Privacy Policy

Introduction: Our Commitment to Your Privacy
How We Share Your Information (The "We Don't Sell Your Data" Clause)
Data Anonymization and Aggregation: The Heart of Our Advocacy
Your Choices and Rights: You Are in Control
Data Security: Our Protective Shield
Data Anonymization and Aggregation: The Heart of Our Advocacy
Your Choices and Rights: You Are in Control
Data Security: Our Protective Shield
Cookies and Tracking Technologies: Enhancing Your Experience
Policy for Minors: A Protected Space
Changes to This Privacy Policy: Our Commitment to Transparency
Contact Us: Your Questions and Concerns Matter

Introduction: Our Commitment to Your Privacy

we recognize that mental health is a deeply personal and vulnerable aspect of human life. Trust is the foundation of our mission to map mental health resources and advocate for better care. We know that you are sharing not just data, but often glimpses of your personal journey when you interact with our platform.

Therefore, we hold your privacy in the highest regard. We are unwaveringly committed to protecting the confidentiality and security of any information you entrust to us. This Privacy Policy is designed to be transparent and clear, outlining precisely how we collect, use, and, most importantly, safeguard your data when you visit our website ("the Site") and use our mental health mapping and advocacy tools ("the Services").

Our core privacy principle is simple: Your story is yours. Our map is built from your contributions, but your personal data always remains under your control. We use aggregated and anonymized insights to drive our advocacy, never your individual, identifiable information.

(Key Terms - Defined for Clarity)

To ensure we have a clear and common understanding, here are definitions of some key terms used throughout this policy:

"Personal Data" or "Personally Identifiable Information (PII)" refers to any information that can be used on its own or with other data to identify, contact, or locate a single person. This includes, but is not limited to, your name, email address, and IP address. Crucially, in the context of mental health, it also includes any specific details about your personal health status, treatments, or experiences that could be linked back to you.
"Anonymous Data" is information that is not tied to any individual. It is created by removing all personally identifiable elements from data sets so that the original source cannot be recognized. For example, a data point stating that "a user in Boston rated a specific counselor 5 stars" is personal data. The insight that "75% of all ratings for counselors in Boston are 4 stars or higher" is Anonymous Data. This is the primary data we use for our advocacy work.
"The Site" refers to the MindTheMap website, accessible at www.mindthemap.or.ke.
"The Services" refers to all the functionalities we provide, including but not limited to:
- The interactive mental health resource map.
- The ability to submit, review, and rate resources.
- The educational content and articles we publish.
- Our advocacy initiatives and related communication.
"User" or "You" means any individual who visits our Site or uses our Services.
"We," "Us," or "Our" refers to MindTheMap and its operators.

How we use your information

What Information We Collect

The information we gather falls into two clear categories: what you consciously share with us, and what is collected automatically to ensure the Site functions properly and securely. We believe in transparency, so here is a detailed breakdown.

Information You Provide Voluntarily

This is the information you actively and knowingly provide when you choose to interact with our Services. Your control over this data is paramount.

Account Data: Should you choose to create an account to better manage your contributions, we collect the essential details required to establish and secure your personal profile. This typically includes your name, a valid email address, and a securely hashed password. This allows you to access your submission history and manage your privacy settings.
Map Submissions: This constitutes the vital, crowdsourced heart of MindTheMap. When you add a resource to our map, you are empowering our community. The data collected here is handled with the utmost care and is designed to be informative, not intrusive.
- - Location Data: You have control over the precision of location sharing. You may provide the specific address of a resource, just the city or town, or simply place an anonymous pin on the map at a chosen location.
  - Service Details: To make the map useful, we collect factual details about the resource: the type of service offered (e.g., psychologist, support group for anxiety, psychiatric emergency room), the name of the provider or organization, your numerical rating, and a written review of your experience.
  - Personal Experience (Sensitive Data): This is our most crucial boundary. We must state unequivocally: We never require, and we actively discourage, you from sharing detailed personal mental health stories, specific diagnoses, or any other intimately identifiable health information within a public review. The public map is for describing the service and environment, not your personal history. In the rare event that such deeply sensitive information is shared with us voluntarily—for instance, in a private feedback form—it will be treated with extreme sensitivity, governed by the strictest protocols outlined in this policy, and will not be made public.
Communication Data: When you reach out to us directly—whether to ask a question, seek support, or provide feedback—we collect the contents of your message and your contact information. This allows us to listen, respond, and assist you effectively.
Newsletter Sign-ups: If you explicitly opt-in to receive our newsletter or updates, we collect your email address to deliver that requested communication.

Information Collected Automatically

Like virtually all websites, we collect certain information automatically to understand how our Services are used and to ensure they operate correctly and safely for everyone.

Usage Data: We gather anonymized insights into how you navigate our Site—which pages you visit, how long you spend there, and what links you click. This is done through cookies and similar technologies. This data is not used to spy on you, but rather as a tool for us to see what’s working and what isn’t. It helps us answer questions like: Is the map easy to use? Which blog posts are most helpful? This information is vital for our continuous effort to improve your experience.
Device Data: For fundamental security and compatibility reasons, we automatically collect information about the device and browser you use to access our Site, such as your IP address, browser type, and operating system. This helps us protect the Site from malicious attacks, diagnose technical problems, and ensure our pages load correctly on your specific device.

b. How We Use Your Information

We use your information with intention and purpose, always aligning with our mission to improve mental health resources. Every use is grounded in a clear and justified reason.

To Provide and Improve Our Services: Your information is the engine of our map. We use your submitted details to populate and operate the interactive mapping tool. Your pins and reviews are displayed to help others, based on the privacy preference you select (e.g., anonymously or with a username). Furthermore, we analyze how all users interact with our Site to identify bugs, streamline navigation, and enhance overall functionality, ensuring Mind the MA remains a valuable and user-friendly resource.
To Create Anonymous, Aggregate Insights for Advocacy: This is where your contribution fuels systemic change. We meticulously combine, aggregate, and anonymize the data from all submissions, stripping away any and all personal identifiers. The result is a powerful, macro-level picture of the mental health landscape. We use this anonymous data to produce reports, identify gaps in care, highlight regional needs, and advocate for policy changes and better funding. For example, we may publish a finding that "access to youth counseling services in rural counties is significantly lower than the state average." This powerful statement is made possible by your contributions, but it is never, ever tied back to you as an individual.
To Communicate With You: We use your contact information to directly respond to the inquiries you initiate. We will also use it to send you vital, non-promotional administrative emails, such as important updates to this Privacy Policy or changes to our Terms of Service. If you have opted into our newsletter, we will use your email address to send you the updates you requested.
To Ensure Security: We use device and usage data to maintain the safety, security, and integrity of our Site. This includes monitoring for fraudulent activity, preventing cyber attacks, and protecting our services from illegal or malicious behaviour. This safeguards not only our operations but also the data of our entire community of users.

How We Share Your Information (The "We Don't Sell Your Data" Clause)

MindTheMap treats your data with the same confidentiality we would expect for our own. We are not in the business of trading or selling your personal information. Our mission is built on advocacy and support, not on data monetization. This section outlines the extremely limited circumstances under which information might be shared, always with the highest regard for your privacy.

Our Unwavering Principle: We Do Not Sell Your Data

This bears repeating in the clearest terms possible: MindTheMap will never sell, rent, trade, or otherwise commercialize your personal data or your personal mental health experiences. You will not find third-party advertisers or data brokers receiving the information you entrust to us. Your journey is not a commodity, and your trust is the foundation we are built upon.

Limited and Necessary Sharing

The operation of a secure and effective service does, on rare occasions, require us to work with trusted partners. In every single case, sharing is done with rigorous safeguards and only for the essential purposes outlined below:

With Your Explicit Consent: There may be specific, one-time situations where sharing your information could provide you with a direct benefit—for example, connecting you with a partner advocacy organization you're interested in. In any such case, we will always ask for your clear, explicit, and informed permission beforehand. We will explain exactly what data will be shared, with whom, and for what purpose. You will always have the right to say no without any detriment to your use of our services.
With Trusted Service Providers: To provide you with a seamless and professional experience, we engage specialized third-party companies that perform services on our behalf. These include:
- - Cloud Hosting Providers who securely store our data.
  - Email Service Providers who manage our communications.

These providers are legally bound by strict Data Processing Agreements. This means they are contractually forbidden from using your personal information for any purpose other than the specific service we have requested from them. They cannot retain, share, or use your data for their own independent goals, and they must protect it with the same level of security we do:

For Legal Reasons and Compliance: We may be compelled to disclose your information if we are required to do so by law. This would only occur in response to a valid legal process, such as a court order, subpoena, warrant, or other mandatory request from a governmental or regulatory authority. Even in these circumstances, we will always strive to ensure the request is lawful, and to the extent we are legally permitted, we will attempt to notify you of such a request.
To Protect Rights and Safety: We reserve the right to share information if we have a good-faith belief that it is necessary to:
- - Investigate, prevent, or take action regarding potential violations of our Terms of Service.
  - Address credible threats of fraud, security breaches, or other illegal activity.
  - Protect the rights, property, or personal safety of MindTheMap, our users, or the public.
    This is a measure of last resort, used only to uphold the security and integrity of our community for everyone.

Any sharing outside of MindTheMap is treated not as a routine action, but as a serious exception, governed by necessity, ethics, and the unwavering commitment to your privacy that defines our work.

Data Anonymization and Aggregation: The Heart of Our Advocacy

The digital map we are developing is a tool for the individual, a guide to find help. But the data behind it, when viewed as a whole, becomes something far greater: a powerful, irrefutable voice for systemic change. This transformative process is the core of our advocacy at MindTheMap, and it is built upon one non-negotiable ethical principle: the absolute protection of your individual privacy.

When you share your experience by rating a provider or dropping a pin on the map, you are contributing a vital piece to a larger mosaic. Alone, that piece is valuable; combined with hundreds of others, it reveals a clear and compelling picture of our mental health landscape that would otherwise remain invisible. Your personal story fuels this effort, but it is the collective pattern that holds the power to persuade policymakers, secure funding, and drive tangible improvements in our communities.

To harness this power responsibly, we employ a rigorous process of anonymization and aggregation. This means that before any data is ever used in our reports, presentations, or campaigns, we permanently and irrevocably sever it from you. We strip away all personally identifiable information (PII)—your name, email, IP address, and any other unique identifier. What remains are the raw, objective insights: the rating, the type of service, the general location, and the generalized feedback.

These anonymous data points are then combined, or aggregated, into a large, statistical dataset. In this form, it tells us about the community's experience, not any single person's journey. It allows us to make powerful, evidence-based statements like:

"Despite making up 20% of the population, rural regions account for only 5% of the available mental health resources."
"Wait times for youth counseling services in this county average 6-8 weeks, double the state average."
"Community-based support groups receive consistently higher satisfaction scores than other service types in the metro area."

These insights are transformative. They allow us to move from anecdotal evidence to hard data, from individual frustration to collective demand. We can identify deserts of care, highlight models of excellence, and pinpoint where systemic investment is most desperately needed.

Crucially, this process is a one-way street. The anonymized data can never be reverse-engineered to trace back to you. Your individual privacy is not just protected; it is rendered fundamentally inseparable from the collective whole. You empower the movement for better mental health care without ever sacrificing your personal confidentiality. At MindTheMap, we believe you should not have to choose between sharing your experience to help others and safeguarding your own privacy. Through this process, you can do both.

Your Choices and Rights: You Are in Control

We believe that privacy is not just a policy but a practice of empowerment. You are not merely a subject of data collection; you are an active participant with fundamental rights over your information. This section outlines the tools and choices we provide to ensure you remain in control of your digital footprint on our platform.

Access and Correction: Your Information is Yours to Review
You have the right to see the personal information we hold about you. If you have created an account, you can access your profile at any time to review what is stored there. If you discover that any details are inaccurate or incomplete—perhaps an old email address or a misspelled name—you possess the right to correct it. We want the data we have to be right, because it belongs to you.

The Right to Be Forgotten: Requesting Deletion
You are the author of your story on MindTheMap, and you have the right to decide when that story ends. You may request the deletion of your account and the erasure of all associated personal data at any time. Upon such a request, we will permanently remove your name, email address, password, and any other directly identifiable information from our active systems.

It is important to note, however, that the insights generated from your contributions may live on for the benefit of the community, but only in a form that can never be connected back to you. If your anonymous ratings and reviews have already been incorporated into our larger, aggregated advocacy datasets—a process that strips all personal identifiers—it is no longer possible to isolate and remove that specific data. This anonymized information is part of a broader statistical tapestry and exists completely independently of your former identity on our site. Your privacy remains intact, even as your contribution to our collective mission endures.

Opt-Out of Communications: Controlling Your Inbox
We are committed to communicating with you on your terms. Every promotional or update email we send will always contain a clear and straightforward link to unsubscribe. Clicking this link will immediately remove you from that mailing list. Please note that you cannot opt-out of receiving essential administrative messages that are critical to your use of the service, such as emails concerning your account status or important updates to our terms and policies.

Control Your Contributions: Editing Your Legacy
Your voice on the map is yours to shape. You maintain full control over the pins you have dropped and the reviews you have written. You can log into your account at any time to edit the details of a submission, refining a review based on a new experience, or to delete a contribution entirely if you choose. This ensures that the map reflects your current, accurate perspective and that your public contributions align with your present comfort level.

Data Security: Our Protective Shield

Our Unwavering Principle: We Do Not Sell Your Data

Limited and Necessary Sharing

With Your Explicit Consent: There may be specific, one-time situations where sharing your information could provide you with a direct benefit—for example, connecting you with a partner advocacy organization you're interested in. In any such case, we will always ask for your clear, explicit, and informed permission beforehand. We will explain exactly what data will be shared, with whom, and for what purpose. You will always have the right to say no without any detriment to your use of our services.
With Trusted Service Providers: To provide you with a seamless and professional experience, we engage specialized third-party companies that perform services on our behalf. These include:
- - Cloud Hosting Providers who securely store our data.
  - Email Service Providers who manage our communications.
  - Analytics Services that help us understand website usage trends in an aggregated, anonymous way.

For Legal Reasons and Compliance: We may be compelled to disclose your information if we are required to do so by law. This would only occur in response to a valid legal process, such as a court order, subpoena, warrant, or other mandatory request from a governmental or regulatory authority. Even in these circumstances, we will always strive to ensure the request is lawful, and to the extent we are legally permitted, we will attempt to notify you of such a request.
To Protect Rights and Safety: We reserve the right to share information if we have a good-faith belief that it is necessary to:
- - Investigate, prevent, or take action regarding potential violations of our Terms of Service.
  - Address credible threats of fraud, security breaches, or other illegal activity.
  - Protect the rights, property, or personal safety of MindTheMap, our users, or the public.
    This is a measure of last resort, used only to uphold the security and integrity of our community for everyone.

Any sharing outside of MindTheMap is treated not as a routine action, but as a serious exception, governed by necessity, ethics, and the unwavering commitment to your privacy that defines our work.

Data Anonymization and Aggregation: The Heart of Our Advocacy

The digital map we are developing map will be a tool for the individual, a guide to find help. But the collective data behind it, when viewed as a whole, becomes something far greater: a powerful, irrefutable voice for systemic change. This transformative process is the core of our advocacy at MindTheMap, and it is built upon one non-negotiable ethical principle: the absolute protection of your individual privacy.

"Despite making up 20% of the population, rural regions account for only 5% of the available mental health resources."
"Wait times for youth counseling services in this county average 6-8 weeks, double the state average."
"Community-based support groups receive consistently higher satisfaction scores than other service types in the metro area."

Your Choices and Rights: You Are in Control

Data Security: Our Protective Shield

We approach the security of your personal information with the utmost seriousness. We understand that you are entrusting us with sensitive details, and we have implemented a robust, multi-layered shield of technological and administrative safeguards to protect it from unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction.

Our commitment to security is active, not passive. This means we employ a strategic combination of measures designed to defend your data at every stage of its journey:

Encryption in Transit: Whenever you interact with our site—submitting a review, logging into your account, or sending us a message—we use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. This creates an encrypted tunnel between your browser and our servers, scrambling your data into an unreadable code during transmission. It is a fundamental layer of protection that acts as a secure courier for your information, shielding it from prying eyes on public networks.
Secure Servers and Storage: Your data resides on secure servers hosted by reputable providers who implement stringent physical and electronic security protocols. We ensure that access to these servers is fiercely guarded and monitored.
Strict Access Controls: Within our organization, we adhere to the principle of least privilege. This means that only a very limited number of authorized personnel, who require the information to perform a specific function (such as providing technical support), are granted access to personal data. This access is further protected by strong authentication measures and is closely monitored.

We invest continuously in these security practices, regularly reviewing and updating our systems to respond to the evolving landscape of digital threats.

A Note on Inherent Risk

Despite our unwavering commitment and the advanced measures we employ, it is a fundamental truth of the digital world that no method of transmitting or storing electronic data can ever be guaranteed to be 100% secure. The internet, by its nature, carries inherent risks. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security against every conceivable threat.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies: Enhancing Your Experience

To provide a seamless, functional, and intuitive experience on our website, MindTheMap, like most modern online services, uses small data files and similar technologies known as cookies. This section explains what these are, why we use them, and, most importantly, how you can manage your preferences.

Understanding Cookies and Their Purpose

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, tablet, or phone) when you visit our site. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently and to provide information to the site owners.

We use these technologies for several key purposes, which fall into the following categories:

Essential Cookies: These are strictly necessary for the basic functions of the website. They enable core features such as user log-in, maintaining your session as you move from page to page, and ensuring the security of your account. Without these cookies, the service you have requested (like accessing your personal dashboard) cannot be provided. They do not gather information about you that could be used for marketing.
Analytics and Performance Cookies: These cookies allow us to understand how visitors interact with our site. They collect information in an anonymous, aggregated form—such as which pages are visited most often, how users navigate through the site, and if they encounter any error messages. This data is invaluable to us; it contains no personal details and is used solely to improve how our website functions, enhancing everything from page load speeds to site layout for all our users.
Functionality Cookies: These are used to recognize you when you return to our website and to remember your preferences. This enables us to personalize your experience by greeting you by name (if you have an account) and remembering your settings (like your region or language preference).

It is important to note that the cookies we use for analytics and functionality do not identify you as an individual. They are designed to collect anonymous data about website usage.

Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You remain in full control of your privacy. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can choose to change your browser settings to refuse cookies or to alert you when a cookie is being set. The means to do this are typically found in your browser's "Options," "Preferences," or "Settings" menu.

Here is how you can learn more about managing cookies in popular browsers:

Please be aware that if you choose to disable or block certain cookies, especially the essential ones, some parts of the MindTheMap website may not function correctly or may become unavailable to you. Your experience may be less personalized and some features may not work as intended.

By using our website, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this policy. However, we believe in informed consent, and providing you with these controls is a core part of our commitment to your privacy.

Policy for Minors: A Protected Space

MindTheMap is designed and intended to serve as a resource for adults navigating the mental health landscape. In line with our commitment to safety and ethical data practices, our Services are expressly not directed to, and we do not knowingly collect any personal information from, individuals under the age of 18.

We recognize that children and adolescents require special protections online, particularly in a context as sensitive as mental health. Our platform, its content, and its community-driven nature are not structured for or targeted at minors. We do not solicit their data, and we have no mechanism to obtain verified parental consent, which is a legal and ethical requirement for collecting a minor's information.

Our Proactive Stance on Protecting Minors

Our commitment is active, not passive. We have implemented measures designed to prevent the unintentional collection of data from minors. However, the nature of the internet means we cannot guarantee that a young person will never attempt to access our site or submit information.

Therefore, we make this clear pledge: If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from an individual under the age of 18—whether through a account registration, a map submission, or any other means—we will take immediate and decisive action to delete that information from our active servers and systems as quickly as possible.

We strongly encourage parents and guardians to be actively involved in their children's online activities. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us immediately at privacy@mindthemap.or.ke. We will work swiftly with you to identify and permanently remove any such data, ensuring our platform remains a space dedicated to adult users.

Changes to This Privacy Policy: Our Commitment to Transparency

The digital landscape and our own services are continually evolving. To ensure our privacy practices remain robust, transparent, and in step with these changes, MindTheMap may need to update this Privacy Policy from time to time. This is a living document that will grow and adapt alongside our platform.

We reserve the right to modify this policy at our discretion. These changes may reflect new features on our site, evolving best practices in data security, changes to applicable laws, or clarifications to our existing practices. Whenever we make updates, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy to clearly indicate when the latest changes were made.

Our commitment to you is that we will not make changes that reduce your rights or undermine our fundamental privacy principles without your explicit knowledge. For any change that we deem material—that is, a change that significantly alters how we handle your personal data, such as a new purpose for collection or a new type of data being shared—we will provide a more prominent notice.

This notice will be provided directly on the MindTheMap website, through a clear banner or alert, for a reasonable period before the changes take effect. In some cases, for our registered users, we may also directly notify you via the email address associated with your account, ensuring you are fully informed of significant updates.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of the MindTheMap website and services after any modification to this Privacy Policy will constitute your acknowledgment of the changes and your consent to abide and be bound by the updated policy.

Contact Us: Your Questions and Concerns Matter

We believe that transparency is a dialogue, not a monologue. This Privacy Policy exists to inform you, but we know that trust is built through conversation. Your understanding, questions, and concerns are vital to us.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, if you wish to understand more about how your data is handled, or if you want to exercise any of your rights described within, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to listen and to help.

For any matters related to your privacy and data protection, we have established a dedicated point of contact to ensure your inquiry is handled by the right people with the appropriate expertise and urgency.

Please direct all privacy-related inquiries to our dedicated Data Protection Officer at:
privacy@mindthemap.or.ke

We are committed to acknowledging your communication promptly and will work diligently to provide a clear, thoughtful, and complete response in a timely manner. Your privacy is our priority, and we welcome the opportunity to address your questions and uphold the trust you have placed in us.