FamilyTable Privacy Policy

Effective Date: March 13, 2026  |  Last Updated: October 22, 2026

FamilyTable is a family meal-planning app developed by North of Irving LLC, DBA NOI DEV. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and your rights regarding your data. We believe in transparency. This policy is written in plain English so you can understand exactly what happens with your information when you use FamilyTable.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account Information

When you create a FamilyTable account, we collect:

• Email address (required for account creation and login)
• Name (entered during signup)
• Password (securely hashed by Firebase Authentication; we never see or store your plaintext password)
• User ID (automatically generated by Firebase Authentication)
• Birth month and year (entered during signup, or once by accounts created before October 1, 2026). We use it only to confirm you are 13 or older and to turn off the AI features (Chat, photo and receipt scanning, and recipe import) for account holders under 18. It cannot be changed in the app.

1.2 Profile and Preference Information

To personalize your experience, we collect:

• Family name (when you create a household)
• Family member names and roles (such as Mom, Dad, Daughter, Son, Grandma, Grandpa, or Other)
• Dietary restrictions (selections from: gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, egg-free, keto, low-sodium)
• Allergies (free-form text you provide)
• Cooking preferences (skill level, preferred time per meal, cooking frequency)

1.3 Content You Create

As you use the app, you create and store:

• Food inventory items (name, quantity, unit, storage location such as pantry/fridge/freezer, expiry date, category, and how the item was added)
• Recipes (title, description, ingredients, cooking steps, images, tags, difficulty level, prep and cook time)
• Meal plans (weekly calendar with breakfast, lunch, and dinner assignments)
• Shopping lists (items with check-off status, organized by grocery store section)
• Recipe ratings (1 to 5 stars, per family member)
• Favorite recipes (recipes you have marked as favorites)

1.4 Photos and Images

• Receipt photos taken for inventory scanning are sent to our server for processing and are NOT permanently stored. They are discarded immediately after the items are extracted.
• Pantry and fridge photos taken for item detection are sent to our server for processing and are NOT permanently stored. They are discarded immediately after analysis.
• Recipe images (photos you attach to recipes) ARE stored in our cloud storage so they can be displayed within the app.

1.5 Crash and Error Reports

When the app crashes or runs into an error, it sends a report to our crash reporting service (Sentry, see Section 4.4) so we can find and fix the problem. A report contains:

• What went wrong and where in the app's code
• The steps just before it, such as which screen was open and which button was tapped
• Your phone model, operating system version and app version
• Your User ID, so we can match a report to a problem you tell us about

Crash reports never contain your name, email address, what you type (including chat messages), your photos, or pictures of your screen. We have set Sentry not to store your IP address.

1.6 Website Waitlist

If you join the waitlist on our website, we store the email address you type so we can tell you when FamilyTable is ready for you. We use it for nothing else, never sell or share it, and never add it to anyone else's mailing list. The waitlist is for adults 18 and older.

To stop spam, we briefly count sign-ups from each network: we keep a scrambled form of your IP address (not the address itself) for up to one day, then delete it. The waitlist is stored in Google Cloud Firestore (see Section 4.1), where no app or browser can read it.

2. How We Use Your Information

We do NOT use your data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose other than providing and improving the FamilyTable service for you.

3. How Your Data Is Stored and Protected

3.1 Cloud Storage

All user data is stored using Firebase (part of Google Cloud Platform):

• Firebase Firestore stores your profile, family data, inventory, recipes, meal plans, ratings, and shopping lists. Data is encrypted in transit using TLS and encrypted at rest using Google-managed encryption keys. Our data is hosted in the nam5 (North America) region.
• Firebase Authentication stores your email and securely hashed password.
• Firebase Storage stores recipe images and step images. These are accessed through authenticated, signed URLs.

3.2 On-Device Storage

For offline access (such as when you are in a grocery store with poor cell reception), we cache some data locally on your device:

• Cached data includes inventory snapshots, recipes, and meal plans.
• On iOS and Android, local storage is encrypted with AES-256 encryption.
• On the web platform, local storage does not support encryption. We recommend using the mobile app for the most secure experience.

3.3 Security Measures

• All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS.
• All data stored in Firestore is encrypted at rest using Google-managed keys.
• Family data is isolated through security rules that prevent any user from accessing another family's data.
• API keys and secrets are stored as server-side secrets and never included in the app code on your device.
• Family join codes are generated using cryptographically secure randomness and expire after 24 hours.

4. Third-Party Services

FamilyTable uses the following third-party services to operate. We only share the minimum data necessary for each service to function.

4.1 Firebase / Google Cloud Platform

• What it does: Provides our entire backend infrastructure, including user authentication, database, file storage, and server-side processing.
• Data shared: All data described in Section 1 is stored in Firebase.
• Their privacy policy: Google Cloud Privacy Notice

4.2 Anthropic (Claude AI)

• What it does: Processes receipt photos (OCR text extraction) and pantry/fridge photos (item detection) to help you add items to your inventory.
• Data shared: Only the photo you take for scanning (sent as image data). No personal information, account details, or other app data is included.
• Important: Photos are processed in real time through our secure server-side functions and are NOT permanently stored by us. Anthropic's commercial terms do not allow it to train its AI models on them.
• Their privacy policy: Anthropic Privacy Policy

4.3 Open Food Facts

• What it does: Looks up product information (name, brand, quantity) when you scan a barcode.
• Data shared: Only the barcode number. No personal data is sent.
• About them: Open Food Facts is a free, open-source, community-maintained food product database.
• Their privacy policy: Open Food Facts Privacy

4.4 Sentry

• What it does: Receives crash and error reports from the app so we can find and fix bugs.
• Data shared: The crash and error reports described in Section 1.5. No names, email addresses, typed text, chat messages or photos.
• Where and how long: Stored in the United States for a limited period, then deleted automatically.
• Their privacy policy: Sentry Privacy Policy

5. Camera and Photo Permissions

FamilyTable requests camera and photo library access for the following features:

What happens to your photos:

• Receipt and pantry photos are temporary. They are sent to our server for AI analysis, the extracted item information is returned to you for review and confirmation, and the photo is discarded. We do not permanently store scanning photos.
• Recipe images that you attach to your recipes are stored in Firebase Storage so they can be displayed in the app.
• You can deny camera or photo library permissions at any time through your device settings. The app will continue to work, but scanning and image features will be unavailable.

6. Family and Household Data

FamilyTable is designed for families and shared households. Here is how family data works:

• Data isolation: Each family's data is completely separate. Our database security rules ensure that no user can read or access another family's inventory, recipes, meal plans, or any other data.
• Shared within a family: All members of the same household can see shared data including inventory, recipes, meal plans, shopping lists, and ratings. When you join a family, you are joining a shared space.
• Family join codes: To invite someone to your family, you generate a join code. These codes expire after 24 hours and are generated using cryptographically secure methods.
• Family member information: A parent or account creator enters family member names and roles (such as Mom, Dad, Daughter, Son). This information is visible to all family members within the household.

7. Data Sharing and Disclosure

7.1 We Do NOT:

• Sell your personal data to anyone, ever.
• Share your data with advertisers.
• Use your data for targeted advertising.
• Share your data with data brokers.
• Allow third parties to use your data for their own purposes unrelated to providing FamilyTable.

7.2 We Share Data Only When:

• Providing the service: Your data is stored and processed through Firebase (Google Cloud) as described in Section 4. This is necessary for the app to function.
• Processing photos: Receipt and pantry photos are temporarily processed by Anthropic's Claude AI as described in Section 4.2.
• Looking up barcodes: Barcode numbers (not personal data) are sent to Open Food Facts as described in Section 4.3.
• Fixing crashes: Crash and error reports (Section 1.5) are sent to Sentry as described in Section 4.4.
• Required by law: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or government request.
• Protecting safety: We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that it is necessary to protect the safety of our users or the public.

8. Data Retention

9. Your Rights and Choices

9.1 Access Your Data

You can view all of your data directly within the app, including your profile, preferences, inventory, recipes, meal plans, shopping lists, and ratings.

9.2 Correct Your Data

You can edit your profile, preferences, inventory items, recipes, meal plans, and other content at any time through the app.

9.3 Delete Your Data

You can delete your account and all associated data through the app's Profile settings. Upon deletion, we will remove your account and all associated data within 30 days. You may also request deletion by emailing us at familytable_support@gmail.com.

9.4 Data Portability

We do not currently offer a data export feature. If you need a copy of your data, please contact us at familytable_support@gmail.com and we will work with you to provide your information in a reasonable format.

9.5 Withdraw Consent

You can stop using FamilyTable at any time. You can revoke camera and photo library permissions through your device settings. You can request account deletion as described above.

10. Children's Privacy (COPPA)

FamilyTable is a family-oriented app, and we take children's privacy seriously.

• Parental oversight: FamilyTable is designed to be set up and managed by a parent or guardian. We assume that a parent or adult family member creates and manages the account.
• No independent data collection from children: We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13. Signup asks for a birth month and year and does not create an account for anyone under 13. Teens aged 13 to 17 may have their own account, without the AI features (Chat, photo and receipt scanning, and recipe import), and join a family with an invite code.
• Children as family members: A parent may enter their child's name and role (such as "Daughter" or "Son") as part of the family setup. This information is entered and managed by the parent.
• No child-targeted content: We do not serve targeted advertising, recommendations based on behavioral profiling, or any content specifically designed to engage children.
• Parental rights: If you are a parent and believe we have inadvertently collected personal information from your child, please contact us at familytable_support@gmail.com and we will promptly delete it.

11. Information for California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).

11.1 Categories of Personal Information Collected

11.2 Your California Rights

• Right to Know: You can request details about the personal information we have collected about you in the prior 12 months.
• Right to Delete: You can request deletion of your personal information.
• Right to Opt Out of Sale: We do not sell your personal information. There is nothing to opt out of.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights.
• Right to Correct: You can request correction of inaccurate personal information.
• Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: We do not use sensitive personal information for purposes beyond what is necessary to provide FamilyTable.

11.3 How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at familytable_support@gmail.com. We will verify your identity before processing your request and respond within 45 days.

12. Information for European Residents (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the following additional information applies to you under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

12.1 Legal Basis for Processing

12.2 Your GDPR Rights

• Right of Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure ("Right to Be Forgotten"): You can request deletion of your personal data.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You can request that we limit how we use your data.
• Right to Data Portability: You can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: You can object to processing based on legitimate interest.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent (such as photo scanning), you can withdraw consent at any time by discontinuing use of that feature.

12.3 Data Transfers

Your data is stored in Firebase servers located in North America (nam5 region). If you are located in the EEA, your data is transferred to the United States. This transfer is covered by Google Cloud's data processing terms, which include Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

12.4 Data Protection Officer

For GDPR-related inquiries, contact us at familytable_support@gmail.com.

12.5 Supervisory Authority

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.

13. Information We Do NOT Collect

For full transparency, here is what FamilyTable does NOT collect:

• Location or GPS data — we never track where you are.
• Analytics or behavioral tracking — we do not use Segment, Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, or any similar tracking tools.
• Screen recordings or screenshots — crash reports (Section 1.5) never include pictures of your screen.
• Advertising identifiers — we do not collect IDFAs, GAIDs, or any ad-related identifiers.
• Contacts or address book — we never access your phone contacts.
• Browsing history — we do not track what you do outside of FamilyTable.
• Health or fitness data — we do not integrate with health platforms.
• Financial or payment information — FamilyTable is free and does not process payments.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do:

• We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
• For significant changes, we will notify you through the app or by email.
• Your continued use of FamilyTable after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

• Email: familytable_support@gmail.com
• Developer: North of Irving LLC, DBA NOI DEV
• Support: https://familytable-poc.web.app

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.