Privacy Policy — LinguaNest

The short version: We collect only what we need to run the service. We never sell your data. We never show you adverts. We never collect data directly from children — all data belongs to the parent account holder. We store everything securely and you can ask us to delete it all at any time.

1. Who We Are

LinguaNest Ltd is the data controller for information collected through linguanest.co.uk and the LinguaNest platform. We are registered in England and Wales.

Our data protection contact is hello@linguanest.co.uk. You can write to us at our registered address, which is available on request.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect data in two ways — what you give us directly, and what we collect automatically when you use the service.

Data	Why we collect it	Legal basis
Your email address	To create your account and communicate with you	Contract performance
Your name	To personalise your experience and for account management	Contract performance
Family profile information (children's ages, languages being learned, interests)	To match you with suitable families	Contract performance
Messages and content sent through the platform	To deliver the service and maintain the safety record parents rely on	Contract performance
Payment information	Processed by Stripe — we never see or store card details	Contract performance
Usage data (pages visited, features used)	To improve the service and fix technical problems	Legitimate interests

    On children's data: LinguaNest accounts are created and held by parents and guardians. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children. Information about your children (their age range, interests, messages) is held under your parent account and is your data, not theirs. We never ask children to create their own accounts or provide their own personal details.
  

3. How We Use Your Data

We use the data we collect only to:

Create and manage your account
Match your family with suitable families across Europe
Deliver messages and content between matched families
Process your subscription payment
Send you service-related communications (account updates, safety notifications)
Improve the platform based on how it is used
Comply with our legal obligations

We will only send you marketing emails if you have explicitly opted in to receive them. You can unsubscribe at any time.

4. Who We Share Data With

We do not sell your data. We do not share your data with advertisers. We share your data only with:

Stripe — to process payments securely. Stripe is PCI-DSS compliant and subject to strict data protection obligations
Our hosting provider — to store and serve the platform. All data is stored on servers within the UK or European Economic Area
Matched families — the family profile information you choose to share as part of the pen pal matching process is visible to your matched family, and vice versa. You control what you share in your profile
Law enforcement or regulatory authorities — only if we are legally required to do so, or where we believe there is a serious risk to a child's safety

5. How Long We Keep Your Data

We keep your data for as long as your account is active. When you close your account:

Your profile and message history will be deleted within 30 days
We retain basic transaction records (not message content) for 7 years as required by UK tax law
We may retain data for longer if required to do so by law or in connection with a legal claim

6. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights:

Right of access

Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you

Right to rectification

Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data

Right to erasure

Ask us to delete your data — the "right to be forgotten"

Right to restriction

Ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances

Right to portability

Receive your data in a portable format to take elsewhere

Right to object

Object to processing based on legitimate interests

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@linguanest.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days. There is no charge for making a request.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

7. Cookies

We use a small number of cookies to make the service work:

Essential cookies — keep you logged in and make the platform function. These cannot be switched off
Analytics cookies — help us understand how the platform is used so we can improve it. These are anonymised and can be declined

We do not use advertising cookies. We do not allow third party advertising cookies on our platform.

8. Security

We take the security of your data seriously. We use industry-standard encryption (HTTPS) for all data in transit, encrypt sensitive data at rest, use secure and reputable hosting infrastructure within the UK/EEA, and require strong authentication for account access.

No system is completely secure. In the unlikely event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights, we will notify you and the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, as required by law.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you by email of any significant changes at least 14 days before they take effect. The current version is always available at linguanest.co.uk/privacy.

10. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights, please contact us at hello@linguanest.co.uk. We are a small, family-focused team and we take your privacy seriously. We will always respond promptly and honestly.