Privacy Policy

Valden ("Valden," "we," "us," or "our") helps you organize and protect important information, preserve memories, and make sure the right people can access the right information at the right time. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and the choices you have.

1. Information we collect

We collect information you give us directly, and a small amount of information automatically.

• Account information: your name, email address, and password (stored as a salted hash, never in plain text) when you create a Valden account. Phone number and a profile photo are optional.
• Vault information: the documents, credentials, financial account details, and other items you choose to store. Sensitive fields (like passwords and card numbers) are encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM) before they ever reach our database.
• Circle information: the name, email, phone number, and role of each person you designate as a trusted contact, along with the access permissions you assign them.
• Legacy information: the text, voice, and video messages you create, and who you choose to send them to.
• Emergency Kit information: medical information, emergency contacts, and critical instructions you choose to store for quick reference in an emergency.
• Smart Release (Protocol) settings: your chosen inactivity period, check-in timestamps, and a record of grace-period and release events, so every access decision is explainable.
• Billing information: if you subscribe to Pro or purchase Founder access, our payment processor (Dodo Payments) handles your card details directly. We never see or store your full card number.
• Usage information: if you accept analytics cookies, we collect device, browser, and in-app usage data through PostHog to understand how Valden is used and to fix problems. See our Cookie Policy for details.
• Session information: IP address and browser/device information tied to your login sessions, used for account security (for example, to let you review or revoke active sessions).

2. How we use your information

• To provide, maintain, and secure the Vault, Circle, Legacy, Protocol, and Emergency Kit features.
• To run Smart Release exactly as you configure it (see "Smart Release," below).
• To send transactional email: verification, password reset, grace-period alerts, delivery confirmations, receipts, and account notices.
• To process payments and manage your subscription.
• To provide customer support and respond to your requests.
• To detect, prevent, and investigate fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
• To understand product usage and improve Valden, only where you've consented to analytics cookies.

3. Smart Release

Smart Release only ever does what you've told it to do. You choose who may receive access, what information they can access, and the inactivity period that triggers it. Valden never releases your information on its own judgment, and every release is preceded by a 14-day grace period during which you can check in and cancel it. Every step is logged in an audit trail you can review.

4. Who we share information with

We don't sell your personal information. We share it only as needed to operate Valden, and (for your Vault, Circle, Legacy, and Emergency Kit content) only with the people you've explicitly designated, under the conditions you've set.

• Service providers: Supabase (database and file storage), Resend (transactional email), Dodo Payments (payments), and PostHog (product analytics, only with consent). Each is bound by its own data-processing terms and only accesses what it needs to provide its service to us.
• Your Circle:when you configure Smart Release, add a recipient to a Legacy message, or manually notify a contact, we share the specific information you've assigned them. Nothing more.
• Legal requirements: if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Valden or others.

5. Data retention

We keep your information for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, your account is deactivated immediately, and everything in your Vault, Circle, Legacy, and Emergency Kit is permanently deleted 30 days later, unless you cancel the deletion in that window. Some information (for example, records required for tax or legal compliance) may be retained longer where the law requires it.

6. Your rights and choices

You can access, correct, export, or delete your personal information at any time from Settings, without contacting us:

• Access and correction: update your profile, Vault items, Circle contacts, and other information directly in the app.
• Export:Settings > Privacy > Export Data gives you a downloadable copy of your data (JSON and CSV) by email, valid for 7 days.
• Deletion:Settings > Privacy > Delete Account starts a 30-day grace period, which you can cancel at any time before it completes.
• Analytics opt-out: decline or withdraw cookie consent at any time, via our Cookie Policy.

If you're located in the European Economic Area, the UK, or another jurisdiction with similar data protection laws, you may also have the right to object to or restrict certain processing, and to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

7. Security

We encrypt sensitive Vault fields at rest, encrypt data in transit, hash passwords, and support two-factor authentication (TOTP with backup codes) for your account. Access to production data is restricted on a least-privilege basis. No method of storage or transmission is perfectly secure, but protecting your information is central to why Valden exists.

8. Children's privacy

Valden is not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we'll delete it.

9. International transfers

Your information may be processed in countries other than your own. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) to protect information transferred internationally.

10. Changes to this policy

We'll update the "Last updated" date above if we make changes, and where changes are material, we'll notify you by email or an in-app notice before they take effect.

11. Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data? Email us at privacy@valdenhq.com or use our contact form.