Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

• Information you give us. Your email address when you subscribe; the content of a story submission and any contact details or attribution preference you include; your email and authentication details if you hold an editorial account; anything you send us by email.
• Information collected automatically. IP address, approximate location derived from it, browser and device type, operating system, referring URL, pages viewed, timestamps, and interaction events. This comes from server logs and from cookies or similar technologies used by us and our partners.
• Information stored on your device. We store a local record when you like a story so the same browser is not counted twice. That record stays in your browser and is not linked to your identity.

We do not knowingly collect government identifiers, payment card data, or biometric data. Please do not send us sensitive personal information about another identifiable person.

2. Personal accounts of AI use

We are a publisher, not a technology vendor or employer, and this policy is not a substitute for any privacy notice you receive from tools you use. If you voluntarily describe your own experience with AI in a submission, you are choosing to share that information with us for possible publication in retold or de-identified form. Do not send us anything you would not want published in some form.

3. How we use information

• to operate, secure, and improve the Site;
• to review, edit, and publish story submissions you send us;
• to send the newsletter you asked for, and to measure whether it was delivered;
• to understand which stories readers find useful, in aggregate;
• to display advertising, including advertising selected by third-party networks;
• to prevent abuse, fraud, and spam, and to comply with law or respond to lawful requests.

We do not use your information to make automated decisions that have a legal or similarly significant effect on you.

4. Cookies, analytics, and advertising partners

We and our partners use cookies, local storage, pixels, and similar technologies. These fall into three groups: strictly necessary (site function, security, sign-in), analytics (aggregate traffic measurement), and advertising (ad delivery, frequency capping, and in some cases personalization).

Third-party advertising vendors, including Google and its partners, may use cookies and device identifiers to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. You can opt out of personalized Google advertising at Google Ads Settings, and out of many other vendors at aboutads.info or networkadvertising.org. In the EEA, UK, and Switzerland, advertising and analytics cookies are set only where consent is required and given, and you can withdraw consent at any time. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, though parts of the Site may not work as intended.

We do not permit advertising partners to target ads to you on the basis of a personal experience inferred from a specific story you read, and we do not knowingly build sensitive-topic audience segments.

5. When we share information

We share information only as described here:

• Service providers that host the Site, store our database, send email, and provide security or analytics, acting on our instructions;
• Advertising and measurement partners, which receive online identifiers and browsing activity as described above;
• Published content — the parts of a submission we publish, credited the way you chose;
• Legal and safety — where required by law, subpoena, or court order, or to protect our rights, users, or the public;
• Business transfers — in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to this policy.

We do not sell your personal information for money.

6. Retention

We keep newsletter subscriptions until you unsubscribe, plus a short record of the unsubscribe so we do not email you again. Submissions are kept as long as needed for editorial purposes and for our records. Server and security logs are kept for a limited period, typically no more than 24 months. Published content may remain online indefinitely unless you ask us to remove it.

7. Security

We use access controls, encryption in transit, and reputable infrastructure providers to protect information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your choices

• Newsletter: unsubscribe using the link in any email, or email us.
• Advertising: use the opt-out links in section 4, or your browser and device ad-tracking settings.
• Your story: ask us to remove or de-identify a published story at any time.
• Global Privacy Control: we honor the GPC signal where it is sent by your browser as an opt-out of targeted advertising.

9. U.S. state privacy rights

If you live in California or another U.S. state with a comprehensive privacy law, you may have the right to know what personal information we hold about you, to access or delete it, to correct it, to opt out of targeted advertising and of any "sale" or "sharing" as those laws define them, and not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes that require an additional right to limit.

To exercise a right, email privacy@realstory.ai with "Privacy request" in the subject line. We will verify your request, usually by confirming control of the email address involved, and respond within the time the law allows. An authorized agent may submit a request with proof of authority.

10. EEA, UK, and Swiss rights

Where GDPR or UK GDPR applies, our legal bases are: consent (newsletter, non-essential cookies), contract (providing features you request), legitimate interests (site security, aggregate analytics, editorial publishing), and legal obligation. Where you share sensitive personal information in a submission, we rely on your explicit consent and on the manifest-public nature of content you ask us to publish.

You may request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or object to processing, and you may withdraw consent at any time. You may also complain to your local supervisory authority. Information may be processed in the United States under appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

11. Children

The Site is not directed to children under 16 and we do not knowingly collect their personal information or knowingly serve them targeted advertising. If you believe a child has provided us information, email us and we will delete it.

12. Third-party sites

The Site links to outside resources. Their privacy practices are their own, and this policy does not apply to them.

13. Changes

We may update this policy by posting a revised version with a new effective date. Material changes will be noted on this page. Continued use after the effective date means you accept the updated policy.

14. Contact

Privacy questions and requests: privacy@realstory.ai. Other legal matters: legal@realstory.ai.