Security and privacy

CommonGround holds information about your children, your arrangements and your conversations. We take protecting that information seriously. This page explains what information we collect, how we use and protect it, who can access it, and the choices you have over your information — in plain English.

Keeping your information safe

Everything you put into CommonGround is encrypted while it travels between your device and our systems, and it remains encrypted while we store it.

In technical terms, we use TLS 1.2 or higher for data in transit and AES-256 encryption for data at rest.

What that means for you: Your information is protected both while it is being sent and while it is stored, helping prevent anyone without authorised access from reading it.

A record neither parent can rewrite

Once a message is sent, it can’t be edited or deleted. What was written stays in the conversation exactly as it was sent.

CommonGround also records shared activity, such as calendar updates and documents or photos being shared. Where a shared calendar event is changed, the proposed change is clearly shown and the other parent is asked to approve it.

Reports are generated directly from the information held within CommonGround, preserving the wording, order, dates and times recorded in the app.

What that means for you: Neither parent can go back and rewrite the conversation or quietly remove a sent message. When you export a report, it reflects the CommonGround record as it existed when the report was created.

Privacy

We don’t sell your personal information, share it with advertisers or use your family’s information to target you with advertising. Your family’s information is not our product.

We don’t use analytics or advertising trackers in the app, and this website doesn’t use tracking cookies.

What that means for you: The other parent only sees the information you choose to share with them. Professionals only see information you choose to give them access to, and your private space remains private to your account.

What you control

You choose what you share and what stays private. You decide whether to give a solicitor, mediator, CAFCASS officer or other professional access, and you can remove that access whenever you choose.

You can download records available through CommonGround and you can ask us to close your account and delete your personal information, subject to any information we are required to retain.

What that means for you: You stay in control of what you share, who you share it with and when professional access ends.

Your rights over your information

We handle your personal information in line with UK data protection law, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

You have rights over the information we hold about you. These include asking to see your personal information, correcting anything that is inaccurate, requesting a copy of your data, and asking us to restrict, stop or delete certain information where the law allows.

Our Privacy Policy explains these rights in more detail, how to make a request and how we will respond.

What that means for you: You can ask us what personal information we hold about you and how we use it, and you have legal rights over how that information is handled.

How we look after your information day to day

We only collect the information we need to provide and operate CommonGround.

We keep your information while your account is active and only for as long as necessary afterwards. Our Privacy Policy and data retention arrangements explain how long different types of information are kept.

We also use trusted service providers to help us operate CommonGround, such as hosting and infrastructure providers. Where they process personal information on our behalf, they are required to protect it appropriately and only use it for the services they provide to us.

What that means for you: We don’t keep your personal information indefinitely. When your account closes, your information is handled in line with our retention and deletion rules.

Keeping children safe

CommonGround is designed for adults to use when co-parenting. Children do not have CommonGround accounts or direct access to the app.

We do not routinely monitor accounts or review private conversations, and CommonGround is not designed to identify safeguarding concerns or monitor what is happening within a family.

If you are concerned about the safety or welfare of a child, contact the appropriate safeguarding service directly. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999. For other concerns, contact your local authority children’s services or the police.

If a safeguarding concern is raised directly with CommonGround, we will respond in line with our safeguarding procedures and any legal obligations we have.

Our Getting help page lists organisations that can help, and our Privacy Policy explains how we handle information about children.

What that means for you: CommonGround can help parents communicate and stay organised, but it is not a safeguarding or emergency service. If you believe a child may be at risk, contact the appropriate authorities directly.

How CommonGround should be used

CommonGround is designed to support co-parenting, not to monitor or control the other parent.

It does not track anyone’s location or show when the other parent was last active. Once something has been shared, neither parent can edit or delete it.

We do not take sides in disagreements between parents. We will not alter a record for one parent or remove a message simply because the other parent disagrees with what was written.

CommonGround must not be used to harass, threaten, intimidate or repeatedly contact another person in a way that breaches our terms. Where misuse is reported, we may investigate and take appropriate action, including restricting or closing an account where necessary.

What that means for you: CommonGround provides the same tools and protections to both parents. It is designed to keep co-parenting clear and organised, not to give either parent control over the other.

A UK company, under UK law

CommonGround is built and run in the UK. Your information is stored on servers in London and handled in accordance with UK data protection law.

We comply with the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the rules that apply to cookies and electronic communications. We also take our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 seriously and aim to make CommonGround accessible to as many people as possible.

If anything in the app or on this website is hard for you to use, tell us at support@commongroundparenting.co.uk and we’ll help.

What that means for you: You’re dealing with a UK company operating under UK law. If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, you also have the right to raise them with the UK’s data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Spotted a security issue?

If you believe you’ve found a security vulnerability in CommonGround, please email security@commongroundparenting.co.uk with as much detail as you can.

We’ll acknowledge your report within 2 working days and investigate it as quickly as possible.

Please give us a reasonable opportunity to investigate and fix the issue before sharing details publicly.

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