Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

My StoryWing creates personalised children's storybooks based on your family's real travel destination. The data controller is [Company legal name], registered at [registered address], company number [number]. For anything related to privacy, contact us at [contact email].

2. The data we collect

• Personalisation details you enter: the child's first name, age, appearance choices (hair, skin tone, eyes, hairstyle, build), the destination, and an optional dedication message.
• A photo, only if you choose to upload one to create the character (see section 3 — we do not store it).
• Order and contact details: your name, email, delivery address and order history when you place an order. Payment is processed by our payment provider — we never see or store your full card details.
• Technical data: basic device and usage information (IP address, browser type) used for security, fraud prevention and fair-use limits on the free preview.
• Anything you send us when you contact support or suggest a destination.

3. Photos and AI character generation

• If you upload a photo, it is sent securely to our illustration service solely to generate an illustrated character in our art style.
• The photo is processed transiently and is not stored on our servers. Once the illustrated character has been generated, the photo is gone.
• If you add a book to your basket and order it, we keep the illustrated character image (a drawing, not the photo) with your order, because we need it to print your book.
• We never use photos or generated characters for marketing, training AI models of our own, or any purpose other than making your book, unless you give us separate, explicit consent.

4. Children's data

• Our website is designed for use by adults (parents and guardians), not by children.
• The child's information you provide (name, age, appearance, photo) is used only to create the personalised book you asked for.
• By uploading a child's photo you confirm you are their parent or legal guardian, or have that person's explicit permission.
• We apply data minimisation: we only ask for what the book actually needs, and we don't build profiles of children.

5. How and why we use your data

6. Who we share data with

Only service providers who help us run My StoryWing, under contracts that protect your data:

• Shopify — our store platform (orders, checkout, customer accounts).
• Payment providers — to process your payment securely.
• Vercel — hosts the preview tools and stores generated character images.
• Google (Gemini API) — processes the photo/description transiently to generate the illustrated character.
• Gelato — our print partner; receives the finished book file and your delivery address to print and ship your order.
• Delivery carriers, and authorities where the law requires it.

We never sell personal data.

7. How long we keep data

• Uploaded photos: not stored (transient processing only).
• Preview data you don't order: character images not added to an order are kept briefly for the preview session and then routinely deleted.
• Order data (including the character image and dedication): kept while we may need it for reprints and support, and as required for tax records (up to 6 years in the UK).
• Marketing consents: until you withdraw them.

8. International transfers

Some of our providers process data outside the UK/EEA (for example in the United States). Where that happens, transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards such as the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework or standard contractual clauses.

9. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you can ask us to: access the data we hold about you, correct it, delete it, restrict or object to its processing, port it to another provider, and withdraw any consent you gave. Email [contact email] and we will respond within one month. You will never be charged for exercising your rights.

10. Cookies

• Essential cookies: used to run the basket, checkout and the fair-use limit on the free preview. These are required for the site to work.
• Analytics/marketing cookies: only set if we ask for and you give consent via a cookie banner.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The version and date at the top of this page tell you when it last changed. Significant changes will be highlighted on the site.

12. Contact us & complaints

Privacy questions or requests: [contact email]. If you're not happy with our answer, you have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.