1. What "informed consent" means
Before recording someone, they must understand and agree to:
- What is being recorded (audio, text answers, optionally video).
- Why it is being recorded (family memoir preservation).
- How it will be stored (encrypted, on Heirloom servers, under the purchasing account).
- Who can access it (only the account holder and invited family members).
- What AI will do with it (transcribe, translate, optionally generate voice likeness and memoir chapters).
- Whether it will be shared externally (public sharing requires a separate opt-in).
- Their right to stop, pause, review, edit, or delete at any time.
2. How to capture consent
In-person / phone interviews
- Start the first session with a verbal consent script (we provide one in your dashboard).
- The subject answers "yes" on a recording that is saved permanently to the account.
- You can re-confirm at any time — especially on sensitive topics.
Self-recording
- The subject creates their own Heirloom account, agrees to Terms, and consents during signup.
On behalf of a parent/elder (most common)
- You — the adult child or grandchild purchasing the service — attest that you have verbal consent.
- First session recording includes a consent check: "Mom/Dad/Grandpa, are you okay with me recording this so we can save your stories?"
- Heirloom stores this consent recording as the foundational document for that memoir.
3. Consent for voice cloning
Voice cloning is a sensitive capability. It is gated behind a second, explicit consent flow that must be captured:
- A specific consent phrase is recorded: "I, [full name], consent to Heirloom creating an AI voice likeness of me from my recordings for my family's private use."
- This recording is stored with the voice model and shown to the account holder whenever they invoke the voice.
- The subject can revoke voice consent at any time by emailing privacy@theheirloom.ai — we immediately disable generation.
4. Posthumous use
If the memoir subject passes away, Heirloom respects the consent they gave during their lifetime:
- The account holder (typically the adult child) retains access as configured.
- Voice cloning remains available only if the subject consented during life.
- If the subject explicitly opted out of posthumous voice use, we honor that forever.
- On request from next of kin with a death certificate, we transfer account ownership or honor deletion.
5. When family members disagree
If siblings or other family members dispute the ownership or use of a memoir, we pause AI generation and external sharing while we facilitate resolution:
- We email all account-linked family members.
- We offer a 30-day mediation window.
- If unresolved, we defer to the original consenting subject's written wishes (if documented) or the original purchasing account holder.
- We will cooperate with court orders and legal process.
6. Children (under 13)
Children's content requires direct parental/guardian consent under COPPA. We do not allow voice cloning of minors under any circumstances.
7. Dementia, Alzheimer's, and diminished capacity
We recognize that many Heirloom subjects face cognitive decline. If the subject is able to give consent at the time of capture, their consent is valid. For subjects in later stages:
- We defer to the legal guardian or power-of-attorney holder.
- The guardian is responsible for reviewing captured content and flagging anything the subject would not have wanted preserved.
- Voice cloning of subjects without current capacity requires documented consent from before the cognitive decline.
8. Revoking consent
Anyone featured in a Heirloom memoir can revoke consent at any time:
- Email privacy@theheirloom.ai with the memoir title and the account holder's name.
- We verify identity and disable AI generation involving them within 24 hours.
- We will delete content on request, subject to a short family notice period.
9. Your promise to us
By using Heirloom, you promise that every person featured in your memoirs has given informed, voluntary consent, and that you have communicated to them how Heirloom works. This is the most important promise in our Terms.