Privacy notice

Last updated: 4 November 2026

🌐 To read this page in your language, use the “Translate” option in your web browser.

1. Who we are

This website is run by EasyLife UK (easylifeuk.co.uk). We are the “data controller” for the personal information described here. This means we decide how it is used.

Questions about privacy: use our Contact us form and choose “Privacy or data request”.

We follow UK data protection law: the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. What we collect and why

Your account

You need an account to use most of the site. We keep:

• your email address;
• your password, stored only in a protected (scrambled, “hashed”) form. We cannot read it;
• if you use Continue with Google: Google tells us your email address so we can find or create your account. We do not get your Google password;
• places you save as favourites, and your progress in quizzes and learning games, so they work on all your devices.

We use this to give you your account and keep it safe. We do not send you marketing emails.

Giveaways

If you post a giveaway, we keep the item name, description, category, town, an optional photo, and an optional approximate location (rounded to about 100 metres). Other signed-in users can see the listing. Your email address is never shown to them.

If you press “I’m interested”, we keep your first name, an optional message, and whether you chose to share your email address with the person giving the item away. We only share your email if you tick that box.

To keep people safe, every post and message is checked automatically. Posts with links, phone numbers, addresses or harmful words are blocked. When something is blocked, we only record which rule blocked it, not what you wrote or who you are. We may also review, hide or remove posts.

Family board (finding family members)

If you post on the family board, we keep the name of the person you are looking for, your first name, the last place and date you saw them, your message, an optional description, and your email address. You must be 18 or over. Posts are checked by a person before they are shown. Your email address is not shown on the site.

Buddy sign-up

If you sign up to find a buddy, we keep your first name, the languages you speak, your area, whether you want help or want to help, and your email address if you give it. A coordinator reads sign-ups to match people. Nobody’s details are shown on the website.

Suggest a place or report a problem

If you tell us about a missing place or a mistake, we keep what you send about the place. Please do not include personal information. The form blocks phone numbers, home addresses and email addresses in free text.

Search

When you use the site search, the words you type or say are sent to our search service (run on Cloudflare) to find matching pages. We use them only to show you results. We keep usage counts to stay within our limits; we do not use your searches to build a profile of you.

If you use the 🎤 microphone, your web browser turns your voice into text. On many phones the browser’s maker (for example Google or Apple) does this on its own servers. Their privacy policy applies to that.

Community activities

If you share an activity, we store only what you type in the form (title, date and times, category, description, cost, languages, an optional booking link, the venue name and town, and who can see it), linked to your account so you can see, edit and delete it in “My activities”. We never ask for or show a street address, and we never show your name, email or phone number with your activity: people can only contact you through the booking link you choose.

Every activity is checked by EasyLife UK before it appears. To keep people safe, our system may mark an activity for us to look at more closely (for example if it seems to contain an address, private details, or a job, housing or loan offer), and we keep any reports people send about an activity. Reports do not include the reporter’s IP address. If you are blocked from posting, we keep a note of that while your account exists.

Activities marked “Members only” are shown only to people who are logged in. Past activities are removed from the site straight away and deleted 30 days after their date. If you delete an activity or your account, it is deleted straight away.

Contact us form

If you use the Contact us form, we keep your name, email address, the subject you chose, your message, the site language and page, and a coded (hashed) version of your IP address to stop spam. Messages go only to our own admin inbox. We use them to read and answer your message.

Deposit letter tool

If you use the deposit letter tool, the details you type stay on your phone until you choose to send. When you press Send, your letter goes by email (through our email provider, Resend) to the landlord or agent address you entered, with a copy to you, and replies go to you. We do not keep the letter, names or addresses. We keep only a short log: the date, the part of the UK, whether it sent, the email message reference, and coded (hashed) versions of your IP address and the two email addresses, so we can stop misuse. We delete this log after 90 days.

Technical information

Like all websites, our servers receive your IP address and basic browser details when you visit. We use IP addresses for a short time to stop abuse (for example, limiting how many times someone can try to log in). Our hosting providers may keep short technical logs for security.

Donations

If you choose to donate, the payment is processed by Stripe on Stripe’s own secure page. You type your card or wallet details (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal) into Stripe, not into our site. We never see or store your card details.

We keep only: the amount, the date, what you asked it to go towards (running the site or supporting refugees), your name and message if you chose to add them, Stripe’s fee, and the Stripe payment reference. Stripe also receives your email address and payment details to take the payment and send a receipt; Stripe handles them under its own privacy policy (stripe.com/gb/privacy).

EasyLife UK is not a registered charity. Donations support the running of the site and are not tax-deductible.

3. Your location

We only use your location when you choose a feature that needs it, such as “Near me”, directions, giveaways near you, or the Alert family and “I’m OK” messages. Your phone will ask your permission first. You can say no and type a town or postcode instead.

• Most of the time, your location is used on your phone only, to sort places by distance or open a map.
• If your phone cannot find your position, we may look up your approximate town from your IP address using a free lookup service (GeoJS or ipwho.is). We never do this if you said no to location.
• Postcodes and town names you type are looked up with postcodes.io, a free UK postcode service.
• Your last known location may be saved on your phone so the next search is faster. You can clear it by clearing the site’s data in your browser.
• The Alert family and I’m OK buttons open your own messages app with a ready-made text, including a map link to where you are if your phone shares it. You press Send. The text goes through your phone company, not through us, and we do not see it.
• The 999 button shows a short check screen and then lets your phone call 999. We do not record your calls.

4. Saved on your device

Some things are saved only in your web browser on your own device (“local storage”), not on our servers:

• your language and display settings (text size, low data mode, accessibility options);
• the names and phone numbers of your Alert family contacts, and your first name if you add it;
• your last known location (see above), and some quiz and game progress;
• your cookie choice;
• pages, pictures and story audio saved for offline use.

You can remove all of this by clearing this site’s data in your browser settings.

5. Cookies

A cookie is a small file saved by your browser. We use only essential cookies. These are needed for the site to work, so they are always on:

We do not use analytics, advertising or tracking cookies.

Anonymous visit counter. To know which pages help people, our own server counts page views. For each page view it saves only: the page (for example “housing”), the date and time, the language the site is shown in, and whether it is a phone, tablet or computer. It does not use cookies or save anything on your device, does not store your IP address or any ID, cannot tell who you are, and uses no other company. If your browser sends “Do Not Track” or “Global Privacy Control”, nothing is counted. We only look at totals.

Optional: Google maps. Some pages can show a Google map inside the page. When it loads, Google may set its own cookies and receive your IP address. We only load these maps if you press Accept in the cookie message, or tap “Show map” yourself. If you press Reject non-essential, you can still use the “Open in Google Maps” button and our other maps (OpenStreetMap), which do not set cookies.

You can change your choice at any time: Cookie settings.

6. Services we use

We use these companies to run the site. They process information for us under contracts and only as we instruct:

• Vercel – hosts the website (our servers are set to London).
• Supabase – stores accounts and the information you post, and runs Google sign-in.
• Cloudflare – runs the site search and stores story audio and pictures.
• Stripe – takes donation payments (cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay). Only if you choose to donate.
• Google – only if you choose “Continue with Google”, or load an embedded Google map.
• Resend – sends our emails (for example council confirmation links, codes and reading links).

We also use free public services that receive your IP address when you use certain features: postcodes.io (postcode lookups), OpenStreetMap (map pictures and walking routes), and GeoJS or ipwho.is (approximate town, see section 3). When you use “Find your nearest”, our server sends the postcode you type to postcodes.io, the Trussell food bank finder and the GOV.UK legal aid adviser finder to get the results. If you tap “Use my location” instead, your phone asks your permission first; your location (from GPS, Wi-Fi or mobile signal) is sent to our server and only to postcodes.io, to find the nearest postcode, and to the Trussell food bank finder. The legal aid finder only gets that nearest postcode. We do not save or log your postcode or location.

Some of these providers may process data outside the UK, for example in the USA. When this happens, it is protected by UK-approved safeguards, such as the UK–US “data bridge” or standard contract clauses approved for UK data.

Links to other websites. The site links to other websites, such as GOV.UK, Citizens Advice, Google Maps, Apple Maps and Ticketmaster (for event tickets). We usually warn you before you leave our site. Those websites have their own privacy policies. We do not get your details from them.

Event listings include data from Ticketmaster.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for advertising. We would only share it if the law requires it, or to protect someone’s life or safety.

6b. Letter helper, CV builder, volunteers, partner charities and alerts

Understand a letter: the photo and words are read on your phone only. We do not upload, store or log them.

CV builder: your CV is saved only in your browser (you can delete it with "Clear my data"). If you choose "Translate" and your browser cannot translate on the phone, the text is sent to the free MyMemory translation service; if you choose "Check the English" it is sent to the free LanguageTool service. You are asked to agree first. We do not store your CV.

Library finder: your postcode or location is used only for that search (OpenStreetMap / Overpass and postcodes.io) and is not saved.

Volunteer helpers: if you offer help we store your first name, town, the help you offer, languages, availability and a short description, linked to your account. Only your first name, town and description are shown, and only to signed-in members after we approve it. Help requests are seen only by EasyLife UK, who introduce people by email. You can delete your offer at any time.

Partner charities: we store the organisation details you send (shown publicly after approval) and your name, role and work email (private, used only to check the request).

Email alerts: if you sign up we store your email, chosen topics, town (optional), language, and the time and wording of your consent, so we can email you about those topics only. Every alert has an unsubscribe link, and you can also unsubscribe on the Alerts page. We never share or sell your email.

6c. Everyday help tools, Real life stories and “Report wrong information”

Benefits checker, Life in the UK practice, interpreter card, read aloud and low-data mode: your answers, progress and settings are kept only on your phone (browser storage). We do not receive them. Read aloud uses your phone’s own voice.

School places, free stuff near you and weather alerts: your postcode or location is used only for that search (postcodes.io, OpenStreetMap/Overpass, Met Office) and is not saved or logged.

Real life stories: we store the story, its topic, the language of the site and the time. We do not ask for your name or contact details and refuse stories that contain phone numbers, emails, links or addresses. A person checks every story before it appears, may shorten it or remove details, and stories are shown without names. Ask us to remove a story at any time.

Report wrong information: we store the page, the problem type, your message, the site language and the time, to fix the page. We do not ask for contact details. Reports are deleted when no longer needed.

7. Our legal reasons

The law says we must have a reason to use your information. Ours are:

• Contract – to give you the account and features you asked for.
• Consent – for your location, for sharing your email in giveaways, and for optional Google maps. You can take back your consent at any time.
• Legitimate interests – to keep the site safe, stop abuse and spam, check posts, and fix problems.
• Legal obligation – when the law requires us to keep or share information.
• Vital interests – in rare cases, to protect someone’s life.

Some information on the family board or in giveaways could show sensitive things about you (for example your nationality, religion or health). Please only share what is needed.

6d. Council requests, gift codes and free school books

Council requests (for council officers). When a council officer asks for free school books on our council form, we keep: the council chosen, the officer’s name and work email address, the email domain and whether it matches the council’s own web address, a short reference and school year for each child (never names), the request status and dates, the codes we made, and a keyed hash of the IP address the form was sent from (not the IP address itself). We use this to check that the request really comes from that council (by emailing a one-time link, and sometimes by a person checking it by hand), to make and send the codes, and to stop abuse. Our reason is legitimate interests: giving free learning materials to children that councils support, and protecting the books from misuse. The emails are sent by Resend; the data is stored by Supabase.

Gift codes. When we give someone a free book code, we may keep the email address and name of the person it is for (so we can send it and, for some codes, so it only works with that email address), and a record of when it was used and with which order email. Our reason is legitimate interests (sending the gift and stopping misuse).

Codes linked to your account. The first time a family uses a council code, we link the code to the EasyLife account that used it (we store the account number and the date). After that the code only works for that account, and the book is saved on the account so you can read it on any device. Our reason is contract (giving you the book you asked for). The owner of the site sees only a shortened email (for example j***@h***.com) next to the code. If you delete your account, your email address is deleted; the code stays linked to the deleted account and stops working for anyone else (contact us if you need it moved to a new account).

6e. “Message us” and translation volunteers

Message us: we keep your message, the topic you chose, the site language and page, and your email address only if you give it, so we can reply. We store a coded (hashed) version of your IP address to stop spam. We send one notification email about your message to our own inbox through our email provider (Resend). Please do not include case numbers, medical details or other private information. We do not share your message with anyone.

Translation volunteers: if you offer to help with translations, we keep your name, email address, the languages you know and how well, and any note you add. We use them only to contact you about checking translations on this site. You can ask us to delete them at any time.

Legal basis: legitimate interests (answering you and running the site safely), and your consent for volunteering, which you can withdraw at any time.

6f. Free books, My Library and sign-in codes

If you unlock a free book (for example with a council or gift code), we keep: your email address and account, the books you unlocked, the code used and when. We use this to show the book in My Library on all your devices. No books are sold on this site.

Verification codes. To check your email address or sign-in, we may email you a one-time code. Codes expire within minutes and are deleted soon after. Our processors for this are Supabase (accounts and data), Vercel (hosting) and Resend (sending emails).

How long we keep this is in section 8.

8. How long we keep it

• “Message us” messages: deleted 12 months after you send them (sooner if you ask).
• Translation volunteers: until you ask us to remove you, or when we no longer need volunteers. We review this list at least every 12 months.
• Account, favourites and progress: until you delete your account. When you delete it, we delete your account and the information linked to it.
• Giveaways: listings are hidden after 30 days. We delete old listings, photos and “I’m interested” messages within 6 months.
• Community activities: deleted 30 days after the activity’s date (or straight away if you delete it). Reports about an activity are deleted with it.
• Family board and buddy sign-ups: until you ask us to remove them, or when they are no longer needed. We review these at least every 12 months.
• Donations: the donation record (amount, date, optional name and message, Stripe reference) is kept for up to 6 years for our financial records, then deleted. You can ask us to remove your name or message sooner.
• Contact us messages: up to 2 years, then deleted (sooner if you ask).
• Council requests: we delete the officer’s name, work email address and the IP hash 24 months after the request. We keep only the council name, dates, number of codes and child year groups (no personal data) for our records.
• Gift codes: the recipient’s email address and name are kept while the code can still be used (some codes only work with that email address), then deleted within 12 months after the code is used up, expires or is switched off.
• Security information (IP addresses): a short time only, usually less than a day for our own limits.
• Information on your device: until you clear it.

9. Your rights

You have the right to:

• access – ask for a copy of the information we hold about you;
• correct – ask us to fix wrong information;
• delete – ask us to delete your information. You can delete your account yourself in “My account”;
• restrict or object – ask us to stop or limit using your information;
• portability – ask for your information in a format you can take elsewhere;
• withdraw consent – at any time, for anything we do with your consent.

To use your rights, use our Contact us form and choose “Privacy or data request”. It is free. We will reply within one month. We may ask you to confirm it is your account.

Complaints. If you are unhappy, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK data protection regulator: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, phone 0303 123 1113.

Using your privacy rights will not affect any immigration or asylum case. We are not part of the Home Office or the government.

10. Children

• Children can use the learning games and bedtime stories.
• Children under 13 should only use an account with a parent or guardian, who should create and look after it.
• The family board is for adults only (18 and over). Under-18s need a parent or guardian to agree before joining the buddy scheme.
• If you think a child has given us information without a parent’s agreement, contact us and we will delete it.

11. Security

We use secure connections (HTTPS), protected passwords, signed sign-in cookies, and limits on who can see the information we hold. No website is 100% secure, so please use a strong password that you do not use anywhere else.

12. Changes to this notice

We may update this notice when the site changes. We will change the date at the top. If a change is important, we will tell you on the site.

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