Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to StorytimeHero.ai ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and the privacy of your children. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information when you use our personalized children's storybook service.

Because our service involves creating personalized storybooks featuring children's photographs, we take extra precautions to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and other applicable privacy laws.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information from Parents/Guardians

We collect the following information directly from parents, guardians, or adult gift-givers:

• Your name and email address
• Child's first name (for personalization)
• Child's approximate age (for age-appropriate content)
• Gift giver information (if applicable)
• Dedication text for the book
• Order and payment information
• Shipping address

2.2 Children's Photographs

With explicit parental consent, we collect photographs of children for the purpose of creating personalized AI-generated illustrations in custom storybooks. These photos are:

• Uploaded voluntarily by parents/guardians through a secure magic link
• Used solely to generate custom book illustrations
• Not collected from children directly
• Subject to strict retention and deletion policies (see Section 6)

2.3 Technical Information

We automatically collect certain technical information when you visit our website, including IP addresses, browser type, device information, and cookies for essential functionality. We do not knowingly collect this information from children under 13.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Book Creation: Processing children's photos with AI (Google Gemini) to generate personalized illustrations
• Order Fulfillment: Printing and shipping books through our print partner (Gelato)
• Communication: Sending order confirmations, shipping notifications, and quality control updates
• Payment Processing: Processing payments and upsells through Stripe
• Quality Assurance: Internal review to ensure book quality meets our standards
• Customer Support: Responding to inquiries and resolving issues

We do NOT: Sell, rent, or share children's personal information or photographs with third parties for marketing purposes. We do not use children's data for targeted advertising.

4. Third-Party Service Providers

We work with the following trusted service providers who may process your information:

All third-party providers are contractually required to maintain the confidentiality and security of your information and are prohibited from using it for any purpose other than providing services to StorytimeHero.

5. COPPA Compliance

StorytimeHero complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA):

• Parental Consent: We only collect children's photos from parents/guardians, never directly from children
• Limited Collection: We collect only information necessary to create and deliver personalized books
• No Child-Directed Collection: Our website and services are directed at adults, not children
• Parental Rights: Parents can review, delete, or refuse further collection of their child's information at any time
• No Marketing to Children: We do not use children's information for marketing purposes

Since photos are uploaded by adults (not collected from children online), and our service is not directed to children under 13, we operate under COPPA's safe harbor provisions for parent-uploaded content.

6. Data Retention and Deletion

6.1 Retention Periods

• Original Child Photos: Automatically deleted 30 days after order completion
• AI-Generated Illustrations: Retained for 90 days to allow reprints, then deleted
• Order Information: Retained for 7 years for accounting and legal compliance
• Final Book PDFs: Deleted 90 days after shipment confirmation

6.2 Your Right to Delete

You may request immediate deletion of your child's photos and AI-generated content at any time by contacting us at:

We will honor deletion requests within 10 business days. Note that deletion may prevent us from fulfilling reprints or resolving quality issues.

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

• Encrypted data transmission (SSL/TLS)
• Secure cloud storage with access controls
• Magic link authentication (no password vulnerabilities)
• Regular security audits and updates
• Limited employee access on a need-to-know basis
• Photo processing in secure, isolated environments

While we take reasonable precautions, no internet transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but continuously work to protect your data.

8. Parental Rights and Choices

As a parent or guardian, you have the right to:

• Review: Request copies of what information we have collected about your child
• Delete: Request deletion of your child's photos and AI-generated content
• Refuse Further Collection: Opt out of future data collection (note: this prevents new orders)
• Withdraw Consent: Revoke consent for photo processing at any time
• Access: Receive a copy of your personal data in a portable format

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@storytimehero.ai

9. International Users

StorytimeHero is based in the United States. If you access our services from outside the U.S., your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using our services, you consent to this transfer. We comply with applicable international privacy laws including GDPR for EU residents.

10. Intellectual Property Rights

You retain ownership of the original photographs you upload. By uploading photos, you grant StorytimeHero a limited license to:

• Process photos with AI to create personalized illustrations
• Include AI-generated illustrations in your custom book
• Print and ship your personalized book

AI-Generated Content: The AI-generated illustrations are created using a combination of your child's photo (your IP) and our proprietary AI prompts/templates. You receive personal use rights to the final book. StorytimeHero retains rights to the underlying templates and generation methods. Neither party may use AI-generated content for commercial purposes without mutual agreement.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of material changes by email or prominent notice on our website at least 30 days before changes take effect. Continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: