Our Privacy Promise
Your personal information should support your participation in FamilyNet, not become the product.
This Privacy Policy explains what information FamilyNet collects, why we collect it, how we use it and the choices available to you.
Effective Date: September 15, 2026
Version: 2.0
1. Our Privacy Principles
FamilyNet is designed around privacy rather than advertising, tracking or the commercial exploitation of member information.
✓ No Ads
✓ No Data Harvesting
✓ No Tracking for Advertising
✓ No Engagement Algorithms
✓ No Sale of Member Information
✓ Privacy by Design
2. Who We Are
FamilyNet is a Canada-wide social networking service operated by the Safe Social Networking Society, a Canadian nonprofit society.
FamilyNet is designed to provide families with a more private, accountable and responsible way to connect and participate online.
The Safe Social Networking Society is responsible for the personal information collected and managed through FamilyNet, except where information is processed directly by an independent service provider as described in this Policy.
3. Information We Collect
FamilyNet collects information needed to operate the service, administer memberships and allow members to participate.
Account Information
When you create or use a FamilyNet account, we may collect information such as your name, email address, username, account status and other information required to establish and manage your account.
Family Membership Information
We maintain information needed to associate family members with the appropriate Family Membership and Primary Member.
This may include the relationship between accounts, membership status, membership type and information showing which Primary Member added or sponsors a family member's account.
Profile Information
Members may provide profile information and other information they choose to share through FamilyNet.
Member Content
We store content members choose to create or share through FamilyNet, including posts, comments, photographs, Group content, Event information and FamilyMarket listings.
Service and Security Information
FamilyNet may collect technical information reasonably required to operate and protect the service, such as login activity, security logs, device or browser information, IP addresses and information used to diagnose technical problems or prevent misuse.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use personal information only for purposes reasonably connected with operating and protecting FamilyNet.
This includes using information to:
- Create and manage FamilyNet accounts.
- Administer Family Memberships and Family Premium memberships.
- Associate family member accounts with their Primary Member.
- Provide Groups, Events, FamilyMarket and other FamilyNet features.
- Process membership subscriptions and renewals.
- Establish membership accountability through identity verification.
- Send service, account, membership and security communications.
- Respond to questions and support requests.
- Investigate reports of misuse or violations of FamilyNet rules.
- Maintain the security, reliability and integrity of FamilyNet.
- Meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
5. Identity Verification
FamilyNet requires the Primary Member of a continuing Family Membership to complete identity verification.
Identity verification is performed through an external identity verification provider.
Identity documents and selfies used during the verification process are handled by the identity verification provider rather than stored by FamilyNet as part of the normal verification process.
FamilyNet retains only the information reasonably necessary to record the verification process, such as verification status, the provider, the date of verification and a reference associated with the verification transaction.
Additional family members do not normally complete separate identity verification.
6. Payment Information
A valid payment method is required to begin a FamilyNet membership trial and to maintain a paid membership.
Payment information is processed by FamilyNet's payment service provider.
FamilyNet does not need to store your complete payment card number. We may retain limited payment-related information provided by the payment processor, such as transaction references, subscription status, payment status and limited card information used to identify the payment method.
7. When Information Is Shared
FamilyNet does not sell member information.
We do not provide member information to advertisers or data brokers for advertising or profiling.
Personal information may be provided to service providers when reasonably necessary to operate FamilyNet. These may include providers supporting:
- Website and infrastructure hosting.
- Email delivery.
- Payment processing.
- Identity verification.
- Security and technical operations.
Information may also be disclosed where required by law, legal process, regulatory requirements or where reasonably necessary to protect the safety, rights or security of FamilyNet, its members or others.
8. Information You Share with Other Members
FamilyNet includes social features that allow members to share information and content with other people.
The audience for information you share depends on the feature being used, your settings and the context in which the information is posted.
For example, information shared within a Group may be available to other members of that Group, while FamilyMarket listings may be visible more broadly according to FamilyMarket's access settings.
Members should consider the intended audience before posting personal information, photographs or other content.
9. Public and Member Information
FamilyNet allows visitors to explore parts of the service without becoming members.
Information intended to be public, such as certain FamilyMarket listings or other publicly accessible content, may therefore be visible to people who are not logged into FamilyNet.
Private account information and information restricted to members, Groups or other limited audiences is not intended to be made publicly available merely because other parts of FamilyNet can be browsed publicly.
FamilyNet does not provide a public member directory.
10. Cookies and Similar Technologies
FamilyNet may use cookies or similar technologies where they are reasonably necessary to operate the website and provide member features.
These technologies may be used for purposes such as maintaining login sessions, remembering necessary preferences, protecting accounts, preventing misuse and supporting normal website operation.
FamilyNet does not use cookies to build advertising profiles or track members across unrelated websites for advertising purposes.
11. Advertising, Tracking and Algorithms
FamilyNet does not operate an advertising-based social networking model.
We do not use member information to sell targeted advertising.
We do not use cross-site tracking to build advertising profiles of members.
FamilyNet does not use engagement algorithms designed to maximize the amount of time members spend on the service or to manipulate content primarily for engagement.
Technical systems may still be used where necessary to organize content, provide search, protect the service, prevent abuse or operate FamilyNet features.
12. How Long We Keep Information
FamilyNet retains personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, to operate the service, maintain appropriate records and meet legal or regulatory requirements.
Retention periods may differ depending on the type of information.
Some information may need to be retained after an account or membership ends, for example where required for financial records, security, dispute resolution, fraud prevention or legal obligations.
Information that is no longer reasonably required will be deleted, anonymized or otherwise securely disposed of where appropriate.
13. Protecting Your Information
FamilyNet uses reasonable administrative, technical and organizational safeguards intended to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss or misuse.
Access to administrative systems and personal information is limited according to operational requirements.
No online service can guarantee absolute security. Members also have an important role in protecting their accounts by safeguarding their login credentials and reporting suspected unauthorized access.
14. Your Information and Choices
Members may review and update information available through their FamilyNet account and profile.
You may also contact FamilyNet to ask about personal information we hold about you, request correction of inaccurate information or make another privacy-related request.
Requests may be subject to reasonable identity verification and any limitations or record-retention requirements imposed by applicable law.
Members may cancel their FamilyNet membership according to the applicable membership terms.
15. Family Members and Young People
FamilyNet is organized around Family Memberships and may include family members of different ages.
The Primary Member is responsible for the family members they add to their Family Membership and should consider whether participation and information sharing are appropriate for each family member.
FamilyNet aims to limit unnecessary collection of personal information and encourages all members to avoid sharing more personal information than is reasonably necessary.
16. Changes to This Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically as FamilyNet evolves, its services change or privacy requirements change.
The current version will be published on FamilyNet.
Where appropriate, members will be notified of material changes affecting how their personal information is collected, used or disclosed.
Questions About Your Privacy?
Questions, concerns or requests relating to privacy or personal information may be directed to the Safe Social Networking Society.
