1. Information We Collect
ShortBooks collects account information, role, display name, email, birth date, password credentials or social-login references, settings, agreement acceptance records, uploads, content, purchases, subscriptions, support tickets, security logs, moderation records, and operational events.
For minors, ShortBooks may collect birth date, account email, parent or guardian contact information, consent status, consent timestamps, agreement versions, and related audit records.
2. Google Sign-In Data
When users choose Google sign-in, ShortBooks may receive a verified Google account identifier, verified email address, display name, profile image URL, and email verification status. Google sign-in only helps verify identity information; it does not bypass required legal agreements, age checks, parent approval, role selection, or author requirements.
3. Payout and Tax Information
For author payouts, ShortBooks may use Stripe Connect or another provider to collect identity, payout, and tax information. ShortBooks generally stores provider references, onboarding status, payout eligibility, account IDs, and limited metadata rather than raw tax identification numbers.
4. How We Use Information
We use information to operate accounts, process purchases and subscriptions, support publishing, moderate content, manage beta access, provide support, secure the platform, detect abuse, enforce agreements, satisfy legal, tax, payment, and safety obligations, and improve platform reliability.
5. Minors
ShortBooks may require parent or guardian consent for minors and may restrict accounts until consent is complete. For users under 13 where child privacy laws apply, ShortBooks will seek direct notice and verifiable parent or guardian consent unless an exception applies.
6. Third-Party Services
Payments, subscriptions, payout onboarding, tax certification, refunds, chargebacks, hosting, email, AI generation, analytics, Google sign-in, content screening, and security may be handled by third-party providers subject to their own terms and privacy policies.
7. Security
ShortBooks uses administrative, technical, and operational controls. Certain sensitive fields may be encrypted or protected at the application layer. No internet service can guarantee absolute security.
8. Sharing
ShortBooks may share information with service providers, payment processors, hosting providers, advisors, authorities, or other parties where needed for operation, compliance, payment processing, enforcement, safety, fraud prevention, or legal protection.
9. Retention
ShortBooks retains information as needed for account operation, legal compliance, tax and payment records, auditability, disputes, fraud prevention, safety, and enforcement. Some records may be retained after account closure.
10. User Choices and Contact
Users may request support, correction, access, or deletion through available channels. Requests may be limited by legal, tax, security, safety, dispute, payment, fraud-prevention, or audit obligations.