porchlightPrivacy Policy
Effective October 18, 2026
Porchlight ("we," "us") is a guidance app for parents of teens and young adults, with a companion app for the young person. Porchlight is operated by ResqWare LLC, a New Hampshire limited liability company. This policy explains what information the apps handle, where it goes, and the choices you have.
1. Information that stays on your phone
These are stored only in your phone's browser storage. We never receive them unless you choose to send something (see section 2):
- Parent app: your Home Plan agreements and daily log, saved decisions, your guide chat history, your "about your family" notes, theme and faith settings, and a ZIP code if you enter one.
- Young person's app: their safety plan, emergency contacts, saved tips, check-in history, and settings.
Clearing your browser data, or using "Erase everything on this phone" in the parent app's Settings, deletes it. Because we don't have a copy, we can't restore it.
2. Information that leaves your phone
| What | When | Where it goes | How long it's kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guide chat messages, plus your "about your family" notes and faith setting | When you ask the guide a question | Our server passes them to an AI provider to write a reply: Anthropic (Claude) or, as a backup, Cloudflare Workers AI | We don't save chat content on our server. The AI provider handles it under its own terms (see section 4). |
| Location or ZIP code for "Treatment near you" | Only when you tap "Use my location" or enter a ZIP | Our server sends rounded coordinates (to about 10 meters) to the federal FindTreatment.gov directory. If you enter a ZIP code, it's first looked up with the free Zippopotam.us service to get coordinates. | We don't save it. Your phone may keep the ZIP you typed so you don't have to retype it. |
| Family link: a random ID for your family and each linked phone, the phone's role (parent or young person), and a 6-digit link code | When you create or join a family link | Our database (Cloudflare D1) | Until you unlink or delete the family. Link codes expire after 24 hours. |
| Shared check-ins: mood and an optional note | Only when the young person checks in with "Share with family" turned on | Our database, visible to linked parent phones | Deleted automatically after 90 days |
| SOS alerts, with location if allowed | When the young person taps "I need help" while linked. Location is included only if they turned on "Send my location with SOS alerts" and their phone allows it. | Our database, visible to linked parent phones | Deleted automatically after 90 days |
| Basic technical data: IP address, browser type, time of request | Any time you use the app | Cloudflare, our hosting provider, processes this to deliver and protect the service. Our error logs may record it briefly. | As set by Cloudflare's logging; we don't use it to build profiles. |
Phone calls and texts you start from Porchlight (988, 911, a hotline, or one of your contacts) go through your phone's own phone and messaging apps. We don't see or record them. When you call 911, your phone and carrier send your location to emergency services; Porchlight is not involved in that.
3. What the young person controls
- Linking is their choice: they enter the code themselves, and they can unlink at any time from Me → Family link.
- Parents never see the young person's feed, safety plan, contacts, saved tips, or anything else on their phone. Parents see only check-ins the young person chooses to share and SOS alerts.
- Porchlight does not read messages, listen through the microphone, track location in the background, or monitor other apps.
4. AI providers
The guide chat sends your messages to an AI provider to generate a reply. We use Anthropic's Claude through its commercial API, or Cloudflare Workers AI as a backup. These providers process your messages under their own policies (Anthropic privacy policy, Cloudflare privacy policy). Avoid putting full names, addresses, or other identifying details in your messages unless you need to.
5. What we don't do
- We don't sell or rent personal information, or share it for advertising.
- We don't use advertising, tracking pixels, or third-party analytics.
- We don't create accounts with your name, email, or phone number.
6. When we might share information
Beyond the service providers named above, we share information only if the law requires it (for example, a valid subpoena or court order), or if we believe in good faith it's needed to prevent imminent harm to someone's life or safety. Because most data never leaves your phone, there is usually very little we could share.
7. Your choices and rights
- Delete family-link data: a parent can delete all shared check-ins, alerts, and linked phones in Settings → Connect his app → "Delete all our family-link data."
- Unlink: either side can unlink their own phone at any time.
- Erase local data: Settings → "Erase everything on this phone," or clear your browser's site data.
- Questions or requests: email privacy@porchlight.support. Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, or delete your information, or to appeal a decision about a request. We'll respond within the time your state's law requires.
8. Health-related information
Check-ins, safety plans, and chat messages can reveal health information. We treat it as sensitive: we collect only what the features need, keep most of it on your phone, delete shared data on a schedule, and never use it for advertising. Porchlight is not a healthcare provider, and this information is not covered by HIPAA. Some state laws give extra protection to consumer health data, and we follow them where they apply.
9. Children and teens
Porchlight is not for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them. The young person's app is meant for people 13 and older; users under 18 should use it with a parent or guardian's knowledge. If you think a child under 13 has used Porchlight, contact us and we'll delete any related family-link data.
10. Security
All connections use encryption (HTTPS). Linked phones are identified by long random tokens rather than names or numbers. No system is perfectly secure: anyone who can unlock your phone can see what Porchlight stores on it, so use a screen lock. If a breach affects your information, we'll notify you as the law requires.
11. Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top and, for significant changes, show a notice in the app before they take effect.
12. Contact
privacy@porchlight.support
ResqWare LLC, 276 Newport Rd, Suite 205, New London, NH 03257