This Privacy Policy explains what information ZineKit ("we," "us") collects when you use our website, editor, and related services (the "Service"), how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have.

1. Information We Collect

• Account information. Your email address and login credentials, plus optional profile details you choose to add (such as a display name or avatar).
• Zine content. The zines you create — text, layouts, drawings, and the images and audio files you upload.
• AI prompts. The text prompts and settings you submit when you use AI image-generation features.
• Print order details. Your name and shipping address when you order a printed zine, plus the print-ready files for that order.
• Payment information. Payments are handled entirely by Stripe. Your card number and full payment details go directly to Stripe and never touch ZineKit's servers. We receive only limited billing metadata from Stripe, such as your subscription status, transaction history, and the last four digits and brand of your card.
• Usage and technical data. Basic logs and diagnostics — such as IP address, browser type, pages visited, and error reports — used to keep the Service reliable and secure.
• Support messages. The contents of emails you send us.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To provide the Service: authenticate you, store and display your zines, generate previews and print files, and fulfill print orders.
• To process payments, manage subscriptions, and meter AI credit usage.
• To run AI features you request, by sending your prompts to our AI providers.
• To send transactional email — account, billing, and order notifications.
• To monitor errors, debug problems, prevent abuse, and keep the Service secure.
• To understand aggregate usage and improve the product, using privacy-friendly analytics.
• To comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use your zine content to train AI models.

3. Who We Share Data With (Subprocessors)

We share data only with the service providers that power ZineKit, and only what each one needs to do its job:

Beyond these providers, we may disclose information if required by law or legal process, to protect the rights and safety of users or the public, or as part of a business transfer (such as a merger or acquisition), in which case this policy will continue to apply to your data.

4. Cookies

We use essential cookies to keep you signed in and to secure your session. These are required for the Service to work. Beyond that, we use privacy-friendly analytics to understand aggregate usage; we do not use third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking.

5. Data Retention

We keep your account data and zine content for as long as your account is active. When you delete content or your account, we delete the associated data from our production systems within a reasonable period; copies in encrypted backups expire on their normal rotation schedule. We retain billing and order records for as long as tax, accounting, and legal requirements demand, and we may keep limited logs for security purposes for a short period.

6. Your Rights

You can access and update much of your information directly in your account settings. You can also contact us at support@zinekit.com to request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal data, or a copy of it in a portable format.

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or another region with similar data-protection laws (such as the GDPR), you additionally have the right to object to or restrict certain processing, to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, and to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. If you are a California resident, the CCPA/CPRA gives you the right to know what personal information we collect, to request deletion or correction, and to not be discriminated against for exercising your rights; we do not sell or share your personal information as those terms are defined in the CCPA. We will respond to verified requests within the timeframes required by applicable law.

7. International Transfers

ZineKit and most of our service providers operate in the United States, so your information may be processed outside the country where you live. Where required, transfers from regions like the EEA and UK rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses or our providers' participation in recognized data-transfer frameworks.

8. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13 (or under 16 where local law sets a higher minimum), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under the applicable age has created an account, contact us at support@zinekit.com and we will delete the account and its data.

9. Security

We protect your data with measures including encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest, row-level security on our database, scoped access controls for internal systems, and secrets management for service credentials. Payment data is handled by Stripe, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified processor. No online service can guarantee perfect security, so please use a strong, unique password and let us know immediately if you suspect your account has been compromised.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as the Service evolves. For material changes we will give notice — for example by email or an in-app notice — before the changes take effect. The "Effective" date above shows when the current version took effect.

11. Contact

Questions, concerns, or requests about your data? Contact us at support@zinekit.com.