Privacy Policy
Last updated: 23 May 2026
Who we are
Told in Letters is a trading name of Romero Mckay, a sole trader based in the United Kingdom. We are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.
For any privacy question or request, contact us at hello@toldinletters.co.uk.
What this service does, in brief
Someone (the buyer) purchases a guided life-story journal as a gift for a family member (the storyteller). The storyteller answers questions about their life. We compose those answers into a keepsake, including a personal opening letter, and deliver it as a PDF by email.
The information we collect
- From the buyer:name, email address, and the recipient's name. Payment is processed by Stripe; we do not see or store your card details.
- From the storyteller:name, email address, and the answers they choose to provide. Because the buyer provides the storyteller's contact details to initiate the gift, we will provide this privacy policy to the storyteller in our very first email communication to them.
- The answers themselves: these are free-text personal stories. They may include sensitive information about the storyteller and about other people they mention.
Sensitive information
Life-story answers can include what data protection law calls special category data, for example details about health, religious or political beliefs, or sexuality, relating to the storyteller or to people they mention. By taking part, the storyteller chooses what to share, and consents to us processing this information for the sole purpose of creating their keepsake. They can skip any question, withdraw their consent, and ask us to delete their information at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of our processing up to that point.
Why we process your information, and our lawful basis
- To provide the finished keepsake (lawful basis: performance of a contract with the buyer).
- To send the initial invitation link to the storyteller (lawful basis: legitimate interests, to enable the buyer to deliver their gift).
- For special category data within the answers, our basis is your explicit consent, given when the storyteller begins answering.
We do not use your information for advertising, and we do not sell it.
Who we share information with
We use a small number of trusted service providers to run the service. Each only receives what it needs:
- Stripe (USA) processes payments. They receive your name and email for receipts; card details go directly to Stripe and we never see them.
- Resend (USA) sends our emails, including the keepsake PDF attachment.
- Turso (EU) stores our database, hosted in AWS EU West (Ireland).
- Vercel (USA, with EU edge locations) hosts and runs the website.
- Google(USA) provides the AI service (Gemini) that composes the opening letter. To do this, the storyteller's answers are sent to Google to generate the text. Google processes this data under their Cloud Data Processing Addendum, which includes Standard Contractual Clauses for international transfers. We use Google's enterprise API services. Google is strictly prohibited from using your answers or personal data to train their AI models.
We may also disclose information if required by law.
Storing your information internationally
Our database is hosted in the EU (Ireland). Some of our service providers, including Stripe, Resend, Vercel, and Google, are based in the United States. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we rely on adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the UK government.
How long we keep your information
We keep your answers and the finished keepsake for up to 12 months after the keepsake is delivered, so that we can re-send it if you lose it, or produce a printed copy if you ask for one later. You can ask us to delete your information at any time using the “Delete my data” button on your order page, or by emailing hello@toldinletters.co.uk. When you do, we permanently erase the answers, the keepsake, and the associated account records. We also periodically remove answers and keepsakes that are more than 12 months old. We keep anonymised transaction records, such as order ID and payment date, for 6 years to meet our tax and accounting obligations.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to access your information, correct it, have it erased, restrict or object to its processing, and receive a copy in a portable format. To exercise any of these, contact hello@toldinletters.co.uk. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).
Cookies
We use a single essential cookie to keep you signed in while you use the service. It is necessary for the site to work and is not used for tracking or advertising. We do not use any analytics or advertising cookies.
Children
This service is intended for adults. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last changed.