Privacy policy
Effective October 16, 2026
WishSumo is a wishlist website run by WishSumo LLC ("WishSumo," "we," "us"), with an iPhone app on the way. This page explains what we collect, why, who else touches it, and how to get it deleted. It's written to be read, not skimmed past.
The short version: we collect what it takes to run your lists. We don't sell your information, we don't run ads, and we don't track you around the internet.
What we collect
Your account. Your email address, your name, and a password. We never store the password itself. We store a scrambled version that can check your password but can't be turned back into it. You can also add a profile photo and pick a light or dark theme.
Your lists. List names and descriptions, and for each item the name, notes, link, price, picture link and priority you give it. We also record how an item was added (on the website, with the Save button, from a gift guide, through an AI assistant, or from the iPhone app). That tells us which features people actually use.
Sharing. When you invite someone by email, we store their email address so we can send the invite and match it to their account when they join. We email them once for that invite. We don't add them to any mailing list.
Claims, chip-ins and comments. When you claim a gift or chip in toward one on someone else's list, we record that, plus the amount if you entered one. WishSumo doesn't handle money; the amount is a note so other gift-givers know what's covered. We also store comments you leave on items.
The list owner never sees claims or surprise items on their own list. That's on purpose, so gifts stay a surprise.
Technical basics. Like every website, our hosting company and our network provider (named below) see your IP address, browser type and the pages you request, and keep standard server logs. We store IP addresses in our own database only in one case: when an app registers to connect to WishSumo, so we can limit how many registrations come from one address.
Cookies and browser storage
We set one cookie, and it keeps you logged in. That's it. No advertising cookies, no analytics cookies, no tracking pixels.
The Save button and "Add to my list" also keep the item you're saving in your browser's storage for a few minutes, so it survives a trip through the login page. They remember the last list you saved to, so it's picked for you next time. That stays in your browser. We don't read it from our side.
How we use it
To run WishSumo: show you your lists, show shared lists to the people you shared them with, send invites and password-reset emails, keep your account secure, and fix things when they break.
Everyone gets account emails: invites, password resets, and notices about your account. There's also a weekly WishSumo email with new gift guides and what we're building. It's off unless you turn it on: at signup, in Settings, or when we ask once on your lists page. Then we email you a link to confirm it's really your address, and it starts only after you click it. Every one has an unsubscribe link that works right away, and you can turn it off in Settings anytime (or reply to any of them and we'll do it for you). We record when you answered, when you confirmed, and which weekly emails we've sent you, so nobody gets one twice. If you change your account email, the weekly email stops until you confirm the new address.
We don't sell your personal information or share it for advertising. Not to stores, not to data brokers, not to anyone.
Who can see your lists
Only you and the people you share a list with. Anyone you give a list's share link to can join it after they sign in, so treat that link like a key. You can reset the link in the list's sharing settings, and the old one stops working. You can also remove anyone you've shared with.
Other companies involved
We use a few outside services to run the site. Each one only gets what it needs to do its job.
- HostGator hosts the website and database, and sends our emails.
- Cloudflare sits in front of the site. It speeds up pages and blocks attacks, so it sees requests on their way to us.
- Google Fonts supplies the lettering on our pages. Your browser downloads the fonts from Google, which means Google sees your IP address.
- Tailwind's CDN supplies styling code on some pages. Your browser downloads it from them. We're removing it as we finish our redesign.
AI assistants you connect. If you connect Claude, ChatGPT or another AI assistant to WishSumo, it can read your lists and add or change items when you ask it to. That's the whole point of connecting it. What the assistant's company does with that information is covered by their privacy policy, not this one. You can disconnect any assistant in Settings, and it loses access right away.
Product pages. When you add an item by its link, our server visits that product page to fill in the name, price and picture. We don't send the store anything about you.
Affiliate links
Some links in our gift guides are affiliate links. That includes Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, WishSumo earns from qualifying purchases. If you click one and buy something, the store may pay us a commission. Your price doesn't change.
When you click through, you're on the store's site, and the store (including Amazon) may set and read its own cookies under its own privacy policy. We don't get your name or what you bought. Stores send us totals, not who bought what.
The iPhone app
Once it's out, the app will show your WishSumo account and add a Share button for saving items from other apps. Your sign-in is kept in the iPhone's secure Keychain. The Share button sends us only the page or link you chose to share, and only when you tap Save. The app has no ads, no analytics tools and no tracking.
Your choices and rights
- See or fix your information: most of it is right there in your account. You can edit your name, photo, lists and items anytime.
- Get a copy: email us at help@wishsumo.com and we'll send you a copy of your account data.
- Delete your account: go to Settings and choose "Delete my account." Once our iPhone app is out, it works there too. There are instructions at wishsumo.com/delete-account.
When you delete your account, your account, lists, items and comments are deleted. Two things stay, on purpose. If you claimed or chipped in on a gift on someone else's list, that gift stays marked as claimed, with your name removed, so nobody buys a duplicate and the surprise isn't ruined. Surprise items you added to someone else's list stay on it, without your name.
Copies in our backups are erased within 90 days.
Depending on where you live, you may have more rights under privacy laws, such as the right to opt out of the sale of your data. We don't sell data, so there's nothing to opt out of. Whatever state or country you're in, email us at help@wishsumo.com with any privacy request and we'll handle it, usually within 30 days.
Keeping it safe
The whole site runs over https. Passwords are stored scrambled, and the login cookie can't be read by scripts on the page. Changing your password signs out every other device and cancels the access of every app you've connected. No system is perfectly secure, but we take the obvious steps and fix problems quickly when we find them.
Kids
WishSumo isn't meant for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them. If you think a child under 13 has signed up, email us and we'll delete the account.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update it here and change the date at the top. If a change affects how we use information you've already given us, we'll email you before it takes effect.
Contact
Questions or requests: help@wishsumo.com
WishSumo LLC