Privacy Policy - How We Protect Children's Data

Privacy Policy

Your family's privacy is our top priority. Learn how we protect your information.

Last Updated: April 17, 2026

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Welcome to TapTap Buddy. We are committed to protecting the privacy and safety of children and families who use our NFC-enabled safety wristbands and related services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information with a design that aligns with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and other applicable privacy laws.

TapTap Buddy provides NFC-enabled wristbands that store emergency contact information locally on the device itself. Our service is designed with privacy-first principles, ensuring that children's personal information is never collected online.

Key Promise

We do not collect any personal information from children under 13 years old through our online services.

2. Information We Collect

From Parents/Guardians (Adults 18+)

  • Account registration information (name, email address)
  • Payment information (processed securely by third-party payment processors)
  • Emergency contact details for your children
  • Medical information you choose to include for emergency purposes
  • Product usage and analytics data to improve our services

Phone Number Information

  • Phone numbers provided during account registration
  • Emergency contact phone numbers added by the account holder
  • Phone number verification data (OTP codes, verification status)
  • SMS and voice call delivery logs

From Children Under 13

How We Handle Children's Data

We never collect information directly from a child. Everything on your child's emergency page is entered by you, controlled by you, and can be changed or deleted by you at any time. We are not currently certified by a COPPA Safe Harbor program.

Automatically Collected Information

  • Website analytics (page views, time spent, general location)
  • Device information (browser type, operating system)
  • IP addresses (for security and fraud prevention)
  • Cookies and similar technologies for website functionality

When Someone Taps Your Child's Tag

The band itself contains no GPS and never tracks your child. It records nothing and transmits nothing on its own. The only time we collect anything is at the moment someone taps the tag and opens the emergency page. When that happens we record:

  • The date and time of the tap
  • The approximate location of the person who tapped, so you know roughly where it happened. If they allow their browser to share location we use that; if they decline, we estimate the area from their IP address. For children's profiles this is deliberately reduced to about city level, never a precise address
  • The IP address, browser, operating system and device type of the person who tapped
  • How they reached the page (tap, QR code or direct link)

Why we collect this: if your child needs help, you should be able to see that someone opened their page and roughly where they were. This describes the person who tapped the tag, not your child, and it is visible to you in your dashboard. We do not sell it or use it for advertising. To work out the approximate area we share the tapping device's IP address or coordinates with two location services, ipapi.co and OpenStreetMap Nominatim.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to provide, maintain, and improve our services, including the following purposes related to safety notifications:

  • Sending SMS text message alerts when a safety tag is scanned
  • Making automated voice calls to notify you when a tag is scanned
  • Sending one-time verification codes to confirm phone numbers
  • Sending order and shipping notifications
  • Communicating with you about your account, orders, and product updates
  • Improving our services and developing new features
  • Ensuring the security and integrity of our platform

4. How Our NFC Technology Works

Our TapTap Buddy wristbands use Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. The tag itself holds only a web address, so a lost band reveals nothing about your child. The emergency profile lives on our servers and opens in the browser of whoever taps it.

How It Works

  • • The tag holds a web address and nothing else
  • • Tapping opens a secure page hosted by us
  • • The page is only reachable by tapping the tag
  • • Parents choose exactly what appears on it

Privacy Benefits

  • • The band has no GPS and never tracks your child
  • • Nothing personal is stored on the tag itself
  • • Lives at a random address only learnable by tapping the tag
  • • Complete parental control over content

5. Children's Privacy and COPPA

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) protects children under 13 from unauthorized data collection. TapTap Buddy is designed to align with COPPA principles: a parent or guardian creates every profile, and we never collect personal information directly from a child.

No Online Data Collection from Children

We do not collect, store, or process any personal information from children under 13 through our online services.

Parent-Controlled Setup

Only verified adults can create accounts and program emergency contact information onto NFC tags.

Emergency-Only Access

Information on NFC tags is only accessible when someone taps the wristband in an emergency situation.

6. Data Storage & Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information:

  • Encrypted data transmission using SSL/TLS protocols
  • Secure database storage with access controls
  • Regular security audits and monitoring
  • Limited employee access on a need-to-know basis
  • NFC tags use secure storage with no remote access capability

Important Note

While we implement strong security measures, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We continuously work to improve our security practices.

7. Parent Rights & Controls

Parents have complete control over their account and their children's information:

Your Rights Include:

  • Access all information we have about you
  • Update or correct your account information
  • Delete your account and associated data
  • Control what information is stored on NFC tags
  • Reprogram or reset NFC tags at any time
  • Opt out of marketing communications

How to Exercise Your Rights:

  • Log into your dashboard to update information
  • Contact us at hello@taptapbuddy.com
  • Use the NFC programming tools to update tags
  • Request account deletion through support

8. Your Data Deletion Rights

Complete Data Control

You have absolute control over your data and can request deletion at any time.

Your Rights:

  • Request a complete copy of all your data
  • Delete your account and ALL associated information
  • Remove individual child profiles
  • Opt-out of all marketing communications

Account Deletion

When you delete your account we permanently remove your profiles, emergency contacts, tag configurations and tap history within 24 hours. This action cannot be undone. We are legally required to keep payment and tax records for up to seven years; those are stored separately and are never used for any other purpose.

How to Delete Your Data:

  1. Go to Dashboard → Settings → Privacy & Data
  2. Click "Delete My Account"
  3. Verify your identity via email
  4. Confirm permanent deletion

For immediate assistance with data deletion, contact:hello@taptapbuddy.com

Automatic Data Deletion

Inactive accounts with no activity for 2 years will be automatically deleted after sending you notification emails.

9. Third-Party Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party service providers to deliver our platform and safety notification features. Each provider only receives the minimum data necessary to perform their service:

Twilio Inc. - SMS, Voice, and Verification

Twilio is used to deliver SMS text messages, automated voice calls, and phone number verification codes. Twilio processes your phone number and message content to deliver notifications. You can review Twilio's privacy practices at https://www.twilio.com/legal/privacy.

Stripe Inc. - Payment Processing

Stripe is used to process payments for product purchases. We do not store your credit card numbers on our servers. All payment information is processed and stored securely by Stripe.

Resend - Email Delivery

Resend is used to deliver email notifications, including account confirmations, safety alerts, and billing communications.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics and Meta Pixel to understand how our website is used. These services receive your IP address, the pages you visit and your activity on them, and may combine that with data they already hold about you. This is not anonymous. You can opt out using the cookie controls.

Cloud Hosting

Our platform is hosted on secure cloud infrastructure with appropriate data protection measures.

10. SMS and Voice Call Notifications

By providing and verifying your phone number, you consent to receive SMS text messages and automated voice calls from TapTap Buddy related to safety alerts for your child's tag.

  • Message frequency varies based on tag scan activity
  • Message and data rates may apply depending on your carrier
  • You can opt out of SMS notifications at any time by going to Settings > Notifications and disabling SMS Notifications, or by replying STOP to any SMS message
  • Opting out of SMS does not affect email notifications, which remain active
  • Emergency contact phone numbers are only used for safety alert notifications after the contact's number has been verified

Opt-Out Available

You can manage your SMS and voice call preferences at any time from your account settings. Reply STOP to any text message to immediately unsubscribe from SMS notifications.

11. Purchase Data

When you buy a TapTap Buddy product, we collect and store certain purchase-related information:

  • Order details, including items purchased and shipping address
  • Payment information is processed and stored by Stripe - we do not store credit card numbers
  • Order history is retained for legal and accounting purposes

12. Data Retention

We retain your information only as long as necessary:

  • Account information: Until you delete your account
  • Payment records: As required by law (typically 7 years)
  • Analytics data: retained for service improvement; see the third-party services section above
  • NFC tag information: Controlled entirely by you
  • Inactive accounts: Automatically deleted after 2 years of inactivity

You can request immediate deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us at hello@taptapbuddy.com.

13. Contact Information

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

Email:hello@taptapbuddy.com
Privacy Officer:

For specific privacy concerns or data requests

We will respond to privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.

14. Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements.

How We Notify You:

  • Email notification to your registered address
  • Notice on our website and dashboard
  • For material changes, 30 days advance notice

Your Options:

  • Continue using our services under the new policy
  • Contact us with questions about changes
  • Delete your account if you don't agree with updates

Last Updated: April 17, 2026

By continuing to use TapTap Buddy after policy updates, you agree to the revised terms.