Thread Surrogacy
Website Privacy Policy
Thread Surrogacy LLC ("Thread," "we," "us," or "our") provides non-medical surrogacy coordination, including intake, matching, scheduling, screening coordination, and administrative support. This Policy explains how we handle personal information through our website, questionnaires, applications, communications, and coordination services.
Health information. Reproductive, pregnancy, medical, and related information receives additional protection under our separate Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy. Please read that policy alongside this one. If the policies conflict about consumer health data, the more protective provision applies.
Thread is not a medical provider. Information you give Thread is not automatically protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) simply because it concerns health. This Policy is not a medical-record release, marketing consent, or agreement to participate in a surrogacy journey.
1. Information we collect
The information we request depends on whether you are browsing, asking a question, applying as a surrogate, seeking assistance as an intended parent, or participating in a journey. You do not need to complete an application to browse public pages.
Contact and identity information. Name, phone number, email if provided, age or date of birth, location or mailing address, contact preferences, and signatures on documents you complete.
Application and matching information. Questionnaire answers, relevant household and partner-support information, children’s ages, availability, occupation or employment circumstances when relevant, surrogacy experience, preferences, application progress, and staff review notes.
Health and screening information. Pregnancy, birth, reproductive and fertility history; health conditions; medications; physical measurements; relevant mental-health or substance-use screening information; insurance information; authorized medical records and screening results; and health-related eligibility or coordination assessments. Our Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy explains these categories in more detail.
Service and benefit information. Agreements, authorizations, benefit selections, compensation and reimbursement arrangements, insurance-review information, scheduling, professional referrals, and journey milestones. Information needed by an independent payment, escrow, or screening provider may be collected directly by that provider under its own notice.
Communications and submitted materials. Messages, emails, call or interview notes, documents, photographs, and profile materials you provide.
Website information. IP address, browser and device type, operating system, cookie identifiers, pages and links used, referral information, approximate location inferred from IP address, and technical or form-progress events. When online activity reveals health, fertility, or surrogacy interests, we treat it as consumer health data—not ordinary advertising data.
Inferences and review information. Review flags, preferences, or next-step recommendations derived from the information above. Our tools assist intake and routing; you may ask Thread staff to review an intake outcome. Medical clearance and other professional determinations belong to the relevant independent professionals.
2. Where information comes from
We collect information directly from you and through the website technologies described below. With appropriate permission or another lawful basis, we also receive information from your authorized representative, other journey participants, fertility clinics, medical providers, laboratories, psychologists, attorneys, insurance specialists, escrow providers, and screening providers. Operational service providers supply technical and service records. A referral partner may provide your contact information when you request or authorize an introduction.
3. How we use information
Answer inquiries, process applications, conduct intake review, and discuss appropriate next steps.
Support matching and introductions based on participants’ preferences and approvals.
Coordinate screening, records review, insurance, legal services, scheduling, benefits, agreements, and journey support.
Send application and service updates, and marketing communications where permitted and consistent with your choices.
Operate and troubleshoot the website, protect information, prevent fraud, and improve our services using information permitted for those purposes.
Meet legal obligations, maintain necessary business records, and establish or defend legal claims, subject to applicable restrictions on health data.
We do not use consumer health data for targeted advertising. We do not treat an inquiry or application as permission to publish your story, photograph, or testimonial. Public use requires separate permission.
4. Questionnaires and incomplete applications
Our intake forms can save information as you proceed, before you select a final submission button. Saved information can include contact details, answers already entered, and application progress. We use it to preserve your progress, review your request, and provide application assistance consistent with the notice and contact choices presented in the form.
Where a form requires a phone number to provide results or next steps, that requirement is shown in the form; email is optional where indicated. Providing contact details does not by itself authorize marketing texts. We provide a collection notice before information is saved and obtain any required health-data or messaging consent before the relevant activity. You can ask us to stop follow-up or delete an incomplete application using the contact details below, subject to applicable law.
5. When we disclose information
We disclose information relevant to the recipient’s role, subject to permissions and legal restrictions. The categories of recipients are:
Operational service providers. Providers supporting website hosting, forms, customer relationship management, communications, scheduling, electronic signatures, document storage, security, and administrative operations. They receive information needed to provide services to Thread and are subject to appropriate contractual restrictions.
Potential matches. Selected intended parents or prospective surrogates for an approved introduction. A surrogate’s profile is shared with selected intended parents only with her approval. Private medical records and detailed health history are not included in that profile. Any separately authorized health-related disclosure is governed by the Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy and applicable authorizations.
Journey professionals. Fertility clinics, medical providers, laboratories, psychologists, independent attorneys, insurance specialists, escrow providers, and screening providers supporting services you request. A partnership or referral arrangement does not by itself authorize access to your application or health records.
Legal and business recipients. Advisers or authorities where necessary and legally permitted, or a successor in a lawful business transfer. These circumstances do not override health-data consent requirements, purpose limits, or other applicable protections.
Any disclosure of non-health website information through optional advertising technology is limited by Section 6 and your privacy choices. We do not sell personal information for money. We do not sell consumer health data for money or other valuable consideration or disclose it for another organization’s advertising.
6. Cookies, analytics, advertising, and GPC
We use necessary technologies to operate and secure the website and remember privacy choices. Optional analytics or advertising technologies, when enabled, are governed by our cookie/privacy controls. You can use those controls to review available categories and change your choices. Browser settings offer additional controls, but disabling necessary cookies may affect site functions.
Health-data boundary. We prevent advertising vendors from receiving questionnaire answers, medical records, contact information linked to an application, or other consumer health data. This restriction covers the entire website, including public pages, referral URLs, page titles, form events, and server-side transmissions. Renaming an event or hashing an identifier does not remove these protections. Cookie consent does not authorize health-data advertising.
Optional advertising technologies can otherwise collect limited, non-health device and activity information over time and across websites. Where that activity qualifies as a “sale,” “sharing,” or targeted advertising under applicable law, you can opt out through our privacy controls. This is not permission to disclose browsing or event information that reveals a person’s health, fertility, surrogacy interest, or participation.
We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) as an opt-out of sale, sharing, and targeted advertising. A signal applies at least to the browser or device sending it and more broadly where required by law and where we can associate it with you. You do not need an account to use our browser-based opt-out controls. You may need to repeat choices on another browser or device.
Our recognized browser-based opt-out mechanism is GPC. Learn how the signal works and how to enable it at Global Privacy Control. Browser settings labeled “Do Not Track” are distinct from GPC; use GPC or our privacy controls to communicate the opt-out described here.
7. Email, calls, and text messages
We communicate about inquiries, applications, appointments, documents, and requested services in accordance with your preferences and applicable consent requirements. You can unsubscribe from marketing emails using the link in the message. Necessary non-marketing emails, such as information about an ongoing service or a privacy request, may continue.
Marketing text messages require separate consent where required by law; consent is not a condition of receiving services. Message frequency varies and message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out of text messages, or contact us to revoke consent by another reasonable method. We honor text-message opt-outs as required by law and do not treat a service relationship as permission to ignore them. You may receive a non-promotional opt-out confirmation. For assistance, reply HELP or contact us below.
Mobile opt-in information and messaging consent are not shared with third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes. Messaging providers may process that information only to help deliver our communications.
8. Retention and security
We keep personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described here. For inquiries and incomplete applications, we consider whether follow-up remains requested or reasonably expected and whether the application is active. For participants, we consider the duration of the journey, agreements, authorizations, benefits administration, and applicable recordkeeping or claims requirements. We also retain records needed to honor opt-outs and privacy requests.
When information is no longer needed, we delete or appropriately de-identify it, subject to lawful retention requirements and backup limitations. Consumer health-data deletion requirements take priority over a general business preference to retain records. Where we use de-identified information, we maintain it in that form and do not attempt to reidentify it except as permitted by law to test the de-identification process.
We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. Access is limited to personnel and service providers who need it for authorized purposes. No system or transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please use the document-submission method we provide for medical records instead of sending unnecessary sensitive information in an ordinary email or text.
9. Your privacy rights and requests
Depending on where you live and which laws apply, you may have rights to confirm processing; access or obtain a portable copy of information; correct inaccuracies; request deletion; withdraw consent; obtain information about recipients; opt out of sale, sharing, targeted advertising, or certain profiling; limit certain uses of sensitive information; and appeal a refusal. We do not unlawfully discriminate against people who exercise their rights. The separate Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy explains additional health-data rights.
Submit a request. Email contact@threadsurrogacy.com or write to the address in Section 12. Describe the request and provide enough contact information for us to locate your records. Do not include medical records or identity documents in your initial request. You do not need to create a new account. We may request information reasonably needed to verify identity or an authorized agent’s authority and use it only for handling the request and related security or compliance needs.
Responses and appeals. We respond within applicable legal deadlines. If we deny all or part of a request, we explain the basis and any available appeal procedure. To appeal, reply to our decision or email contact@threadsurrogacy.com with “Privacy appeal.” We provide a written decision within the applicable deadline and information about contacting the relevant regulator when required.
California residents. When the California Consumer Privacy Act applies to Thread, its rights are available through the methods above. Our information categories include identifiers and customer records; relevant protected characteristics such as age; service and commercial information; relevant employment information; internet activity; sensitive health information; and related inferences. Their sources, uses, and recipient categories are described in Sections 1–6. We use sensitive information for requested services and other purposes permitted without a right to limit under applicable law, not to build advertising profiles.
10. Adults, independent providers, and international visitors
Our website and services are intended for adults, not children under 18. Adults may provide limited information about their children when relevant to an application. If a child submits information directly, contact us so we can review and take appropriate action.
Independent clinics, attorneys, insurers, escrow providers, screening providers, and other organizations have their own privacy practices. This Policy does not control information they collect and manage independently. Thread is based in the United States; information may be processed there and in other countries where authorized providers operate, subject to applicable protections. Those countries may have different privacy laws.
11. Changes to this Policy
We post revisions here and update the date above. For material changes, we provide a prominent website notice or direct notice as appropriate and required by law. We obtain any required consent before applying new collection, use, or disclosure practices. Continued website use is not a substitute for consent where the law requires it.
12. Contact Thread
Thread Surrogacy LLC
Attn: Privacy
Email: contact@threadsurrogacy.com
Mail: 1370 Pitman Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301