Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Novels AI (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when you visit our website at novels-ai.com or use our AI storytelling platform services. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Please read this policy carefully. By using our website or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

1. Who We Are

The data controller for the purposes of this Privacy Policy is:

As data controller, we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data. If you have any questions about how we handle your data, please contact us using the details above.

2. Data We Collect

We collect personal data in the following ways:

2.1 Data you provide directly

• Contact form submissions: name, email address, and message content when you contact us via our website.
• Account registration: name, email address, and password when you register for a Novels AI account.
• Payment information: billing details processed securely through our payment provider. We do not store full payment card details on our servers.
• Story preferences: genre selections, narrator preferences, and customisation choices you make when using the platform.
• Communications: any correspondence you send to us, including support queries.

2.2 Data collected automatically

• Usage data: pages visited, time spent on pages, features used, and interaction patterns.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, and screen resolution.
• Cookies and similar technologies: session data, preference data, and analytics identifiers. See Section 5 for full details.

2.3 Data from third parties

We may receive limited data from analytics providers (such as aggregate traffic data) and payment processors (such as transaction status). We do not purchase data from data brokers.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• Delivering our services: generating personalised stories, processing subscriptions, and providing platform access.
• Customer support: responding to queries and resolving issues.
• Personalisation: remembering your preferences and improving the relevance of story recommendations.
• Service improvement: analysing usage patterns to improve platform performance, features, and content quality.
• Communications: sending service-related notices, subscription confirmations, and (with your consent) marketing communications.
• Legal compliance: meeting our obligations under applicable UK law, including tax and accounting requirements.
• Security: detecting and preventing fraud, abuse, and unauthorised access.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases for processing your personal data:

• Contract performance (Article 6(1)(b)): processing necessary to provide you with the services you have requested or subscribed to.
• Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)): processing for analytics, service improvement, fraud prevention, and platform security, where our interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): for optional analytics cookies and marketing communications. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)): processing required to comply with UK law.

5. Cookies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website. Cookies are small text files placed on your device.

5.1 Essential cookies

These are required for the website to function and cannot be disabled. They include session management, security tokens, and your cookie preference settings.

5.2 Analytics cookies

With your consent, we use analytics cookies to understand how visitors use our website. This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally. You may decline these cookies via the consent banner without affecting your use of the site.

5.3 Managing cookies

You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies may affect website functionality. For more information, visit aboutcookies.org.

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: trusted third parties who process data on our behalf (such as cloud hosting, payment processing, and email delivery). These providers are contractually bound to protect your data and may not use it for other purposes.
• Legal requirements: where required by UK law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of our users or others.
• Business transfers: if Novels AI is acquired or merges with another organisation, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you in advance if this occurs.

All third-party service providers are selected carefully and are required to maintain appropriate data security standards. Where providers are located outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR transfer requirements.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy:

• Account data: for the duration of your account plus up to 3 years after account closure, for legal and legitimate business purposes.
• Contact form data: up to 2 years after the last correspondence.
• Payment records: up to 7 years as required by UK tax law.
• Analytics data: aggregated data is retained indefinitely; individual session data is retained for up to 26 months.

After the relevant retention period, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure: to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restriction: to request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format in certain circumstances.
• Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
• Rights relating to automated decision-making: to not be subject to solely automated decisions that significantly affect you.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within one month of receiving your request. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS), access controls, regular security assessments, and staff data protection training.

While we take data security seriously, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but will notify you and the ICO in the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, as required by UK GDPR.

10. Children's Privacy

Novels AI is intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 18. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us immediately and we will take prompt action to delete it.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including our social media channels on YouTube, TikTok, and Discord. These sites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or platform features. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this policy and, where appropriate, notify you by email or through a notice on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

For any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all data-related enquiries within 5 business days and to formal rights requests within the statutory one-month period.