The short version
We collect only what we need to make Hope & Wonder work. We do not sell your data. We do not share it with advertisers. We do not use it to build a commercial profile of you. Your stories, your profile, and your personal information belong to you — we are simply the platform that helps them travel.
Who we are
Hope & Wonder is an initiative of Panahpur, a registered charity (number 1130367) based in the United Kingdom. When this policy refers to "we", "us", or "Hope & Wonder" it means Panahpur operating the Hope & Wonder platform at hopeandwonder.space.
If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, write to us at info@hopeandwonder.space.
What information we collect
When you create an account
- Your name
- Your email address
- Your password (stored securely and never visible to us)
- A profile photo if you choose to add one
- Any additional profile information you choose to add such as your location, organisation, or bio
When you share a hope or wonder
- The content of your story — spoken audio, transcribed text, or written text
- The title you give it
- Any links you include
- The date and time of sharing
When you use the platform
- Basic usage data such as which pages you visit and how you navigate the site
- Your device type and browser
- Your approximate location based on IP address — we use this only to understand which regions our community comes from, never to identify you individually
When you contact us
- Your name and email address and the content of your message
What we do not collect
We do not collect payment information — we use trusted third-party payment processors for any donations and never see your card details.
We do not collect data about your behaviour on other websites.
We do not build advertising profiles.
We do not collect data about your political views, religious beliefs, or any other sensitive personal characteristics — though you may choose to share these in your stories, in which case they are yours to share and ours to protect.
How we use your information
We use the information we collect for five purposes only:
To run the platform
Creating and managing your account, displaying your profile and stories, and enabling network pages to function.
To improve the platform
Understanding how people use Hope & Wonder so we can make it better. This analysis is based on anonymised and aggregated data wherever possible.
To communicate with you
Sending you notifications about your account, responses to your messages, and occasional updates about the platform. You can unsubscribe from non-essential communications at any time.
To keep the platform safe
Reviewing flagged content, investigating potential violations of our community guidelines, and protecting the integrity of the space.
To comply with the law
We will share information with authorities if required to do so by law, but we will always tell you if this happens unless we are legally prevented from doing so.
We do not use your information for any other purpose. We do not sell it, trade it, or share it with third parties for commercial purposes.
Your stories and your profile
Your Hope & Wonder profile and the stories on it are yours. By sharing them on the platform you give us permission to display them on your profile, on any network page you are part of, and in the hopes and wonders feed. You can delete any story or your entire account at any time and your content will be removed from the platform.
If you share a story publicly it may be seen by anyone who visits Hope & Wonder. If you share within a specific network page it will be visible to other members of that network. Please share only what you are comfortable with others seeing.
Audio and transcription
If you choose to record a spoken story, your audio is transcribed to text. We use privacy-respecting transcription infrastructure hosted on European servers. Your audio is processed to create the transcript and is not stored permanently. The transcript becomes the story on your profile.
Who we share your data with
We share your data only with the services we need to run the platform:
Hosting and infrastructure
Our platform is hosted on European servers. Your data does not leave Europe.
Transcription
Audio stories are processed by our transcription service. Audio is not retained after transcription.
Payment processing
If you make a donation, payment is processed by a trusted third-party provider. We never see your payment details.
We use a trusted email service provider to send account notifications and updates.
We require all third-party services we work with to handle your data securely and in accordance with applicable data protection law. We do not allow them to use your data for their own purposes.
We do not share your data with social media platforms, advertising networks, data brokers, or any other commercial third parties.
How long we keep your data
We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account we will remove your personal data within 30 days. Some information may be retained for longer where required by law or for legitimate operational purposes such as financial records — but only for as long as necessary.
Anonymised and aggregated analytics data may be retained indefinitely as it cannot be used to identify you.
Your rights
Under UK and European data protection law you have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Correction — ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Deletion — ask us to delete your personal data. You can also do this yourself by deleting your account.
- Portability — request your data in a format you can take elsewhere.
- Objection — object to certain uses of your data.
- Restriction — ask us to limit how we use your data while a concern is being resolved.
To exercise any of these rights write to us at info@hopeandwonder.space. We will respond within 30 days.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Young people and educational use
Hope & Wonder is intended for individual users aged 16 and over. However we actively welcome the use of Hope & Wonder Hacks in schools, colleges, and other educational settings for young people of all ages, where a teacher, facilitator, or responsible adult oversees the activity. In these contexts the educational organisation takes responsibility for the appropriate safeguarding framework. If you are an educator interested in bringing Hope & Wonder into your school or college please get in touch at info@hopeandwonder.space and we will work with you to make it happen safely and well.
Security
We take the security of your data seriously. We use industry-standard encryption for data in transit and at rest, secure password storage, and regular security reviews. No system is completely secure but we are committed to protecting your information to the best of our ability.
If we become aware of a data breach that affects your personal data we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law.
Changes to this policy
If we make significant changes to this privacy policy we will update this page, note the date at the top, and where appropriate notify you by email. We will not use your data in new ways without telling you first.
Contact
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data please write to us at:
Hope & Wonder c/o Panahpur, registered charity number 1130367, United Kingdom.