Story Tails Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September 2024

At Story Tails, we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you use our services, including purchasing personalized audio books and interacting with our website. By using our services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.   

1. Who We Are

Story Tails ("we," "our," or "us") is a company registered in the United Kingdom, specializing in personalized audio books for customers of all ages. Our business address is based in Cardiff, UK.

2. Information We Collect

We collect personal data necessary to provide and improve our services. This includes:

2.1. Personal Information

• Names: Names to be included in the personalized audio book.
• Contact Details: Email address for communication and delivery purposes.

2.2. Payment Information

We collect payment details (such as card information or payment provider data) to process your orders. These details are handled securely by third-party payment processors Etsy, Amazon, Ebay and are not stored by Story Tails.

2.3. Usage Data

We may collect information about how you interact with our website and services, such as IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent on our site, device information, and referring website. This data helps us improve our services and user experience. 2.4. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our website, including to remember your preferences, analyze website usage, and personalize content. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.   

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for the following purposes:   

3.1. Order Fulfillment

To create and deliver personalized audio books based on the details you provide.

3.2. Communication

To send you order confirmations, updates, and any necessary follow-up emails. We may also use your email to send you promotional content, but only if you have opted in to receive marketing communications.

3.3. Improving Services

To analyze customer behavior and preferences in order to improve our products, services, and website functionality.

3.4. Account Management

To manage your account and provide customer support.

3.5. Legal Obligations

We may use your data to comply with any legal obligations or respond to lawful requests from government authorities.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Our legal basis for collecting and using your personal data will depend on the specific information and context. However, we will normally rely on one of the following:

• Contractual Necessity: Processing your data is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations to you (e.g., to process your order and deliver your audiobook).
• Legitimate Interests: Processing your data is necessary for our legitimate interests, such as improving our services and website, preventing fraud, and for direct marketing purposes (where we have obtained your consent or it is permitted by law).
• Legal Compliance: Processing your data is necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
• Consent: In some cases, we may rely on your consent to process your data (e.g., for sending marketing communications).

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. However, we may share your data with:   

5.1. Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party companies to facilitate our services, including:

• Payment processors
• Delivery partners
• IT support and hosting providers
• Marketing and analytics providers

These service providers have access to your personal data only to perform tasks on our behalf and are required to protect it in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

5.2. Legal Compliance

We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal request (e.g., court order, government demand).

6. Data Security

We take the security of your data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. These measures include:   

• Encryption: We use encryption to protect sensitive data, such as payment information.
• Access controls: We restrict access to personal data to authorized personnel only.
• Data backups: We regularly back up our data to prevent data loss.
• Security assessments: We conduct regular security assessments to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.   

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. This may involve retaining your data even after you have closed your account with us. Payment information is not retained by us but processed by third-party providers.   

8. International Transfers

We may transfer your personal data to countries outside the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA), including the United States. When we do so, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as:

• Standard Contractual Clauses: We may use standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission to ensure adequate protection for data transferred to third countries.
• Adequacy Decisions: We may transfer data to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of data protection by the European Commission.
• Other Safeguards: We may rely on other safeguards, such as binding corporate rules or approved codes of conduct, where applicable.

9. Your Data Protection Rights

Under the UK Data Protection Act 2018, the GDPR, and other applicable data protection laws, you have the following rights:

9.1. Right to Access

You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

9.2. Right to Rectification

You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.

9.3. Right to Erasure

You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data under certain circumstances, such as when your data is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected.   

9.4. Right to Restrict Processing

You can request that we limit the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as when you contest the accuracy of your data.   

9.5. Right to Object

You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as the legal basis.

9.6. Right to Data Portability

You can request that we transfer your personal data to another organization, where applicable.

9.7. Right to Withdraw Consent

Where we rely on your consent to process your data, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.   

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact form on www.story-tails.com. We will respond to your request within one month.

10. Children's Privacy

We are committed to protecting the privacy of children. Our services are intended for users of all ages. However, we understand the importance of protecting children's information, particularly in the online environment.

10.1. Users Under 13

In compliance with the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us, and we will take steps to delete the information.   

10.2. Obtaining Verifiable Parental Consent

If we collect personal information from children under 13, we will obtain verifiable parental consent through a method approved by COPPA, such as:

• Email Verification: Sending an email to the parent's address requiring a response to confirm consent.
• Providing a Consent Form: Requiring a signed consent form to be mailed or faxed to us.
• Using a COPPA-Safe Harbor Program: Working with a program approved by the Federal Trade Commission to obtain consent.

10.3. Parental Rights

Parents have the right to:

• Review: Review the personal information we have collected from their child.
• Correct: Request that we correct any inaccurate information.
• Delete: Request that we delete their child's personal information.
• Refuse: Refuse to allow us to further collect or use their child's information.

11. California Privacy Rights

This section applies to residents of California and supplements the information provided in this Privacy Policy. It is intended to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).   

11.1. Right to Know

You have the right to request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of the information, the purposes for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.   

11.2. Right to Delete

You have the right to request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.

11.3. Right to Correct

You have the right to request that we correct inaccurate personal information that we maintain about you.   

11.4. Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. However, we may share your information with third parties for business purposes, as described in Section 5 of this Privacy Policy. You have the right to opt-out of this sharing.

11.5. Right to Limit Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information

We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes other than those specified in this Privacy Policy.   

11.6. Exercising Your Rights

To exercise your rights under the CCPA, please contact us at [Insert Contact Email]. We will respond to your request within 45 days.

11.7. Non-Discrimination

We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Effective Date." We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. 

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or any other aspect of our Services, please contact us using the contact us form on our website www.story-tails.com