Mainstay handles some of the most sensitive information a person can hold. This is how we treat it.
Mainstay is an initiative of Mansa Merch LLC. We're building a private, agentic preparation tool for parents, grandparents, and guardians navigating family court. The information you trust us with is some of the most sensitive a person can hold, and we treat it that way.
Mainstay is an initiative of Mansa Merch LLC, a company incorporated in California, United States. Mainstay is being built as a private, mission-driven tool to help parents, grandparents, and guardians prepare for family-court matters by organizing their records, understanding their court orders, and assembling materials for review by attorneys, court self-help centers, or legal aid organizations.
This policy applies to:
All Mainstay user data is stored and processed exclusively on United States-based infrastructure. Our backend storage, AI processing services, and document analysis services all operate from US data centers. We do not transfer user data outside the United States.
This policy is separate from but consistent with the Mansa Merch privacy policy, which governs the parent company's procurement and execution services.
Privacy contact: mainstay@mansamerch.xyz with "Mainstay Privacy" in the subject line.
When you sign up for early access through our landing page, we collect:
When Mainstay becomes available and you create an account, you may provide the following depending on which features you use:
When you visit our website or use the app, we automatically collect a limited set of technical information:
If you choose to sign in using Apple, Google, or another supported identity provider, we receive only the information they share with us per your authorization (typically your name and email). We do not receive your password from those services.
If you subscribe to a paid tier of Mainstay, your payment is processed entirely by Apple (in-app purchases on iOS) or Google (in-app purchases on Android). We never see, store, or have access to your credit card number, bank account details, or other payment credentials. We receive only the subscription status (active, expired, in trial) and the subscription tier you hold, through a subscription management service.
We use the information you provide for the following purposes and no others:
Mainstay uses artificial intelligence to help you organize your story. This is a category of data processing that deserves clear, specific disclosure. Here is exactly how it works.
Mainstay uses specialized AI to transform what you give it into something useful for you. When you speak a voice note, AI converts it into a structured record. When you upload a court order, AI surfaces the terms in plain language. When you answer a short intake, AI produces a list of next steps. When you assemble a packet, AI helps organize it for review by an attorney or legal aid organization.
Each of these features is purpose-built for one narrow task. None of them have access to your full case unless you specifically use a feature that requires it, and none of them can take actions on your behalf outside the app.
We have built specific protections into how AI processes your content:
We may change the specific AI service providers we use over time as the technology evolves and as better privacy options become available. Any provider we use must meet our data-handling standards: no training on user data, US-based processing, and contractual commitments to confidentiality. We will not switch to a provider whose privacy practices are weaker than our current commitments.
To be specific about what is not happening with your data:
We share information only in these specific circumstances:
When you build a packet inside the app and choose to share it with a legal aid organization, an attorney, or another party, we transmit the packet to that party at your direction. You see what's being shared, you authorize the share, and you can revoke shared access at any time.
We share specific data with vendors who provide infrastructure for Mainstay. Each vendor is bound by contract to use the data only to deliver their service to us, not for their own purposes. See the next section for the full list.
We may share information when required by valid legal process, when necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of users or others, or to comply with court orders. See "Law enforcement and legal process" below for our commitments around this.
If Mainstay or Mansa Merch is acquired by, merged with, or otherwise transferred to another entity, user data may transfer as part of that transition. Any successor entity would be bound by the privacy commitments in this policy, and you would receive advance notice and the option to delete your account before any such transfer becomes effective.
Mainstay is built on a small number of carefully selected third-party services that operate from US-based infrastructure. Each is bound by contract to use your data only to deliver their service to us, not for their own purposes. Each is required to meet our data-handling standards: encryption in transit and at rest, no training on user data, and no sale or sharing of user data with other parties.
The categories of third-party services we rely on are:
Payment processing for paid subscriptions is handled entirely by Apple (for iOS in-app purchases) and Google (for Android in-app purchases) under their respective terms and privacy policies. We do not receive, store, or have access to your payment credentials at any point.
We may add, change, or replace service providers within these categories as the product evolves. Any change must preserve or strengthen the data-handling commitments described in this policy. Material changes to our service-provider categories will be reflected in updates to this policy.
If you have a specific question about which provider handles a specific aspect of the service, you can contact us at the privacy address below and we will respond within 30 days.
Mainstay treats family-court data with the seriousness it deserves. We've built the infrastructure to match.
Records are encrypted in transit using TLS 1.3. Records are encrypted at rest in our database using AES-256. Voice recordings and uploaded documents are stored in encrypted object storage with strict access controls. Biometric authentication options (Face ID, Touch ID) are available from your first launch.
Specifically, we use the following technical and operational safeguards:
No system is perfectly secure. We will continue to invest in security as Mainstay grows, and we welcome responsible disclosure of any security issues you find.
I'm building Mainstay because I'm living the situation it's built for. A court order has been violated in my own family case for over thirteen years. My son and I have paid the cost of that, and I know what it feels like to need a tool like this and not have one.
What this means for you: the privacy protections in this policy are not a marketing exercise. They are the protections I want for my own records, applied to yours. I would not put my own case data into a system that didn't meet these standards, and I'm not asking you to either.
If your situation is less acute than mine, that doesn't matter. Your story still deserves to be treated this carefully. That's the standard, regardless of how heavy or light the case.
Your records, voice notes, court orders, packets, and other case content remain in your account for as long as you keep your account active.
You can delete your account at any time from inside the app. When you delete your account:
If you simply stop using the app without deleting your account, your data remains in your account so it's available when you return. Inactive accounts may receive periodic reminder emails. After 24 months of complete inactivity (no login, no email engagement), we may contact you to confirm whether you want to keep the account, and may close inactive accounts after additional notice.
Waitlist emails (collected before app launch) are retained until you unsubscribe, until launch is complete and you've either signed up for the app or chosen not to, or for a maximum of 24 months from signup, whichever comes first.
Regardless of where you live, you can:
If you are a California resident, you have the additional right to:
To exercise these rights, contact us at mainstay@mansamerch.xyz. We will respond within 45 days, as required by law.
If you are located in the European Union, European Economic Area, or United Kingdom, you have the right to:
The legal bases for our processing of your personal data include performance of a contract (delivering the service you've signed up for), legitimate interest (improving the product, securing the infrastructure), legal obligation (compliance with applicable law), and consent (where applicable, such as waitlist signup).
Mainstay's infrastructure is located entirely in the United States. Our backend storage, AI processing, document analysis, and supporting services all operate from US data centers. If you access Mainstay from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States.
By using Mainstay, you acknowledge this transfer. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses) for transfers from the EU/EEA and UK to the United States.
Mainstay is intended for use by adults (age 18 and over) who are navigating family-court matters as parents, grandparents, guardians, or other caregivers. The app's App Store rating reflects this.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information to Mainstay, please contact us and we will take steps to delete that information promptly.
If you are between the ages of 13 and 17 and have parental or guardian consent to use Mainstay (for example, as a young guardian for siblings), please ensure your parent or guardian has reviewed this privacy policy.
Our commitment: Mainstay will resist overbroad, unconstitutional, or improperly served law enforcement requests for user data. We will notify affected users wherever the law permits, so you have the opportunity to challenge the request before disclosure.
Family-court matters can intersect with criminal proceedings, civil litigation, and law enforcement investigations. We take our role in protecting your data within that context seriously.
We may be required to disclose user information in response to:
In responding to such requests:
We may update this privacy policy to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. When we make material changes (changes that affect how we collect, use, share, or protect your personal information):
Minor changes (clarifications, corrections of typos, updates to links) may be made without separate notice, but will always be reflected in the "Last updated" date.
If you have questions about this privacy policy, want to exercise any of your privacy rights, or need to request specific information about how your data is being handled, please contact us:
A real person at Mansa Merch handles every email. Include "Mainstay Privacy" in your subject line and we'll respond within 30 days, or 45 days for California residents under CCPA.
Mainstay is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This privacy policy describes how we handle your data; it is not legal advice about your family-court matter.