Terms & Conditions

Ancestorii is a digital platform designed to help individuals and families preserve memories, life stories, photographs, voice recordings, and personal histories for long-term safekeeping. The Service is built around two distinct layers:

Our Stories is the public layer. It is a shared space where users publish family memories that anyone on the platform can read, like, comment on, and share. Our Stories is designed exclusively for genuine family memories. Religious content, political content, hate speech, harassment, spam, self-promotion, and commercial content are not permitted.

My Family is the private layer. It is a closed, invite-only space where families build a living library of timelines, albums, stories, voice recordings, and family member profiles. Content inside My Family is visible only to invited family members and is never surfaced publicly, searchable by other users, or included in any discovery or recommendation features.

My Heirlooms is the physical product layer within My Family. It allows users to create and order printed Memory Books, Canvas Prints, and Acrylic Prints from the content stored in their private family library.

Ancestorii is a memory-preservation and storytelling service. It is not a legal, financial, genealogical research, or estate-planning service.

You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. If you are under 18, you confirm that you have the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Ancestorii reserves the right to request verification of age or parental consent at any time and to suspend accounts where eligibility cannot be confirmed.

You may register using an email address and password or through a supported third-party authentication provider such as Google. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.

You agree to provide accurate, current information during registration and to update it as necessary. If you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account, you must notify us immediately at support@ancestorii.com.

Ancestorii may validate email addresses at the point of registration using third-party verification services to reduce fraud and ensure deliverability of important communications.

Our Stories is a public space where users may publish family memories for other Ancestorii users to read. By publishing a story to Our Stories, you acknowledge that the content will be publicly visible to all users of the platform.

Interactions. Users may like, comment on, and share stories published to Our Stories. All interactions must be respectful and genuine. Comments that contain harassment, abuse, hate speech, spam, self-promotion, or content unrelated to the story may be removed without notice.

No algorithms. Stories on Our Stories are displayed in chronological order. There is no engagement-based ranking, algorithmic boosting, or suppression of content. Every published story receives the same treatment.

No follower counts. Our Stories does not include follower counts, audience metrics, vanity numbers, or any mechanism designed to encourage competition between users.

Content restrictions. Our Stories exists exclusively for genuine family memories. The following content is prohibited on the public feed: religious content of any kind; political content of any kind; hate speech, harassment, or discriminatory language; spam, self-promotion, or commercial content; and any content that is not a genuine family memory. This list is not exhaustive. Ancestorii reserves the right to remove any content from the public feed that it determines, in its sole discretion, does not meet the spirit or standards of the platform.

Content review. Every story published to Our Stories is reviewed before it appears on the public feed. Stories that do not meet our community standards will not be published and the author will be notified.

Reporting. Users may report stories or comments that they believe violate these Terms or our community standards. Reports are reviewed by Ancestorii and action is taken where appropriate.

You choose what is public. Publishing to Our Stories is entirely voluntary. No content from your private family library (My Family) is ever published to Our Stories without your explicit action. You may remove a published story from Our Stories at any time.

Ancestorii enforces a three-strike policy for violations of community standards on the Our Stories public feed. This policy exists to protect the integrity of the shared space and ensure it remains dedicated to genuine family memories.

First violation: The story is removed from the public feed and the author receives a warning email explaining which standard was violated and why the content was removed.

Second violation: The story is removed, a final warning is issued, and the author is suspended from publishing to Our Stories for a period of seven days. During the suspension, the author may not publish new stories, comment on other stories, or interact with the public feed.

Third violation: The author is permanently banned from Our Stories. They may no longer publish, comment, like, share, or otherwise interact with the public feed.

Private library unaffected. Strikes and bans under this policy apply exclusively to the Our Stories public feed. A user's private family library (My Family) is never affected by public feed enforcement actions. Access to My Family, including all timelines, albums, stories, voice recordings, and physical product ordering, remains fully intact regardless of the user's standing on the public feed.

Ancestorii reserves the right to bypass the graduated strike system and take immediate action, including permanent removal from Our Stories, in cases of severe violations including but not limited to hate speech, threats, harassment, or content that endangers the safety of others.

My Family is the private layer of Ancestorii. It is a closed space accessible only to the account holder and family members they have explicitly invited.

What My Family includes. The private library includes the following features: timelines for structuring a life chronologically; albums for grouping memories by theme, event, or chapter; written stories and reflections; voice recordings; family member profiles; and the ability to order physical products through My Heirlooms.

Privacy guarantee. Content stored within My Family is never displayed on the Our Stories public feed, included in search results, surfaced in recommendations, or made accessible to any user outside the family space. There are no discovery features, suggested families features, or any mechanism by which a non-member could view, browse, or access private family content.

Capsules. Ancestorii may in the future introduce time capsules ("Capsules") within My Family. Capsules allow users to seal a memory and set a future date on which it will be opened. Once sealed, the content of a capsule is not accessible until the specified date. Terms governing capsules will be updated when the feature is released.

Ancestorii allows account holders to create a family space and invite other users to join as family members. Invitations are sent via email and expire after seven days.

Family spaces have three roles: Owner, Admin, and Member. The Owner has full control over the family space, including the ability to invite and remove members, rename the family, and manage content. Admins may invite new members. Members may view and contribute content within the shared family library.

Content uploaded by any family member is visible to all members of that family space. Only the original creator of a piece of content may delete it. By inviting someone to your family space, you acknowledge that they will have access to all content within it.

Ancestorii is not responsible for disputes between family members regarding shared content or access.

You retain full ownership of all content you upload to Ancestorii, including photographs, text, voice recordings, and other media. Ancestorii does not claim any ownership rights over your content.

By uploading content, you grant Ancestorii a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide licence to store, process, display, reproduce, and transmit that content solely for the purpose of providing and improving the Service. This includes generating print-ready files for physical product orders, displaying content to other members of your family space, and displaying content on the Our Stories public feed where you have chosen to publish it.

For content published to Our Stories, you additionally grant Ancestorii the right to display that content publicly on the platform, including any associated likes, comments, and shares. This licence for public content may be revoked at any time by removing the story from Our Stories.

You represent and warrant that you have the legal right to upload and share any content you submit, and that your content does not infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other rights of any third party.

You agree not to upload content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise objectionable.

Ancestorii offers an optional AI-assisted writing feature ("Story Assistance") designed to help you find words to describe memories, write captions, and craft introductory text for your content. This feature can be enabled or disabled in your account settings at any time.

Story Assistance generates suggestions based on the names, dates, and context you provide. All AI-generated text is offered as a starting point for your own editing and is not a substitute for your personal voice. You are solely responsible for reviewing, editing, and approving any AI-generated content before it is saved, published to Our Stories, or included in a physical product.

Ancestorii does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of AI-generated suggestions. The AI writing feature is powered by third-party language model technology. Your content inputs to this feature are processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Ancestorii offers subscription plans with varying features and storage limits. Subscriptions are billed in advance on a recurring basis at the interval specified at the time of purchase.

You may cancel your subscription at any time. Upon cancellation, you will retain access to your plan's features until the end of the current billing period, after which your account will revert to the free tier. Content already stored will remain accessible subject to free-tier storage limits. Your ability to view your private family library is not removed upon cancellation or downgrade. You retain read access to all content you have created.

Ancestorii reserves the right to change subscription pricing or features with reasonable notice. Any price change will take effect at your next billing cycle following the notice period.

Subscription payments are processed securely through Stripe. Ancestorii does not store your full payment card details.

Ancestorii offers physical products through the My Heirlooms feature within My Family. Available products include Memory Books, Canvas Prints, and Acrylic Prints. These are one-time purchases, separate from any subscription plan.

Memory Books are printed, hardcover books designed by the user in a visual page editor. The user selects which stories, photos, and layouts to include and arranges every page of the book. Memory Books are available in three tiers with varying page counts and are printed at professional quality in A4 landscape format at 300 DPI.

Canvas Prints are museum-grade photographs printed on stretched canvas, intended for display.

Acrylic Prints are high-definition UV photographs printed behind polished acrylic glass with a contemporary finish.

When you place an order, a print-ready file is generated from your digital content and submitted to our third-party print-fulfilment partner for production and delivery. By placing an order, you authorise Ancestorii to share the necessary content and shipping details with our fulfilment partner for the sole purpose of completing your order.

All physical product prices are displayed inclusive of the product cost. Shipping costs and any applicable taxes are calculated at checkout. Prices are displayed in GBP, USD, or EUR depending on your detected location and may vary by currency. Delivery is free worldwide for all physical products.

Once a physical product order has been submitted to our fulfilment partner for production, it cannot be cancelled or modified. Printed products are made to order using your personal content and are therefore non-refundable unless they arrive damaged, defective, or materially different from what was ordered.

If you receive a damaged or defective product, please contact support@ancestorii.com within 14 days of delivery with photographs of the issue. We will arrange a replacement or refund at our discretion.

Delivery times are estimates and are not guaranteed. Ancestorii is not liable for delays caused by our fulfilment partner, postal services, customs processing, or other circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

All payments are processed through Stripe. By making a purchase, you agree to Stripe's terms of service in addition to these Terms.

Subscription refunds are not provided for partial billing periods. If you believe you have been charged in error, please contact support@ancestorii.com and we will investigate promptly.

Physical product refunds are handled in accordance with Section 11 above. Refunds for damaged or defective products will be issued to the original payment method.

Your privacy is central to Ancestorii. We collect and process personal data only as necessary to provide the Service. Personal data is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.

By using the Service, you acknowledge that certain data may be processed by third-party service providers (including authentication, email delivery, payment processing, email validation, content review, and print fulfilment) as described in our Privacy Policy.

Content within My Family is treated as private data and is never shared with third parties except as required for the fulfilment of physical product orders or as required by law.

You agree not to use Ancestorii to:

Upload, store, or distribute content that is illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, obscene, or discriminatory; impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity; attempt to gain unauthorised access to other users' accounts, family spaces, or data; use the platform for commercial purposes unrelated to its intended use as a personal memory-preservation tool; interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Service; use automated tools, bots, or scrapers to access or extract data from the platform; circumvent any security features or usage limits; manipulate the Our Stories public feed through fake accounts, coordinated activity, or artificial engagement; or use comments, likes, or shares on Our Stories for the purpose of harassment, spam, or promotion.

Ancestorii reserves the right to remove content and suspend or terminate accounts that violate these acceptable use provisions without prior notice.

The Ancestorii name, logo, brand identity, website design, and all associated visual elements, software, and documentation are the intellectual property of Ancestorii Ltd and are protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from any part of the Ancestorii platform or brand without prior written consent.

We strive to keep Ancestorii available at all times, but uninterrupted or error-free access cannot be guaranteed. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to scheduled maintenance, updates, security patches, or circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

Ancestorii reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time. Where a significant change affects your stored content or active subscription, we will provide reasonable notice and, where applicable, the opportunity to export your data.

You may delete your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting support@ancestorii.com. Upon deletion, your personal data and uploaded content will be permanently removed in accordance with our data-retention practices outlined in the Privacy Policy. Content within a shared family space that was uploaded by you will also be removed. Stories published to Our Stories will be removed from the public feed upon account deletion.

Ancestorii reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, applicable laws, or our acceptable-use provisions. Where possible, we will provide notice before termination unless immediate action is required to protect the Service or other users.

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Ancestorii does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or free from errors, viruses, or other harmful components. Ancestorii does not warrant the accuracy or reliability of any AI-generated content. Ancestorii does not warrant that content review processes will identify all prohibited content prior to publication. You use the Service at your own risk.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Ancestorii Ltd, its directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of profits, or emotional distress, arising from or in connection with your use of or inability to use the Service.

In no event shall Ancestorii's total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising from or related to the Service exceed the total amount you have paid to Ancestorii in the twelve months preceding the claim, or £100, whichever is greater.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Ancestorii Ltd and its directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from or related to your use of the Service, your content, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of a third party.

Ancestorii integrates with third-party services for authentication, payment processing, email delivery, email validation, content review, print fulfilment, and AI language processing. Your use of the Service may be subject to the terms and privacy policies of these third-party providers.

Ancestorii is not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or practices of any third-party service. Links to external websites or services do not constitute endorsement.

By creating an account, you consent to receive transactional and service-related emails from Ancestorii, including welcome messages, onboarding guidance, order confirmations, family invitation notifications, community standards notifications, strike warnings, and account security alerts. These communications are necessary for the operation of the Service and are not marketing.

We may also send occasional product updates or feature announcements. You may opt out of non-essential communications at any time.

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute arising from or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Ancestorii may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes to the Service, legal requirements, or business practices. When we make material changes, we will notify you via email or through a prominent notice on the platform.

Continued use of Ancestorii after such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree with the revised Terms, you should discontinue use of the Service and delete your account.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding these Terms & Conditions, please contact us at support@ancestorii.com.