Privacy Policy

Introduction

At StoryLink, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our website and services.

Please read this privacy policy carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal data. By using StoryLink, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this privacy policy.

Information We Collect

We collect several types of information for various purposes to provide and improve our service to you:

Personal Data

• Contact information (name, email address)
• Profile information (display name, bio, profile picture)
• The manuscript text or documents you submit, the reader personas you define, and the reviews generated from them
• Payment information — payments are processed securely by our third-party payment provider (Razorpay). We do not collect or store your full card number, CVV, or bank login credentials on our own servers.

Usage Data

• IP address and device information
• Browser type and version
• Pages visited and features used
• Time and date of your visits
• Other diagnostic data

How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• To provide and maintain our service
• To generate, save, and display the reviews you create
• To notify you about changes to our service
• To provide customer support
• To gather analysis or valuable information to improve our service
• To process payments and prevent fraud
• To monitor the usage of our service
• To detect, prevent, and address technical issues

AI-Generated Content

StoryLink uses artificial intelligence to generate reader-perspective reviews of your fiction. When you use our review features:

• The manuscript text and reader-persona details you submit are sent to a third-party AI provider (OpenAI) to generate your review
• If you are logged in, your generated reviews are stored in your account so you can access them later
• We do not sell your manuscript content, and we do not use your manuscripts, reader personas, or generated reviews to train or fine-tune any AI model. Our AI models were fine-tuned solely on permissioned and licensed data before deployment.
• You retain rights to the manuscripts you submit and the reviews generated from them, subject to our Terms of Use

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information with:

• Service providers who perform services on our behalf, including our AI provider (OpenAI), payment processor (Razorpay), hosting and analytics providers, and our error- and performance-monitoring provider (Sentry)
• Legal authorities when required by law

Your reviews are private to your account. We do not publish them or share them with other users, and we do not sell your personal information to third parties.

International Data Transfers

StoryLink is operated from India and works with service providers located in other countries, including the United States. In particular, the manuscript text and reader-persona details you submit are processed by our AI provider (OpenAI) in the United States in order to generate your reviews.

This means your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in countries whose data-protection laws may differ from those in your own country. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards, including the contractual data-protection commitments of our service providers. By using StoryLink, you consent to these international transfers.

Cookies and Tracking

We use a limited number of cookies and similar technologies that are necessary to operate the service — for example, to keep you signed in and to remember interface preferences. We do not use third-party advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

To understand how our service is used, we rely on a privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics provider (Vercel Analytics) that measures aggregate usage without using tracking cookies or building advertising profiles about you.

We also use Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager) to measure traffic and improve the service. These analytics cookies are off by default— when you first visit, we ask for your consent through a cookie banner, and Google Analytics only sets cookies and collects analytics data if you choose “Accept.” If you decline, we collect only anonymised, aggregate measurements without analytics cookies. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time using the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer. We do not use this data for advertising or sell it to third parties.

To keep the service reliable, we use an error- and performance-monitoring provider (Sentry) that collects technical diagnostic information — such as error details, your browser and device type, and IP address — when problems or slowdowns occur. We do not record or replay your browsing sessions, and this monitoring is not used for advertising.

You can instruct your browser to refuse or delete cookies. However, if you block strictly necessary cookies, you may not be able to sign in or use some portions of our service.

Data Security

We implement appropriate security measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children's Privacy

StoryLink is intended for users aged 18 and older and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 18.

If you are under 18, you may use StoryLink only with the consent and supervision of a parent or legal guardian, consistent with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child without the required parental consent, we will take steps to delete it. Parents or guardians who believe their child has provided us with personal data can contact us using the details in the "Contact Us" section.

Your Data Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Object to processing of your data
• Request restriction of processing
• Request transfer of your data
• Withdraw consent

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the "Contact Us" section.

Data Retention and Account Deletion

You can delete your account at any time from your profile settings. Deleting your account is permanent and cannot be undone.

When you delete your account, the following data is permanently removed from our systems:

• Your profile, including display name, bio, and contact details
• The manuscripts you submitted, the reader personas you defined, and the reviews generated from them
• Your remaining word-credit balance and usage history
• Your account activity logs

However, records of completed financial transactions — such as payments, invoices, and the related logs we receive from our payment processor (Razorpay) — are retained even after your account is deleted. We are legally required to keep these records for tax, accounting, and fraud-prevention purposes, and to meet payment-industry obligations. We retain them only for the period required by applicable law (which in India may be up to eight years) and use them solely for those purposes.

This retention of transaction records is a recognised exception to the right of erasure under data-protection laws, including the EU GDPR (Article 17(3)) and India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act. If you have questions about what data we hold about you after deletion, please contact us using the details in the "Contact Us" section.

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.

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.

Contact Us

StoryLink is operated by Reality Play, based in Delhi, India, which is the data fiduciary / controller responsible for your personal data.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us:

• By email: lakshya.gupta.ug24@plaksha.edu.in
• By visiting our contact page on our website

Grievance Officer (India): In accordance with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act and the Information Technology Rules, you can reach our Grievance Officer at lakshya.gupta.ug24@plaksha.edu.in. We aim to acknowledge and address grievances within the timeframes required by applicable law.