Privacy Policy

What we collect

Account information. When you create an account, we collect your email address and a display name. If you sign up with Google or Apple instead of a password, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from that provider. We store a password hash if you use email sign-up; we never see or store your actual password.

Content you post. Stories, chapters, comments, reviews, forum posts, and any cover art or avatar images you upload. This is Your Content under our Terms, and it's yours; we just host it.

Profile details you choose to add. Bio, country, avatar, and any other optional fields you fill in on your profile.

Permission and attribution records. If you're credited as an author through our pseudo-author attribution system, or if you submit proof of permission to publish someone else's work, that proof (text or an uploaded file) is stored privately and is only accessible to admins and moderators through a temporary, expiring link. It's never public.

Usage data. Which stories and chapters you've read, your reading progress, votes, likes, and follows. We use this to power your reading history and recommendations, and nothing else.

Technical data. Your IP address, browser type, and device information, collected automatically as part of running the site (for example, to keep the platform secure and working correctly).

Analytics, only with your consent. We use Google Analytics to understand how people use the site, but only if you accept analytics cookies through the cookie preference banner. If you decline, or haven't made a choice yet, Google Analytics does not load. Your choice is stored in your browser and expires after 12 months, at which point we'll ask again. You can change your answer at any time from the "Cookie Prefs" link in the footer.

What we don't collect

We don't collect payment information. GoldenPalm doesn't process payments, run subscriptions, or handle money directly. If you support an author through Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee, that transaction happens entirely on their platform, under their privacy policy, not ours.

We don't run advertising, and we don't sell your personal information to anyone, for advertising or any other purpose.

Why we collect it

We use your information to:

• Create and secure your account, and let you sign in
• Let you publish, read, and interact with stories, chapters, comments, reviews, and forum threads
• Show you your reading history and recommend stories you might like
• Send account-related emails, like sign-up confirmation and password resets
• Investigate reports, enforce our Terms and Community Guidelines, and respond to copyright complaints under our DMCA Policy
• Keep the platform secure, including protecting sign-up and login from automated abuse (we use Cloudflare Turnstile for this, which checks that you're a real visitor without the puzzle-style challenges older tools use)
• Understand overall usage patterns, only where you've consented to analytics

Who we share it with

We don't sell or rent your personal information. We share it only with the service providers that help us run GoldenPalm Novels, and only to the extent needed for them to do their job:

• Supabase, our database, authentication, and file storage provider
• Google and Apple, if you choose to sign in with either of those
• Cloudflare, for bot protection on sign-up and login
• Google Analytics, only if you've consented to analytics cookies

If we're ever legally required to disclose information, for example in response to a valid subpoena or court order, we'll comply with that obligation. Where we're legally allowed to, we'll try to notify you first.

How long we keep it

We keep your account and content for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account or remove a story, it's taken down from public view within seven business days, matching the removal window described in our Terms. Backup copies may persist for a limited period after that, solely so we can restore your account if something goes wrong on our end or to meet a legal obligation; those backups aren't accessible to other users and are cycled out on our normal backup schedule.

Your rights

You can:

• Access and update most of your profile and account information directly from your account settings
• Download your content by contacting us; we'll get it to you in a usable format
• Delete your account, which removes your content from public view within seven business days
• Opt out of analytics at any time through the "Cookie Prefs" link in the footer

If you're in the European Economic Area, the UK, or a US state with its own privacy law (California, Virginia, Colorado, and others), you may have additional rights under that law, including the right to know what we hold about you, correct it, or ask us to delete it. Email legal@goldenpalmnovels.com to make any of these requests, and we'll respond within the timeframe the applicable law requires.

Children's privacy

You must be at least 13 to create an account, and if you're under 18, you need a parent or guardian's consent, exactly as described in our Terms of Service. We don't knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us at support@goldenpalmnovels.com and we'll remove it.

Cookies

We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies. Essential ones keep you signed in and remember basic preferences; these can't be turned off, since the site won't function correctly without them. Analytics cookies are entirely optional and only load after you accept them. Full detail on what's used and why is in our Cookie Policy at /cookie-policy.

Changes to this policy

If we make a material change to this policy, we'll update the date below and, where the change is significant, let you know through the site or by email. Continuing to use GoldenPalm Novels after a change takes effect means you accept the updated policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data: legal@goldenpalmnovels.com General support: support@goldenpalmnovels.com