Privacy policy
Amici di Penna is a parent-managed pen pal community for children and families. This policy explains what information the website collects, why it is needed and the choices available to parents and guardians.
Last updated: 28 July 2026
Who this policy applies to
This policy applies to the Amici di Penna public website and member area. In this policy, “Amici di Penna”, “we” and “us” refer to the person or organisation operating the community.
Parent and guardian accounts are for adults aged 18 or over. Children do not create accounts or manage their own profiles.
Information we collect
When a parent or guardian registers, we collect their name, email address and password. A parent may also choose a preferred language. Passwords are stored in a protected form and cannot be read by Amici di Penna. We also keep account status, email verification, policy acceptance and registration review records.
When an approved parent sends an invitation, we use the recipient’s email address to deliver that one message. We do not create an account for the recipient or keep the address in the website database. We keep a one-way record for up to 30 days to prevent repeat invitations.
A parent may add a child profile containing the child’s first name, age band, country, languages, interests and chosen pen pal group. The first name stays inside the parent’s account. Other approved parents see only the age band, country, languages, interests and group when browsing profiles.
We keep records of pen pal requests and connections, and of the messages connected parents exchange on the website, so parents can see their current activity. If someone contacts us about an account, privacy or safety concern, we keep the information they provide while we handle the matter.
The website may also receive ordinary technical information needed to run and protect the service, such as an IP address, browser type, sign-in time and security events. Production hosting and security logs will be documented before the website launches publicly.
Information we do not ask for in profiles
Profiles must not contain a child’s date of birth, photograph, school, town, phone number, email address or postal address. Parents should not add those details to profile text or support messages.
How information is collected
Most information comes directly from a parent when they register, update an account, create a profile, send a pen pal request or contact us. The website also creates basic account and security records as it is used.
Signed-in areas use essential cookies to keep parents signed in and protect account actions. Amici di Penna does not currently use advertising cookies or targeted advertising. If analytics or other non-essential tracking is introduced, this policy and the website’s consent controls will be updated first.
How we use information
We use personal information to review registrations, provide the member area, show limited profile summaries to approved parents, manage connection requests, answer enquiries and respond to safety concerns. Account and technical records are also used to prevent misuse and maintain the website.
We do not sell personal information. We do not use children’s information for targeted advertising.
Children’s information
A parent or guardian must have authority to provide information about a child and remains responsible for the profile. Parents should involve their child in an age-appropriate way when deciding what interests or languages to share.
Amici di Penna collects only the details needed to help parents consider a possible match. A profile approval or account review is a moderation step. It is not an identity check, background check or endorsement of a family.
When information is shared
Approved parents can view the limited profile summary described above. A child’s first name and a parent’s contact details are not shown in profile search.
When two parents agree to connect, each can see the other parent’s first name and the messages they exchange on the website. The community team can review those messages where that is needed to moderate the service or respond to a safety concern.
Information may also be handled by suppliers that host, maintain or secure the website, or deliver service emails. They may use it only to provide those services. We may disclose information where Australian law requires it, or where disclosure is reasonably necessary to address a serious safety concern.
The community is international, so a limited profile summary may be viewed by approved parents in other countries. Production hosting, email providers, their processing locations and any other overseas disclosures will be listed here once those services are finalised.
Storage, security and deletion
We use access controls and other reasonable safeguards suited to the information held. No website or transmission method is completely secure, so parents should use a strong, unique password and keep it private.
Account information is kept while the account is active and for as long as it is needed to run the community, resolve a report or meet a legal obligation. Parents can delete their account from the member area. This removes the account and its associated child profiles, requests, connections and other account information from the live website.
Information may remain for a limited period in protected backups, or where a record must be kept by law. The production backup and retention periods will be added to this policy before public launch.
Access, correction and complaints
Parents can update their name, email address, password and preferred language in the member area. They may also ask what personal information we hold, request a correction or raise a privacy concern through the contact page.
Please give enough detail for us to understand the request, but do not send a child’s postal address, school or other unnecessary private information. We will review the request and respond within a reasonable period. We may need to confirm the requesting adult’s identity before giving access to account information.
If the Australian Privacy Act applies and a complaint is not resolved, the person may be able to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Changes to this policy
This policy will change as the service and its providers are finalised. The date at the top will be updated whenever a material change is made. Parents will be told about changes that require a new decision or consent.
Contact
Privacy questions, access requests and complaints can be sent through the contact page.