Privacy policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Publish Aid ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information when you use our website and services (the "Service"). We are based in British Columbia, Canada, and we handle personal information in accordance with British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). By using the Service, you consent to the practices described here.

Information we collect

We collect only what we need to operate the Service:

• Account information. When you create an account, our authentication provider stores your name, email address, and (if you provide one) profile picture.
• Payment information. When you buy credits, our payment processor handles your card and billing details directly. We never see or store your full card number — we only receive confirmation of a completed purchase and limited transaction metadata.
• Content you create. We store the puzzle, book, keyword, image, and tool configurations you generate, along with the exports and project data saved to your library, so the Service can function.
• Communications. If you contact us, we keep the messages you send and the email address you send them from so we can respond.
• Technical and usage data. Like most websites, our hosting and security infrastructure automatically processes data such as your IP address, browser type, and request logs to keep the Service running, secure, and protected against abuse. Where we retain identifiers for abuse prevention (for example, on public forms), we store a salted, irreversible hash rather than the raw IP address.

How we use your information

We use personal information to:

• create and manage your account and sign you in;
• process purchases and maintain your credit balance;
• generate, save, and export your puzzles, books, and other content;
• provide support and respond to your enquiries;
• keep the Service secure, prevent fraud and abuse, and meet legal obligations;
• improve and maintain the Service.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own advertising.

Consent

We collect, use, and disclose personal information only with your consent (express or implied) or as otherwise permitted or required by law. By creating an account and using the Service, you consent to the collection and use described in this policy. You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual limits, by contacting us — though doing so may mean we can no longer provide some or all of the Service.

Service providers

We rely on trusted third-party processors to run the Service. They may only use your information to provide services to us, under contractual confidentiality and security obligations. These include:

• an authentication provider, to manage sign-in and accounts;
• a payment processor, to handle purchases securely;
• cloud hosting, storage, and security providers, to run and protect the Service;
• AI model providers, to power generation features that you choose to use;
• an email delivery provider, to send transactional and support email.

Storage outside of Canada

Our service providers may store and process your personal information on servers located outside of Canada, including in the United States and other countries. While your information is in another jurisdiction, it may be accessible to that jurisdiction's courts, law enforcement, and regulatory authorities under its laws. By using the Service, you consent to this transfer, storage, and processing outside of Canada. If you have questions about how your information is handled abroad, contact us using the details below.

Disclosure

We may disclose personal information when required or permitted by law — for example, to comply with a valid legal request, to enforce our Terms of Service, to protect the rights, safety, or property of Publish Aid or others, or in connection with a business transfer (such as a merger or acquisition), in which case we will require the recipient to protect the information consistent with this policy.

Cookies

We use cookies only as needed to keep you signed in and to operate core features and security. We do not use third-party advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling them may prevent you from signing in or using parts of the Service.

Retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described above, to provide the Service, and to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. When it is no longer required, we delete or anonymize it. You can delete your account at any time, which removes your account and associated content as described below.

Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information to protect it against loss, theft, and unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your rights and choices

Under PIPA and PIPEDA, you have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, to request a correction if it is inaccurate or incomplete, and to withdraw your consent (subject to legal or contractual restrictions). You can:

• review and update your account details from your account settings;
• delete your account and associated data at any time from your account page, or by contacting us;
• request access to, or correction of, your personal information by contacting us.

We will respond to verified requests within the timelines required by applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

Children's privacy

The Service is intended for adults and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

Your content

The puzzle books and other materials you export are yours. We claim no ownership over anything you generate or publish. See our Terms of Service for details.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, we will update this page and the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of the Service after a change means you accept the updated policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact and complaints

We have designated a privacy contact responsible for our compliance with this policy. To ask a question, exercise a right, or make a complaint about how we handle your personal information, reach us through our contact page.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the regulator for British Columbia, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia, or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.