Privacy

DearSanta is the trading name under which this site operates. At DearSanta we take seriously the data you entrust to us, both yours and your family's. This page explains, in plain language, what information we collect, what we use it for, and what control you have over it.

What data we collect

In the secret santa draw: if you organise a group, we store your first and last name (optional) and your email. If you're invited to a group, we store your email, first name, last name, and any gift ideas you choose to leave as free text. If you exchange messages with the person you've been matched with, we store that text. If someone tries to recover a lost link, we store the email used and the date/time of the attempt (without an IP address).

In the letter to Santa: if you're a Helper (the adult who manages the letter), we store your first name, last name (optional) and email. The child never creates an account or enters anything directly; everything is written by the Helper on their behalf: the child's name, the year, optionally their age and "how they've behaved", and the text of the letter. We also store the description and link for each gift on the list, and if someone joins in to buy a gift, their email, name and an optional note.

What we use this data for

Solely to make the service work: sending invitations, notifying you when someone signs up, sending reminders, running the draw, delivering your result, showing the letter to whoever you've invited, and notifying you when someone claims a gift from the list. We don't use your data for anything beyond this.

Who it's shared with

We use a few providers to make the app work: Clerk (sign-in), Resend (email delivery), Neon (database) and Vercel (application hosting). These providers process data on our behalf and don't use it for their own purposes. Specifically, we have AI model training on your content turned off with the providers where that option exists.

We don't share your personal data with the stores we link to. When you see a suggested product, your browser simply accesses the store's public page, without us sending it any of your data.

Where your data is stored

The providers we use may process and store data outside New Zealand, as is common for services like this. If you have specific questions about this, write to us at admin@dearsanta.nz.

How long we keep your data

Today we keep data for as long as the account or group exists; we don't automatically delete it based on age. If you want us to delete your data, write to us at admin@dearsanta.nz and we'll handle it manually.

The emails we send you

By using DearSanta you'll receive the emails necessary for the service to work (invitations, reminders, draw results, notifications of claimed gifts). These don't require separate consent: they're part of using the app.

Further down the line we may also send you marketing communications or news about DearSanta. If that happens, you'll always be able to unsubscribe easily, and we'll only do so with your consent where the law requires it.

Cookies and analytics

DearSanta uses Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site (which pages get visited, how people arrive, and roughly where from), so we can improve it. This is for our own use only, not for advertising or building profiles of individual users, and it isn't linked to any Google Ads account. Google Analytics sets cookies in your browser to do this; you can block them from your browser's settings or with an ad blocker, and the site will keep working the same way either way.

Your rights

You can ask us for access to the data we hold about you, have it corrected if it's wrong, or request that we delete it, by writing to admin@dearsanta.nz. If you're not satisfied with how we handle your request, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of New Zealand.

Changes to this policy

If we change anything significant about how we handle your data, we'll reflect it on this page by updating the date shown above.

Contact

Questions about your privacy? Write to us at admin@dearsanta.nz.