Privacy Policy

1. Introduction and Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how Spare Matter Corp collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards personal information when you visit autowritten.com, register for an account, or use the AutoWritten content management platform (collectively, the "Service"). It also describes your rights regarding your personal information.

By using the Service, you consent to the data practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Service.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in the following categories:

2a. Information You Provide Directly

• Account information: Name, email address, and password when you register
• Profile information: Display name, avatar, and preferences you choose to provide
• Billing information: Payment card details and billing address (processed by our payment provider; we do not store full card numbers)
• Communications: Messages you send us via contact forms, email, or support tickets
• User Content: Articles, prompts, domain configurations, and other content you create or upload

2b. Information Collected Automatically

• Log data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and timestamps
• Device data: Device identifiers, screen resolution, and language settings
• Usage data: Features used, content generated, domains created, and actions taken within the Service
• Cookies and similar technologies: Session tokens, preference cookies, and analytics identifiers (see Section 9)

2c. Information from Third Parties

• Google OAuth: If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture as authorized by you
• Analytics providers: Aggregated behavioral and traffic data from Google Analytics
• Payment processors: Transaction confirmation and limited billing data from our payment processor (e.g., Stripe)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

• Service delivery: To create and manage your account, process payments, and provide all platform features
• AI processing: To send your prompts to third-party AI services (e.g., Google Gemini) on your behalf to generate requested content
• Communication: To send transactional emails, security alerts, billing receipts, and product updates
• Support: To respond to your inquiries and resolve technical issues
• Improvement: To analyze usage patterns, diagnose bugs, and develop new features
• Security: To detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity
• Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes
• Marketing: To send promotional communications where you have opted in (you may opt out at any time)

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, Spare Matter Corp processes your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Contract performance: Processing necessary to provide the Service under our Terms of Service
• Legitimate interests: Analytics, security monitoring, fraud prevention, and service improvement, where these interests are not overridden by your rights
• Consent: Marketing communications and non-essential cookies, where you have provided explicit consent
• Legal obligation: Where processing is required to comply with applicable law

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: Trusted third-party vendors who process data on our behalf (e.g., Firebase/Google Cloud for hosting and authentication, Stripe for payments, Google AI for content generation). These providers are contractually bound to protect your data and use it only for specified purposes.
• Legal requirements: When required by law, subpoena, court order, or governmental authority, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
• Business transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or corporate restructuring, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice before your personal information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
• With your consent: We may share data with third parties when you have given explicit consent.
• Aggregated/anonymized data: We may share aggregated, de-identified data that cannot reasonably be used to identify you.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Specifically:

• Account data: Retained for the duration of your account plus up to 90 days after deletion to allow account recovery
• User Content: Deleted within 30 days following account closure, unless a longer retention period is required by law
• Billing records: Retained for 7 years as required by tax and accounting regulations
• Log data: Retained for up to 12 months for security and debugging purposes
• Legal holds: Data subject to litigation holds may be retained longer as required

7. Data Security

Spare Matter Corp implements industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS/HTTPS
• Encryption of sensitive data at rest
• Role-based access controls limiting employee access to personal data
• Regular security reviews and vulnerability assessments
• Firebase Security Rules governing database access

No method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

8. International Data Transfers

Spare Matter Corp and its service providers operate in the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States or other countries that may not have equivalent data protection laws.

Where required (e.g., for transfers from the EEA or UK), we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies (e.g., local storage, pixels) to operate and improve the Service:

• Essential cookies: Required for authentication, session management, and core platform functionality. Cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Used by Google Analytics to collect aggregated data about how users interact with the Service (e.g., pages visited, time on site). This data helps us improve the platform.
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences (e.g., selected domain, theme preferences).

You can control non-essential cookies through your browser settings or, where applicable, our cookie consent mechanism. Disabling certain cookies may affect platform functionality.

10. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention obligations
• Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format (EEA/UK users)
• Restriction: Request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
• Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting prior processing
• Marketing opt-out: Unsubscribe from promotional emails at any time using the unsubscribe link or by contacting us

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@autowritten.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

• Right to Know: Request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you in the past 12 months
• Right to Delete: Request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions
• Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Right to Opt-Out: We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights

To submit a CCPA request, email privacy@autowritten.com with "California Privacy Request" in the subject line.

12. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EEA/UK). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us immediately at privacy@autowritten.com and we will promptly delete it.

13. Third-Party Services and Links

The Service integrates with and may link to third-party services including Google (OAuth, Analytics, Gemini AI, Firebase), Stripe (payments), and others. These services have their own privacy policies and data practices. We encourage you to review them. Spare Matter Corp is not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party services.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will notify active account holders by email or prominent in-app notice at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

15. Contact Us

For questions, concerns, or to exercise your privacy rights, please contact:

If you are in the EEA or UK and you believe we have not adequately addressed your privacy concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.