Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We collect information that you provide directly to us when using PetTales™. Here's exactly what we collect and why:

Account Information

When you create a PetTales™ account, we collect your email address and name. If you sign in with Google, we receive your name and email from your Google account. We use this to create and manage your account.

Pet Information

You provide your pet's name, species, breed, and personality traits. You also upload photos of your pet. We use this information to create your personalized storybook — your pet's details shape the story, and their photos help generate illustrations that look like them.

Co-Star and Character Information

If you add co-star characters (family members, friends, or other pets), we collect their names, descriptions, and optionally their photos. This information is used solely to include them in your storybook.

Payment Information

All payment processing is handled by Stripe, our payment processor. We never see, store, or have access to your credit card number. Stripe provides us with a transaction record and your billing email for order confirmation purposes only.

Shipping Information

If you order a hardcover book, we collect your shipping address to fulfill your order. This address is shared with our print fulfillment partner (Lulu) to ship your book.

Phone Number (Optional)

If you choose to receive SMS text message notifications, we collect your phone number. Your phone number is used solely to send transactional text messages (storybook-ready alerts, preview reminders, and shipping updates). See Section 3: SMS Text Message Notifications for full details.

Generated Content

The storybook text and illustrations that our AI creates for you are stored in your account so you can view and download them at any time.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for these specific purposes:

• Creating your storybook — Your pet's details and photos are sent to our AI services to generate a personalized story and illustrations.
• Order fulfillment — Processing payments, printing hardcover books, and shipping them to you.
• Account management — Letting you sign in, view your storybooks, and manage your pets.
• Communication — Sending order confirmations, shipping updates, and responding to your support requests. We do not send marketing emails unless you opt in.
• Service improvement — Understanding how our service is used so we can make it better.
• Marketing and promotion — We may use your uploaded pet photos, pet details, and AI-generated storybook content (illustrations, covers, and story excerpts) to promote PetTales™ on our website, social media, advertisements, and other marketing materials. By using PetTales™, you consent to this use as described in our Terms of Service.

3. SMS Text Message Notifications

PetTales offers optional SMS text message notifications as a convenience for paid users. SMS is entirely opt-in — you are never automatically enrolled.

Data Collected

• Phone number — Stored only while you are actively opted in.
• Consent timestamp — When you opted in, retained for up to 2 years for TCPA regulatory compliance even after opt-out.

Purpose and Message Types

We send only transactional text messages: storybook completion alerts, preview expiration reminders, and shipping/delivery updates. We never send marketing, promotional, or advertising messages via SMS. Maximum 5 messages per storybook order.

Opt-Out and Deletion

You can opt out at any time by replying STOP to any message, using the cancellation link on our website, or emailing [email protected]. Upon opting out, your phone number is immediately deleted from our database.

Third-Party Sharing

Your phone number is shared only with Twilio, our SMS delivery provider, for the sole purpose of delivering text messages. We never sell, rent, or share your phone number with any other third party.

For complete details on consent, message frequency, and opt-out methods, see our SMS Consent & Disclosure.

4. Third-Party Services

We work with trusted third-party services to provide PetTales™. Each service only receives the data it needs to do its job:

• Stripe (payments) — Processes your credit card payments securely. We never store your card details. Stripe's Privacy Policy
• Lulu (print fulfillment) — Prints and ships your hardcover books. They receive your shipping address and the book PDF.
• Cloudflare R2 (file storage) — Securely stores your uploaded photos and generated storybook images.
• Anthropic Claude (AI text generation) — Generates your storybook text. Your pet's name, personality, and story preferences are sent as prompts. Photos are not sent to this service.
• Replicate (AI image generation) — Generates storybook illustrations. Your pet's photos may be sent as reference images to create illustrations that resemble your pet.
• SendGrid (email) — Delivers order confirmations, shipping notifications, and magic link sign-in emails.
• Twilio (SMS) — Delivers transactional text messages when you opt in to SMS notifications. Only your phone number and message content are shared. Twilio retains delivery logs for 30 days. Twilio's Privacy Policy
• Google (authentication) — If you choose to sign in with Google, Google shares your name and email with us. We do not share data back with Google.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your account data (name, email, pet details, storybook text) is stored in a secure PostgreSQL database. Your photos and generated images are stored in Cloudflare R2 cloud storage.

All data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS). We use industry-standard security practices to protect your data from unauthorized access.

While we take security seriously and use best practices, no method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to protecting your information to the best of our ability.

6. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain your account data and storybooks for as long as your account is active so you can access your books anytime. If you request account deletion, we will delete your personal data within 30 days. Please note that the license you grant under our Terms of Service for uploaded photos and generated content used in marketing or promotional materials survives account deletion — content already published in such materials may remain in use.

Payment records may be retained longer as required by tax and financial regulations.

To request deletion of your data, email us at [email protected].

7. Children's Privacy

PetTales™ creates storybooks for children, but our service is designed to be used by parents and guardians. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Parents and guardians are the ones who create accounts, upload photos, and place orders. Children do not need to interact with the service directly.

If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected] and we will promptly delete that information.

8. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have specific rights regarding your personal data:

For EU/EEA Residents (GDPR)

• Right to access — You can request a copy of all personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — You can ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Right to erasure — You can request that we delete your personal data.
• Right to data portability — You can request your data in a machine-readable format. Your storybook PDFs are downloadable at any time.

For California Residents (CCPA)

• Right to know — You can request details about what personal information we collect and how we use it.
• Right to delete — You can request deletion of your personal information.
• Right to opt-out of sale — We do not sell your personal information. Period.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Cookies

PetTales™ uses only essential cookies required for the service to function:

• Session cookie — Keeps you signed in while you use PetTales™. This cookie is deleted when you sign out or it expires.

We do not use any analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies. We do not use third-party cookies. Because we only use essential cookies that are strictly necessary for the service, no cookie consent banner is required.

10. International Data Transfers

PetTales™ is operated from the United States. If you are accessing our service from the European Union, United Kingdom, or another region with data protection laws, please be aware that your data may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.

Our third-party service providers (Stripe, Cloudflare, Anthropic, Replicate, Twilio) maintain their own data protection standards and comply with applicable international data transfer frameworks.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of PetTales™ after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please reach out:

• Email: [email protected]
• Support page: mypettalesbook.com/contact