Privacy Notice
Last updated: 16 October 2026. This notice explains what personal data Familines handles, why, and the rights you have. It is our information notice under Turkey's Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 (KVKK) and, for people in the European Union or the United Kingdom, under the GDPR.
1. Who is responsible
Familines (“we”) is the data controller for the account data described below. Contact: hello@familines.com. For the family information users add about other people, the user who adds it is also responsible for having a lawful reason to do so (see our Terms of Use).
2. What we collect
- Account data: your email address, how you sign in (email link, password, Google or Apple; we never see your Google or Apple password), your name and photo if you add them, and your language choice.
- Family content: what you and your relatives add: names, dates and places of birth and death, relationships, biographies, photos, videos, recordings, timeline moments, recipes, memories, sealed letters, links and messages. This can include information about living relatives who do not have an account.
- Imported records: if you import an e-Devlet “Alt-Üst Soy Belgesi” PDF or a GEDCOM file, the people and facts in it. The PDF is read in your own browser; we keep the facts you choose to add, not the document itself.
- Usage and technical data: when you sign in and use the site, your IP address (also used to choose the site's language), browser type, and security logs. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies; we use only the cookies needed to keep you signed in and remember your language.
We do not want sensitive data (such as health, religion, ethnic origin, political views or identity numbers) about living people unless that person has given explicit consent. Health notes are not available at present.
3. Why we use it, and on what legal basis
- To provide Familines: your account, your family trees, sharing with the relatives you invite, merging trees, delivering sealed letters and messages (performance of our agreement with you; KVKK art. 5/2-c).
- To keep the service secure, prevent abuse and fix problems (our legitimate interests; KVKK art. 5/2-f).
- To meet legal obligations and answer lawful requests from authorities (KVKK art. 5/2-ç).
- To send you emails you ask for, such as sign-in codes and invites (performance of the agreement), and, only if you agree, news about Familines (consent).
- To understand, in total and without selling anything, how Familines is used and how families grow on it (legitimate interests).
4. Who can see it
Family content is visible to the members of the family tree it belongs to, to families connected to it in the ways the site shows, and to the people you send it to. It is not public and is not shown to search engines. We do not sell personal data and do not share it for advertising. We use service providers that process data for us under contract: our server and hosting provider in Turkey, Google (only if you sign in with Google), and an email sending service for sign-in and invite emails. We may disclose data if the law requires it, to protect people's safety, or as part of a transfer of Familines to a successor who will keep this notice.
5. Where it is kept
Familines and its data are hosted on servers in Turkey. If you sign in with Google or Apple, or if a provider we use is located abroad, some data may be transferred outside Turkey; where KVKK article 9 or the GDPR requires it, we rely on your explicit consent or another lawful safeguard for that transfer.
6. How long we keep it
We keep account data while your account is open. Family content is kept while the family tree exists, because it is meant to be kept for the family over the long term. When content is deleted, it is removed from the live service and from backups within a limited time. Security logs are kept for a limited time. We may keep data longer when the law requires it or to settle a dispute.
7. Your rights
Under KVKK article 11 and, where it applies, the GDPR, you can ask us whether we process your data; what data and why; who it was shared with; to correct it; to delete or anonymise it; to object to processing that harms you, including automated decisions; to receive a copy (you can also download your family's archive from your Account page); and to claim compensation for damage caused by unlawful processing. A relative who does not have an account can ask us to correct or remove information about them, with this form. Write to hello@familines.com; we answer within 30 days, free of charge. You can also complain to the Turkish Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK Kurumu) or, in the EU/UK, to your data protection authority.
8. Security
We protect data with access rules in the database (each person sees only what their family membership allows), encrypted connections (HTTPS), private file storage with short-lived links, and backups. No system is completely secure; please use a strong password and tell us at once if you think your account has been misused.
9. Children
Familines accounts are for adults. Children may appear in a family tree only when added by a parent or guardian or with their permission. A parent or guardian can ask us to correct or remove a child's information at any time.
10. People who have passed away
Pages of people who have passed away are kept by their family on Familines. Their relatives and heirs can ask us to correct or remove information about them.
11. Changes
We may update this notice. When the changes are important we will tell you on the site or by email.