Privacy Policy

Version 2.0 • Effective Date: September 16, 2026

TripTether is a family logistics and carpool coordination service. We collect information needed to create accounts, organize carpools and family activities, communicate with users, and protect the Service. Information you place in a shared carpool may be visible to the families participating in that carpool. TripTether does not sell personal information and, as currently operated, does not use personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

1. Who We Are and Scope

TripTether (“TripTether,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is owned and operated by Malinda Walters, an individual, doing business as TripTether. As currently offered, TripTether provides a website and application that help families coordinate carpools, including claiming driving days, maintaining a shared family roster, and keeping addresses and contact information on hand for pickup and drop-off. As the Service expands, TripTether may add support for additional activities, such as school trips, camping trips, scouting activities, sports activities, and related family logistics (collectively, and as they become available, the “Service”).

This Privacy Policy explains the categories of information we collect, the sources of that information, how we use it, when we disclose it, how we protect and retain it, and the choices and privacy rights available to users. It applies to information collected through the Service and through communications with TripTether relating to the Service.

This Policy should be read together with the TripTether Terms of Service and any separate notices presented when information is collected. Where applicable law gives you additional privacy rights, those rights are not limited by this Policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

Account information: name, email address, login credentials, and other information needed to create and manage an account.

Family and roster information: names and relationships of family members or Riders you add to your account, including children.

Contact information: phone numbers, email addresses, and other contact details you choose to provide.

Location and address information: home addresses and pickup or drop-off addresses used to coordinate carpools and family activities.

Scheduling and activity information: driving days, pickup and drop-off details, and, as the Service expands, additional information such as carpool groups, events, destinations, trip details, and participation information.

Driver-related information: information you choose or are required to provide about driving availability, and, if a future feature requests it, vehicle capacity or similar details used to coordinate a carpool. TripTether does not currently represent that it independently verifies a driver's license, driving history, insurance, vehicle condition, or identity unless a specific feature expressly says otherwise.

Safety and emergency information: as currently offered, the Service does not include a dedicated field for this information. If a future feature requests it, this category would cover information you voluntarily provide about a Rider, such as allergies, emergency contacts, or other safety-related information. We encourage users to provide only information reasonably necessary for the intended activity.

Communications: messages, support requests, reports, feedback, and other communications you send to TripTether.

Payment information: if paid features are introduced, payment and billing information may be collected by TripTether or a payment processor. TripTether will not claim to store payment-card information unless our actual payment architecture does so.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Service, we may automatically collect technical and usage information, such as IP address, browser type, operating system, device type, app version, access times, pages or screens viewed, referring or exit pages, and basic diagnostic information.

2.3 Cookies and Similar Technologies

TripTether may use cookies, local storage, SDKs, pixels, or similar technologies that are necessary to operate the Service, keep users signed in, remember preferences, maintain security, and understand aggregate Service usage. If we introduce non-essential analytics, advertising, or similar tracking technologies, we will provide any disclosures and choices required by applicable law.

2.4 Information From Other Sources

We may receive information from other users when they invite you to a carpool, add you to an event, or communicate with you through the Service. We may also receive information from service providers that support the Service. We will describe additional sources at or before collection when required by applicable law.

3. How We Use Information

We may use personal information for the following business and operational purposes:

Create, authenticate, maintain, and secure user accounts.

Provide and operate carpool, trip, scheduling, roster, messaging, and family-logistics features.

Display information to other users participating in the same carpool, group, event, or activity when necessary for the requested coordination.

Send invitations, reminders, confirmations, service messages, and safety-related notices.

Provide customer support and respond to questions, complaints, and safety reports.

Maintain, troubleshoot, test, monitor, and improve the security, reliability, and functionality of the Service.

Prevent fraud, abuse, unauthorized access, and violations of our Terms of Service.

Analyze aggregated or deidentified usage trends to understand and improve the Service.

Comply with legal obligations, respond to lawful requests, and protect the rights, safety, and property of TripTether, users, and others.

Complete or support a business transaction, such as a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar transaction.

Carry out another purpose disclosed to you at the time information is collected or otherwise permitted by applicable law.

4. How Information Is Shared

TripTether does not sell personal information. As currently operated, TripTether also does not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. We may disclose information in the following circumstances:

4.1 Other Users in Your Carpool or Group

The core purpose of TripTether is coordination. Information that you place into a shared carpool, group, or event may be visible to the other participating users. Depending on the feature, this may include a user's name, Rider's name, pickup or drop-off address, schedule, driving day, phone number, or other information intentionally shared for coordination. You should not enter information into a shared group that you do not want participating families to see.

4.2 Service Providers

We may disclose personal information to vendors and service providers that help us host, store, secure, analyze, communicate through, or otherwise operate the Service. These providers may include cloud hosting, database, authentication, email/SMS, customer-support, analytics, security, payment, and similar providers. We seek to limit provider access to information reasonably necessary for their services and, where appropriate, require contractual privacy and security protections.

4.3 Legal and Safety Disclosures

We may disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law, legal process, subpoena, court order, or governmental request; enforce our agreements; investigate fraud or misuse; or protect the rights, property, or safety of TripTether, our users, children, or the public.

4.4 Business Transfers

Personal information may be transferred as part of a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, sale of assets, or other business transaction involving all or part of TripTether.

4.5 With Your Direction or Consent

We may disclose information when you direct us to do so, when you request a feature that requires the disclosure, or when you otherwise provide consent where consent is required.

5. Family and Child Information

TripTether is designed for adults to coordinate activities involving families and children. Adults create and control accounts. Parents or legal guardians may add information about their children or other Riders to their account for purposes such as scheduling and carpool coordination.

TripTether does not knowingly permit children under 13 to create independent accounts. A child’s information may nevertheless appear in the Service when a parent or legal guardian enters it into a parent-controlled account. Parents and guardians are responsible for ensuring that information they provide about a child is accurate, appropriate, and shared only as necessary.

If TripTether has actual knowledge that it has collected personal information directly from a child under 13 in circumstances requiring parental consent under applicable law, TripTether will take reasonable steps required by law, which may include obtaining verifiable parental consent or deleting the information. Parents or guardians may contact us regarding their child’s information.

Because the Service is used to coordinate real-world activities involving children, users should avoid entering unnecessary sensitive information. In particular, do not use TripTether as a repository for medical records or detailed health histories unless a feature expressly requests such information and the applicable notice permits it.

6. Sensitive Information

Some information used in family coordination can be sensitive, including precise addresses, information about children, health or allergy information, emergency contacts, and information about schedules or destinations. We use such information only for the purposes described in this Policy or as otherwise permitted by law.

Where applicable law treats certain information as “sensitive personal information,” “sensitive personal data,” or a similar protected category, TripTether will provide the rights and limitations required by that law.

7. Data Security

TripTether uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. Depending on the system component, safeguards may include access controls, authentication, encryption in transit or at rest where supported, logging, monitoring, backups, and vendor security controls.

Security practices change as the Service evolves. We do not represent that any particular technical control exists unless it is actually implemented and documented. No method of transmission, storage, or electronic security is completely secure, and TripTether cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the Service, maintain account and business records, fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, prevent fraud and abuse, and protect the Service and its users.

Retention periods may vary by information type and purpose. When information is no longer reasonably needed, we may delete, aggregate, or deidentify it, subject to technical limitations and lawful retention requirements.

Deleting an account does not necessarily cause immediate deletion of every copy of information. For example, we may retain information needed for legal compliance, security, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, backups, or other legitimate purposes permitted by law.

9. Your Privacy Choices and Rights

Depending on where you live and whether a particular privacy law applies to TripTether, you may have rights regarding your personal information. These may include rights to:

Know or access the categories and specific pieces of personal information we maintain about you, subject to applicable exceptions.

Correct inaccurate personal information.

Delete personal information, subject to applicable exceptions.

Obtain information about the categories of sources, purposes, and third parties associated with our processing.

Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information where applicable. TripTether does not currently sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Limit certain uses or disclosures of sensitive personal information where applicable.

Receive equal service and pricing regardless of exercising privacy rights, subject to applicable law.

Request portability of certain information where required by applicable law.

To exercise a privacy right, contact us at malindawalters@wildwoodroots.com. We may need to verify your identity before completing a request. Verification information will be used for the purpose of processing the request and protecting your account and personal information.

If you make a request through an authorized agent, we may require documentation permitted by applicable law to confirm the agent’s authority. If we deny a request, you may have a right to appeal or otherwise challenge the decision under applicable law; our response will explain any available process.

10. California Privacy Rights

TripTether is based in California and intends this Policy to provide California consumers with the disclosures required by applicable California privacy law. Whether a particular right applies depends on the law and on whether TripTether meets the applicable statutory requirements and exemptions.

California privacy laws may provide rights to know/access, delete, correct, opt out of sale or sharing, limit certain uses of sensitive personal information, and receive non-discriminatory treatment for exercising rights. TripTether does not currently sell personal information or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

California consumers may submit requests using malindawalters@wildwoodroots.com. We will process verified requests within the time periods required by applicable law. We may request information reasonably necessary to verify the request and protect against fraudulent requests.

If TripTether's practices change so that a California opt-out right becomes applicable—for example, if TripTether introduces targeted advertising or another form of sale or sharing—we will update this Policy and provide any required opt-out mechanism or notice.

11. Notice at Collection

Where required by applicable California law, TripTether will provide a notice at or before the point of collection that identifies the categories of personal information collected and the purposes for which those categories are used. This Privacy Policy is not intended to replace a separate notice at collection when a separate notice is required.

12. Third-Party Services and Links

The Service may use third-party technology providers or may contain links or integrations to services operated by others. Those third parties may collect or process information under their own privacy policies. TripTether is not responsible for the privacy practices of third parties that operate independently of TripTether.

Before enabling a new third-party integration, TripTether should review whether the integration changes what information is collected, shared, or transferred and update this Policy and any required notices before the changed practice begins.

13. Analytics and Advertising

TripTether currently does not display third-party advertising. We may use limited analytics or diagnostic tools to understand Service performance and usage, provided those tools are configured consistently with this Policy and applicable law.

If TripTether introduces advertising, behavioral advertising, advertising cookies, pixels, or similar technologies, we will update this Policy to describe the categories of information involved, the relevant third parties, and the choices available to users. We will also implement legally required opt-out or consent mechanisms.

14. International Data Transfers

TripTether is operated from the United States. If information is processed outside the country in which you live, it may be transferred to the United States or another jurisdiction where TripTether or its service providers operate. Those jurisdictions may have privacy laws different from those in your home jurisdiction. Where applicable law requires specific safeguards for international transfers, TripTether will use the mechanisms required by that law.

15. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

Browsers and devices may offer signals such as “Do Not Track.” Because there is no single industry-standard response to all such signals, TripTether will describe how it responds to applicable privacy preference signals in this Policy when required by law.

If TripTether is subject to a law requiring recognition of a Global Privacy Control (GPC) or another legally recognized opt-out preference signal, TripTether will honor that signal in the manner and for the purposes required by law.

16. Communications

We may send service-related communications, including account notices, invitations, reminders, security alerts, support responses, and changes to the Service or our policies. These communications are necessary to operate the Service and generally cannot be opted out of while maintaining an account. If we later send optional marketing communications, we will provide an appropriate unsubscribe mechanism where required by law.

17. User-Provided Information and Accuracy

You are responsible for the accuracy of information you enter into TripTether, including names, addresses, schedules, and information about Riders. You should update information when it changes. TripTether does not independently verify all information entered by users and cannot guarantee that information supplied by another user is accurate or current.

18. Account Security and Privacy

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for activity occurring through your account, except to the extent caused by TripTether’s own failure to use reasonable security measures. Notify us promptly if you believe your account or personal information has been accessed without authorization.

19. Privacy and Carpool Visibility

TripTether is fundamentally a coordination service. When you join or create a carpool or group, some information must be shared with participating users for the coordination to work. For example, a participating parent may need to see a Rider's name, pickup location, drop-off location, schedule, or driving assignment. You should understand this visibility before placing information into a shared group.

TripTether does not control what another participating user does with information they legitimately receive through a carpool or group. Users must use other families' information only for legitimate coordination and must not misuse, publish, sell, or distribute it outside the purposes for which it was shared, except as permitted by law.

20. Emergency and Safety Information

TripTether may permit a parent or guardian to enter limited safety or emergency information about a Rider. Such information is intended to support the parent's chosen family activity or transportation arrangement and is not a substitute for medical records, professional medical advice, or emergency services.

If TripTether does not need detailed medical information to provide a feature, users should not enter it. If a future feature requires collection of additional health or other sensitive information, TripTether should provide a feature-specific notice and obtain any consent required by law before collection.

21. Data Breach and Security Incidents

If TripTether determines that a security incident has occurred, we will investigate, take reasonable steps to contain and remediate the incident, and provide notifications required by applicable federal, state, or other law. The timing and content of any notice will depend on the nature of the incident and applicable legal requirements.

22. Business Records and Deidentified Information

TripTether may create aggregated or deidentified information from information collected through the Service, provided the information is processed in a manner permitted by applicable law. We may use such information to understand usage, improve the Service, measure performance, and conduct internal analysis. We will not attempt to reidentify deidentified information except as permitted by law.

23. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as our Service, data practices, technology, or legal obligations change. We will update the Effective Date when the Policy changes. For material changes, we will provide additional notice when required or appropriate, such as by posting a prominent notice in the Service or sending an email or other notice to affected users.

If a material change requires affirmative consent under applicable law, TripTether will obtain that consent before applying the changed practice where required.

24. Contact Us

Privacy questions, requests, and concerns may be submitted to:

TripTetherMalinda Walters, an individual, doing business as TripTetherEmail: malindawalters@wildwoodroots.comWebsite: triptether.app