right to: access a copy of all data we hold about you; correct any inaccurate data; delete your account and all associated data; export your data in a machine-readable format; object to processing of your data; withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@thehedge.ie. We will respond within 30 days.

Cookies

We use essential cookies to keep you logged in and maintain your preferences. We use analytics cookies (opt-in only) to understand how the platform is used. We do not use advertising cookies. You can manage cookie preferences at any time from your account settings or by emailing privacy@thehedge.ie.

Children's privacy

The Hedge accounts are created by adults (parents or guardians). We do not knowingly collect personal information about children. Children's profiles within a family account contain only age ranges and interest tags - not names, images, or any identifying information.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify account holders by email at least 14 days before any material changes take effect. The current version is always available at thehedge.ie/privacy.

Questions about this policy? Email us at privacy@thehedge.ie