Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

This Privacy Policy explains how Chronica ("we", "us", "our"), operated by [SOLE TRADER LEGAL NAME] in [STATE], Australia, collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use our platform at chronica.ink (the "Service"). It should be read together with our Terms of Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information you give us

• Account information: email address, display name, password (stored hashed, never in plain text), and date of birth (used to verify you meet the 13+ minimum age requirement).
• Profile information: optional bio, avatar image, and notification preferences.
• Creator information: content you upload, and any tax or payout details required to pay you (where applicable).
• Communications: messages you send us for support.

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Reading and usage data: which comics and chapters you view and your reading progress, used to power features like continue-reading, library, recommendations, rankings, and creator payout attribution.
• Device and log data: IP address, browser/device type, and similar technical data, used for security, debugging, and abuse prevention.
• Cookies and similar technologies: used to keep you signed in and to operate the Service. See Section 7.

2.3 Payment information

When you subscribe or tip, payment is processed by our third-party payment processor, Stripe. We do not store your full card details on our servers; the processor handles that. We receive limited information such as subscription status and transaction confirmations.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To provide and operate the Service, including your account, reading experience, and (for creators) publishing and payouts.
• To verify age and enforce our 13+ minimum age requirement and content rules.
• To process payments, subscriptions, and creator payouts.
• To personalize the experience (library, continue-reading, recommendations, rankings).
• To communicate with you about your account, updates, and (with your preferences) notifications.
• To maintain security, prevent fraud and abuse, and protect content (including traceability/watermarking of paid content).
• To comply with legal obligations, including child-safety and law-enforcement requirements.

4. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only as needed to run the Service:

• Service providers ("processors") who operate infrastructure on our behalf, including: [INSERT - e.g. Supabase (database, authentication, storage), Vercel (hosting), Stripe (payments), Resend or similar (email), and any analytics/monitoring such as Sentry]. These providers may process data outside Australia.
• Other users: your public profile (display name, avatar, bio) and, for creators, your published content and announcements are visible to others. Your email, date of birth, and payout details are never made public.
• Legal and safety: where required by law, to respond to lawful requests, to enforce our Terms, or to protect the rights, safety, and property of users, the public, or us - including reporting child-sexual-abuse material to authorities.
• Business transfers: if Chronica is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy.

5. Data Retention

We keep your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service, comply with legal obligations (including financial and child-safety record-keeping), resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When you delete your account, we delete or de-identify your personal information within a reasonable period, except where retention is required by law; residual copies may persist in backups for a limited time before being overwritten.

6. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or export your personal information, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to withdraw consent. You can manage much of your information in your account settings, or contact us at hello@chronica.ink. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.

• Australian users: you have rights under the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles, including access and correction.
• EU/UK users (if applicable): you have rights under the GDPR/UK GDPR, including access, rectification, erasure, portability, and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.
• California users (if applicable): you have rights under the CCPA/CPRA, including to know, delete, correct, and opt out of "sale"/"share" (we do not sell personal information).

7. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary to keep you signed in and operate the Service, and may use limited analytics to understand and improve usage. You can control cookies through your browser, though disabling essential cookies may break sign-in and core features. [INSERT: if you add non-essential analytics/marketing cookies, describe them and any consent banner here.]

8. Security

We use technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including encryption in transit, hashed passwords, access controls, and row-level security on our database. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security; you are responsible for keeping your password confidential.

9. Children

The Service is open to users aged 13 and over and is not directed to children under 13. Consistent with COPPA, we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If we learn that we have collected information from a person under 13, we will delete it and terminate the account. If you believe someone under 13 is using the Service, contact us at hello@chronica.ink.

10. International Users and Data Transfers

We are based in Australia and use service providers that may store and process data in other countries. Where we transfer personal information overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is handled consistently with this Policy and applicable law. By using the Service, you understand your information may be processed outside your country of residence.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version with a new "last updated" date and, for material changes, provide reasonable notice. Continuing to use the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated Policy.

12. Contact Us

For privacy questions or to exercise your rights, contact us at hello@chronica.ink. [INSERT: if required, a postal address for your entity.] If you are in Australia and are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

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