💌 THE KINDRED POST

Privacy Notice

Last updated: August 2026

The Kindred Post is a correspondence and friendship project run by Ellevera Emporium.

We believe getting to know a stranger should feel exciting — not like giving your personal information to one.

That's why The Kindred Post has been designed so that members can correspond using a Kindred Number while their contact information stays private.

This notice explains what information we collect, why we collect it and what happens to it.

What information do we collect?

When you join The Kindred Post, we may collect:

• your first name;

• your email address;

• your age bracket;

• your Kindred Number;

• the starter letter you choose;

• interests and information you choose to give us for matching;

• your matching preferences;

• your anonymous Kindred Card answers;

• records relating to your matches and correspondence; and

• information you give us if you contact us about your membership, safety or another Kindred.

We ask members not to provide unnecessary sensitive or identifying information in their registration answers or early correspondence.

Why do we need this information?

We use your information to operate The Kindred Post.

This includes:

• registering your membership;

• assigning your Kindred Number;

• helping identify suitable Kindred matches;

• managing anonymous correspondence;

• contacting you when you have Kindred Post waiting;

• keeping track of letters and active matches;

• dealing with requests to pause or end correspondence;

• maintaining the safety and integrity of The Kindred Post; and

• responding if you report a concern.

We will not use your Kindred Post registration details to send unrelated marketing unless we have a separate lawful basis or permission to do so.

What does another Kindred see?

Other members do not receive the contact information you provide when registering.

Your public Kindred Card may contain:

• your Kindred Number;

• interests you have chosen to share;

• your anonymous answers about yourself; and

• information about the kind of friendship or correspondence you're looking for.

Your first name, email address and private matching information will not appear on your public Kindred Card.

Please don't include identifying information in answers intended for your public Kindred Card.

When could my information be shared with my Kindred?

The Kindred Post will never simply hand your contact details to another member.

If, after corresponding, you and your Kindred both independently choose to exchange contact information, we may help facilitate that exchange.

We will only do this where both people have clearly agreed.

Our lawful basis for using your information

We only use personal information where we have a lawful basis for doing so.

Depending on the particular use, this may include processing that is necessary to provide and administer The Kindred Post service you have chosen to join, and our legitimate interests in operating the service safely and effectively.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether the use of your information is necessary and balance our interests against your rights and privacy.

Where consent is specifically required for a separate purpose, we will ask for it separately.

How long do we keep your information?

We don't want to keep your information forever.

While you are an active member, we keep the information necessary to administer your Kindred Post membership and correspondence.

When your membership ends, we aim to delete or anonymise your ordinary membership and matching information within 6 months, unless we need to retain particular information for longer for a legal, safeguarding, dispute-resolution or other legitimate reason.

You can also ask us to delete information we no longer need, subject to any legal reason we may have to retain it.

Where is my information kept?

Registration information is stored using the systems we use to operate The Kindred Post, such as our online registration form and our secure internal membership records.

Access to identifiable membership information is limited to people who genuinely need it to operate The Kindred Post.

We take reasonable steps to protect members' information from unauthorised access, loss or disclosure.

Your letters

Letters are intended for the Kindred they are addressed to.

While a letter is being held by The Kindred Post, we will store it as securely as reasonably possible until it is collected or passed to its intended recipient.

Please remember that once a physical letter has been given to its intended Kindred, The Kindred Post cannot control how long that person keeps it. For this reason, we strongly encourage members not to include home addresses, phone numbers, workplaces or other identifying information in early correspondence.

Your rights

UK data-protection law gives you rights over your personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, these can include the right to:

• ask for a copy of personal information we hold about you;

• ask us to correct inaccurate information;

• ask us to delete information;

• restrict or object to certain uses of your information; and

• withdraw consent where we are relying specifically on consent.

Not every right applies in every circumstance, but you can always contact us and ask.

Leaving The Kindred Post

You can leave The Kindred Post whenever you want.

There is no obligation to continue writing to another member.

Contact us and tell us your Kindred Number, and we'll arrange to close your active correspondence and deal with your personal information appropriately.

Questions or concerns

The organisation responsible for your personal information is:

Ellevera Emporium
Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK

Privacy enquiries: elleveraclayco@gmail.com

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data-protection regulator.

💌 One last thing

The Kindred Post exists to help strangers connect while giving them space to decide how much of themselves they want to share.

Your story is yours.

We'll only ask for the pieces of it we genuinely need to help your letter find its way.

The Kindred Post
Letters for strangers who might not stay strangers.