Security & Privacy

Your sensitive genealogical data is protected with industry-leading security measures

Our Security Principles

Genealogical research — especially in IGG and cold case work — involves sensitive personal information. CanopyLink is built from the ground up to keep that data safe.

Encrypted & Secure

All data encrypted in transit and at rest using industry-standard protocols

Private by Default

Projects are visible only to you — sharing is opt-in and fully controlled

Data Integrity

Referential integrity enforced at the database level to keep trees consistent

Export Anytime

Your data belongs to you — export as GEDCOM whenever you want

How We Keep Your Data Safe

CanopyLink employs multiple layers of security to ensure your family trees and genealogical documents remain private and protected.

Passwordless Authentication

Google & Microsoft Sign-In

Sign in securely with your existing Google or Microsoft account. No passwords to remember, no credentials stored on our servers. You benefit from the enterprise-grade security of your identity provider, including two-factor authentication.

Two-factor authentication supported via your identity provider
No passwords stored on CanopyLink servers

End-to-End Encryption

AES-256

All your data — including family trees, documents, and notes — is encrypted using AES-256 encryption. Data is protected both in transit over HTTPS and at rest in our database.

TLS 1.3 for all connections
Encrypted database backups

Access Control

Permission-Based

Every project is private by default. When you share a project, you control exactly who has access. Shared users can view and collaborate, but only you — the project owner — can delete or transfer it.

Invite-only project sharing
Revoke access at any time

Data Integrity

Database-Level

Family tree data requires precise relationships. CanopyLink enforces referential integrity at the database level with foreign key constraints, ensuring parent-child, spouse, and sibling relationships always remain consistent and accurate.

Foreign key constraints on all relationships
Validation at application and database layers

Infrastructure & Practices

HTTPS Everywhere

All connections use TLS encryption. HTTP requests are automatically redirected to HTTPS.

Automatic Backups

Your data is backed up automatically on a regular schedule. Backups are encrypted and stored securely.

CSRF & XSS Protection

Built on Laravel's security framework with CSRF tokens, input sanitization, and output escaping on every page.

Input Validation

All user input is validated and sanitized before processing. Parameterized queries prevent SQL injection.

Uptime Monitoring

24/7 uptime monitoring with automated alerts. Check our server status page.

Data Portability

Export your projects as GEDCOM files at any time. Your data is never locked in — you're always in control.

Your Rights

We believe your data belongs to you. Always.

Right to Access

You can view and export all of your data at any time through your account dashboard.

Right to Deletion

You can delete your projects or your entire account at any time. When you delete data, it's gone.

Right to Portability

Export your trees as industry-standard GEDCOM files that work with any other genealogy software.

No Data Selling

We will never sell, share, or monetize your genealogical data. Your research is yours alone.

Ready to Get Started?

Experience secure, worry-free genealogy research with CanopyLink.