Privacy & consent

We are asking families to trust us with the most personal thing they own. This page explains exactly what we collect, what we do with it, and what remains yours.

Last updated: August 2026

Information we collect

When you contact us

Our enquiry forms compose an email in your own mail application, which you then send to us. That means we receive only what you choose to send, and you keep a copy in your own Sent folder. We do not run trackers, advertising pixels, or third-party analytics that identify you.

Through those forms we typically receive your name and contact details, the name and approximate age of the person to be interviewed, your general location, an emergency contact, and any notes you give us about that person's needs.

Sensitive information about the person being interviewed

We ask directly about hearing, vision, memory changes, energy, and mobility. We ask because we cannot plan safe, comfortable sessions without knowing — an interviewer who doesn't know that someone tires after forty minutes will tire them.

We treat this as the sensitive information it is. It is shared only with the interviewer assigned to that person, is never used for any purpose other than planning sessions, and is never disclosed to anyone else without your permission.

During the project

We create audio and video recordings of the interviews and digital scans of photographs and documents you choose to share. Photographs are scanned in the home and handed straight back; originals never leave the house and are never mailed.

How recordings and photographs are handled

• You own them. The finished memoir and every raw file belong to the family. This is confirmed in a written release before recording begins.
• We hold a working copy only for as long as it takes to produce and deliver your memoir, plus a short grace period in case you need a replacement copy.
• We delete on request, at any time, including before the project is finished.
• We do not use recordings to train any artificial intelligence system, and we do not sell, license, or share them with anyone.
• Files are stored on password-protected devices and encrypted cloud storage, and are not kept on shared or public computers.

Consent, and the right to change your mind

Nothing is recorded until a written consent form is signed. Consent is asked of the person being interviewed, not only of the family member arranging the service. If the person being interviewed does not want to take part, we do not proceed, regardless of who is paying.

Permission to use any excerpt publicly — on this website, in a flyer, or on social media — is a separate, optional, opt-in agreement. Declining has no effect whatsoever on the service, the price, or the finished product.

Public permission can be withdrawn at any time by emailing us. We will remove the material from anything we control promptly, though we cannot recall copies that others have already downloaded or shared.

Where memory changes are a factor

If the person being interviewed has a diagnosis affecting memory or capacity, we ask that consent be given with the involvement of the family member or representative who is authorized to act for them. We also treat consent as ongoing rather than one-time: if someone appears distressed, reluctant, or is no longer enjoying the sessions, we stop and talk to the family, whatever the paperwork says.

Interviewers

Interviewers are matched to one family and stay with that family for the whole project. They are told only what they need to know to do the work well and safely. They are required to keep everything they hear confidential, and to bring no part of a family's story outside the project.

You will know who is coming and when. You are welcome to have a family member present for any session, or to hold the first meeting somewhere public.

Children and young people

This website is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. Applications from prospective interviewers under 18 require a parent or guardian's involvement before any placement is made.

Your choices

At any time you may ask us to:

• tell you what information we hold about you or your family;
• correct anything that is wrong;
• delete our working copies of recordings, scans, or enquiry details;
• withdraw permission for any public use of your material.

Email hello@generationslens.com and we will act on it. We do not require a particular form of words or a reason.

Changes to this page

If we change how we handle information, we will update this page and the date above. Material changes affecting a project already underway will be communicated to that family directly rather than only posted here.

Contact

Questions about anything on this page are welcome, and asking them before you commit is entirely reasonable. Write to hello@generationslens.com.