1. Introduction

Welcome to FableSpace. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our service.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use our service.

2. Information We Collect

We collect several types of information from and about users of our service, including:

Personal Data

When you register for an account, we collect:

• Email address
• Username
• Password (stored in encrypted form)
• Date of birth (to verify age requirements)
• Pronouns (optional)

Profile Information

You may choose to provide additional information in your profile such as:

• Profile picture
• Banner image
• Biography
• Location
• Website
• Social media links

Content Data

We collect and store the content you create, upload, or share on our platform, including:

• Stories and chapters
• Comments
• Likes and follows
• Cover images

Usage Data

We automatically collect certain information about how you interact with our service, including:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device information
• Pages visited and features used
• Time and date of your visits
• Referring website addresses

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:

• To provide and maintain our service
• To create and manage your account
• To enable you to share and interact with other users
• To personalize your experience and deliver content relevant to your interests
• To process payments and donations between users
• To send you notifications about activity related to your account
• To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
• To improve our service and develop new features
• To detect, prevent, and address technical issues and security threats
• To comply with legal obligations

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following situations:

With Your Consent

We may share your information when you have given us permission to do so.

Public Information

Any information you post publicly on our platform, such as stories, comments, or profile information, will be visible to other users. You can control some of this visibility through your privacy settings.

Service Providers

We may share your information with third-party service providers that help us operate our service, such as:

• Cloud storage providers
• Payment processors (Stripe and PayPal)
• Authentication services
• Analytics providers

These service providers are contractually obligated to use your information only as directed by us and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency).

Business Transfers

If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice on our service of any change in ownership or uses of your information.

5. Data Storage and Security

We use commercially reasonable security measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of sensitive data
• Secure storage using Azure Blob Storage and Azure PostgreSQL
• Regular security audits
• Access controls for our staff
• HTTPS encryption for all data transfers

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

6. Your Privacy Choices

You have several choices regarding your personal information:

Account Information

You can review and update your account information at any time by accessing your account settings.

Privacy Settings

You can control certain privacy settings, including:

• Whether to display your email address on your public profile
• Whether to display your location on your public profile
• Whether to allow other users to send you direct messages

Communication Preferences

You can manage your notification preferences in your account settings, including email notifications for new followers, comments, likes, and new chapters.

Account Deletion

You can request to delete your account by contacting us. When you delete your account, your personal information will be removed from our active databases, though some information may be retained for legal, security, or technical reasons.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our service and hold certain information. Cookies are files with a small amount of data that may include an anonymous unique identifier.

We use cookies for the following purposes:

• To maintain your authenticated session
• To remember your preferences
• To analyze how you use our service
• To personalize your experience

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our service.

8. Children's Privacy

Our service is not intended for anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can take necessary actions.

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

If you are located outside the United States and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the data to the United States and process it there. Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

11. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at [email protected].