FirstHand
Legal · Last updated November 1, 2026

Privacy Policy

The short version
  • We collect only what FirstHand needs: your email, name, trade, zip code, and what you do on FirstHand.
  • Shops you meet at events see your first name and last initial; the shop you work for sees your full name. Your email and exact address are never shown.
  • We locate you by zip code only. We never track your exact location.
  • We don’t sell your information and we don’t run ads.
  • You can ask us for a copy of your data or to delete it at any time.

This policy explains what information FirstHand (“FirstHand,” “we,” “us”) collects, how we use it, and the choices you have. It covers the FirstHand website and app.

1. What we collect

Things you give us:

  • Account: your email address (used to sign in with a one-time code; there are no passwords).
  • Profile: first name, last name if you add it, trade, zip code, your usual hours per day, and a profile photo if you add one.
  • Hours: the days and hours you log, and photos, PDFs or spreadsheets you upload to import old logbooks.
  • Events: your RSVPs, cancellations and check-ins.
  • Shops: shop name, trade, town, the address where events happen, event details, a shop photo if you add one, the owner’s name (shown to apprentices as who runs the shop), and a photo of the master’s license if you submit one for the verified badge.

Things created as you use FirstHand:

  • Approvals of hours, shop answers after events (invite back, offer, not a fit and the reason), and attendance.
  • Basic technical information our hosting providers log to keep the Service running and secure, like IP address, browser type and error reports.

2. How we use it

  • To run FirstHand: sign you in, show events near your zip code, record and approve hours, and build your record.
  • To send you emails you need, like sign-in codes and event reminders.
  • To check shop licenses for the verified badge.
  • To read uploaded logbook pages into draft entries for you to check.
  • To keep FirstHand safe, prevent fraud and fake hours, and fix problems.
  • To understand how FirstHand is used in general so we can improve it.

3. Who sees what

  • Shops you RSVP to see your first name and last initial, trade, photo and attendance.
  • Shops you join also see your full name and the hours you log with them, for their payroll and records.
  • Invitations: FirstHand can invite you to events in your trade near your zip code. The shop only sees how many people were invited, not who, until you RSVP. Turn off “Invites from shops near me” on your Me page anytime.
  • Your record (approved hours, events attended, times invited back, show-up rate) is visible to shops you interact with, and to anyone you choose to share it with.
  • Public pages: event pages and shop pages, including the shop’s name, town and event address, can be viewed by anyone with the link.
  • Never shown to other users: your email address, and an apprentice’s home address (we never ask for it).

4. Service providers

We use a small number of companies to run FirstHand. They only process information to provide their service to us:

  • Convex: database, file storage and backend hosting.
  • Our website host, for serving the site.
  • Resend: sending sign-in codes and other emails.
  • Anthropic: reading uploaded logbook pages to create draft hour entries. Only the pages you upload are sent.
  • A payment processor (such as Stripe) for shop plans, once billing is live. We never see full card numbers.
  • OpenStreetMap-based map and location services, if maps are shown. These receive shop addresses or zip codes, not your identity.

We don’t sell or rent personal information, and we don’t share it with advertisers. We may share information if the law requires it, to protect someone’s safety, or as part of a merger or sale of FirstHand, in which case this policy will keep applying to your information.

5. Cookies and storage

We use a cookie to keep you signed in, and your browser’s storage to remember small preferences like light or dark mode. We don’t use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

6. How long we keep it

We keep your information while your account is open. If you delete your account, we delete your profile and uploads within 30 days, except where we must keep something for legal, security or billing reasons. Hours you logged with a shop may stay in that shop’s records, since they are part of its business records.

7. Your choices

  • Update your profile at any time in the app.
  • Ask for a copy of your information, a correction, or deletion of your account by emailing kphillips3753@gmail.com.
  • Unsubscribe from non-essential emails using the link in them. Sign-in codes can’t be turned off, since they are how you sign in.

8. Young people

You must be at least 18 to use FirstHand. FirstHand is not meant for anyone younger, and we don’t knowingly collect their information. If you believe someone under 18 has signed up, email us and we will delete the account.

9. Security

We use encryption in transit, access controls and trusted hosting providers to protect your information. No system is perfectly secure, so if we learn of a breach that affects you, we will tell you as the law requires.

10. Changes

If we change this policy in a significant way, we will tell you by email or in the app before the change takes effect.

11. Contact

Privacy questions or requests: kphillips3753@gmail.com.