Become The Story, LLC (“Become The Story,” “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, process, disclose, retain, and protect personal information when you access or use becomethestory.com, create an account, submit photographs or other content, create a personalized project, generate or approve a preview, purchase a product, communicate with us, submit a review, or otherwise use our websites, applications, products, and services (collectively, the “Services”).
Become The Story provides personalized, AI-assisted storybook and comic-book creation services. Because personalization is central to the Services, customers may choose to provide photographs, names, likenesses, questionnaire responses, story details, preferences, prompts, shipping information, and other information necessary to create, purchase, print, fulfill, and support personalized products.
This Privacy Policy describes the categories of information we may collect, the purposes for which we may use that information, the circumstances in which information may be disclosed to authorized service providers or other parties, the choices and privacy rights that may be available to you, and how you may contact us regarding privacy matters.
By using the Services, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy should be read together with our Terms of Service and other applicable policies. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, you should not provide personal information or use the Services except as otherwise necessary to exercise rights available to you under applicable law.
“Personal Information” means information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked to an identifiable individual or household, as defined or recognized under applicable law. Depending on the circumstances, this may include names, email addresses, account information, photographs, likenesses, questionnaire responses, shipping information, transaction information, device or technical information, communications, and other information associated with a customer or user.
"Customer Content” means photographs, images, names, likenesses, descriptions, biographical or story information, questionnaire responses, prompts, instructions, text, files, reviews, ratings, feedback, and other content that you or someone acting on your behalf submits through the Services.
“Services” means the Become The Story website, customer accounts, personalized book-creation tools, artificial-intelligence-assisted generation features, previews, ordering and payment functionality, digital materials where offered, physical personalized products, customer support, reviews, and related services provided by Become The Story.
“Service Providers” means companies or other parties that process information or perform services on our behalf or in connection with the Services, such as providers of website hosting, databases, cloud storage, artificial intelligence, payment processing, printing, fulfillment, shipping, email, communications, security, analytics, and other operational technology.
This Privacy Policy applies to Personal Information processed by Become The Story in connection with the Services. It does not necessarily apply to information processed independently by third parties under their own privacy policies or to third-party websites or services that we do not control.
We may collect Personal Information and Customer Content that you voluntarily provide when you create an account, create or manage a personalized project, upload photographs or images, complete a questionnaire, provide names or story information, select product preferences, approve a preview, place an order, contact customer support, submit a review or testimonial, participate in a promotion, or otherwise interact with the Services.
This may include your name, email address, account credentials or authentication information, account preferences, communications, and other information associated with your customer account.
To create personalized products, we may collect photographs, images, names, likenesses, age-related or character information, questionnaire responses, story facts, relationships, interests, preferences, prompts, instructions, selected art styles, generated stories, generated illustrations, previews, approved content, and other information associated with a personalized project.
When you purchase a product, we may collect or process information necessary to complete and fulfill the transaction, including customer name, billing-related information, shipping name and address, product selection, order details, transaction identifiers, payment status, fulfillment information, shipping status, and related records.
We may collect information contained in communications you send to us, including customer-support inquiries, complaints, refund or replacement requests, privacy requests, intellectual-property complaints, feedback, and other correspondence.
If you choose to submit a review, rating, testimonial, comment, or other material for publication, we may collect and process the information you voluntarily provide for purposes of verifying eligibility to submit a review, reviewing and moderating the submission, displaying approved submissions, responding to reviews, preventing review fraud or abuse, and administering the review system in accordance with our Terms and applicable law.
Become The Story is a personalized product service. We process Customer Content to create and manage personalized projects, generate stories and illustrations, create previews, process customer-requested revisions or regenerations where available, produce final personalized content, create print-ready files, fulfill orders, provide customer support, maintain appropriate records, protect the Services, and perform other activities reasonably necessary to provide the Services requested by the customer.
Photographs and likenesses submitted through the Services may be processed to create character references, personalized illustrations, previews, final book content, and other elements of the requested personalized product. Because these materials may identify or depict individuals, customers should submit them only when they possess the rights, permissions, consents, or other legal authority necessary for the requested use.
Uploading a photograph or other personalized Customer Content for creation of a book does not, by itself, authorize Become The Story to publish that private material in public advertising, social media, testimonials, galleries, or other promotional materials. Where authorization is required, we will obtain appropriate permission before using identifiable private Customer Content for public marketing or promotional purposes.
The Services create and store information associated with personalized projects, which may include generated stories, illustrations, previews, approved content, final book pages, project status information, and print-ready materials. Generated content may remain associated with the applicable customer account or project for purposes such as providing the Services, maintaining order history, supporting purchased products, resolving disputes, preventing fraud, and complying with legal or contractual obligations.
Become The Story products may be created for or feature children and minors. However, the Services are intended to be used and purchased by adults or by persons legally authorized to use the Services. A parent, legal guardian, or other legally authorized adult should submit Personal Information or Customer Content concerning a minor only when that person has appropriate authority to do so.
When an authorized customer creates a personalized product involving a minor, the customer may choose to provide information such as the minor's name, photograph, likeness, age or age range, interests, relationships, story details, and other information useful for personalization. We process such information for purposes reasonably necessary to create, manage, produce, fulfill, and support the requested personalized product and as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy.
Photographs or likenesses depicting minors may be processed through the Services to create personalized stories, character references, illustrations, previews, final book content, and related materials. The person submitting such content represents that they possess the legally sufficient parental, guardian, custodial, or other authority necessary to authorize the requested use.
Submission of a minor's photograph, likeness, name, or other Personal Information for creation of a personalized product does not, by itself, authorize Become The Story to publicly display that information or use it for advertising, social media, testimonials, gallery content, or other promotional purposes. Where legally required, appropriate permission or consent will be obtained before identifiable content involving a minor is used publicly.
A parent, legal guardian, or other person with appropriate legal authority may contact Become The Story regarding access, correction, deletion, or other privacy requests concerning Personal Information associated with a minor. We may take reasonable steps to verify the identity and authority of the person making the request before acting upon it.
Become The Story does not knowingly intend its account-creation, purchasing, or ordering Services to be directed to children who are not legally able to enter into the applicable transaction or provide the required authorization. If we learn that Personal Information from a child has been collected in circumstances requiring parental or guardian consent that was not properly obtained, we may take appropriate steps consistent with applicable law, including restricting the account or deleting the information where required.
We may use Personal Information and Customer Content for legitimate business and operational purposes associated with providing and protecting the Services, including to:
We will not use private Customer Content for materially unrelated public advertising or promotional purposes merely because that content was submitted to create a personalized product. Where separate permission is required for promotional use, we will seek that permission.
Become The Story uses artificial-intelligence-assisted technologies as part of the personalized book-creation process. Depending on the feature being used, Customer Content and project information may be processed to generate or assist in generating stories, character references, illustrations, previews, final book content, and other personalized materials.
Information processed for AI-assisted generation may include photographs, likenesses, names, questionnaire responses, story details, prompts, instructions, selected artistic styles, existing project content, generated content, and other information reasonably necessary to perform the generation requested by the customer.
Become The Story may use authorized third-party technology or artificial-intelligence service providers to perform portions of the generation process. Information necessary to perform the requested service may therefore be transmitted to or processed by such providers, subject to applicable agreements, provider terms, privacy protections, security measures, and applicable law.
Become The Story does not make representations in this Privacy Policy about a third-party provider's independent data practices beyond commitments that Become The Story is legally or contractually authorized to make. The Company's use of service providers may change as technologies, vendors, and operational requirements change.
Certain portions of project creation, generation, security, fraud prevention, order processing, and other operational activities may involve automated systems. Become The Story may also review information where reasonably necessary for customer support, troubleshooting, safety, security, quality control, legal compliance, or operation of the Services.
Become The Story may disclose or make Personal Information and Customer Content available to third parties where reasonably necessary to operate the Services, fulfill customer requests, protect the Company and its users, or comply with applicable law.
We may disclose information to Service Providers that perform functions for or in connection with Become The Story, including website and application hosting, database services, cloud storage, artificial intelligence and content generation, payment processing, printing, fulfillment, shipping, email and communications, analytics, security, fraud prevention, customer support, and related operational services.
When you purchase a physical product, information necessary to produce and deliver that product may be provided to authorized printing, fulfillment, shipping, payment, and related providers. This may include information such as your name, shipping address, order details, product specifications, print-ready files, transaction identifiers, and other information reasonably necessary to complete the requested service.
We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, court order, or lawful governmental request; enforce our agreements or policies; investigate fraud, abuse, or security incidents; protect the rights, property, safety, or security of Become The Story, our customers, service providers, or others; or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
Information may be disclosed or transferred as part of an actual or proposed merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, bankruptcy, or other business transaction, subject to applicable law and appropriate protections.
We may disclose information when you direct us to do so, request a feature requiring disclosure, or otherwise provide permission or consent where required.
Information you voluntarily choose to make public through a review, testimonial, photograph, comment, or similar public-facing feature may be visible to other users and members of the public. You should not include information in a public submission that you do not want publicly available.
Payments for Become The Story products may be processed through authorized third-party payment processors. When you make a purchase, payment information necessary to process the transaction may be collected and processed directly by the applicable payment provider.
Become The Story may receive and maintain transaction-related information such as your name, email address, billing-related information, transaction or payment identifiers, payment status, product purchased, amount paid, refund status, and other information reasonably necessary to administer the order and maintain appropriate business and financial records.
Become The Story does not intend to directly store complete payment-card numbers, card security codes, or other complete payment credentials when those credentials are collected and processed directly by an authorized payment processor. Payment providers process payment information according to their own applicable terms, privacy practices, and security requirements.
Payment and transaction information may be processed for purposes including completing purchases, issuing authorized refunds, preventing fraudulent transactions, investigating disputes or chargebacks, maintaining accounting and tax records, and protecting the Company and its customers.
Become The Story may use authorized third-party providers to manufacture, print, fulfill, ship, and deliver physical personalized products. Information reasonably necessary to complete an order may be transmitted to or processed by those providers.
Depending on the service required, fulfillment information may include the recipient's name, shipping address, order number or transaction identifier, selected product specifications, quantity, shipping method, print-ready book files, and other information reasonably necessary to manufacture and deliver the purchased product.
Because Become The Story sells personalized printed products, print-ready files provided to an authorized printing or fulfillment provider may contain Customer Content and generated content, including personalized names, stories, illustrations, likenesses, or other content included in the customer's final book.
Shipping and delivery providers may receive information necessary to deliver an order, such as recipient name, shipping address, package information, shipment identifiers, and other information necessary for delivery, tracking, or resolution of shipping problems.
Printing, fulfillment, and shipping providers may process information in accordance with applicable agreements, their respective privacy practices, and applicable law. Become The Story does not control every independent processing activity performed by third-party providers.
When you use the Services, certain technical information may be collected automatically by Become The Story or authorized service providers. Depending on the technologies enabled on the Services, this may include IP address, browser type, device information, operating system, referring pages, pages or features viewed, dates and times of access, approximate location derived from technical information, error information, and other usage or diagnostic information.
The Services may use cookies, local storage, pixels, scripts, or similar technologies where necessary or appropriate to operate the website, maintain sessions, support authentication, remember preferences, provide security, understand website performance, troubleshoot problems, or support analytics and other permitted business purposes.
Become The Story may use analytics or similar technologies to understand how customers interact with the Services, identify technical problems, evaluate website performance, and improve the customer experience. The specific technologies and providers used may change as the Services develop.
Depending on your browser, device, location, and applicable law, you may be able to control certain cookies or similar technologies through browser or device settings or through privacy controls made available on the Services. Disabling certain technologies may affect the operation or availability of some features.
Customers may create accounts to access and use certain features of the Services. We may process account information such as name, email address, account identifiers, authentication information, project associations, account status, and related information necessary to operate and secure the account.
Become The Story may use authorized authentication, database, hosting, or other technology providers to support account creation, login, password-reset functionality, session management, and account security.
Passwords and authentication credentials should be protected and should not be shared with unauthorized persons. Where passwords are handled through an authorized authentication provider or authentication system, Become The Story does not intend to maintain passwords in readable plain-text form.
We may process technical, security, account, and activity information where reasonably necessary to authenticate users, investigate suspicious activity, prevent unauthorized access, enforce account restrictions, troubleshoot problems, and protect the Services.
Become The Story retains Personal Information and Customer Content for periods reasonably necessary to provide the Services, maintain customer accounts and project history, fulfill and support orders, maintain appropriate business and financial records, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, prevent fraud and abuse, protect the Services, comply with legal obligations, and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
Information associated with personalized projects, previews, customer approvals, purchases, generated products, payment status, fulfillment, shipping, customer support, and related transactions may be retained where reasonably necessary to maintain the customer's project or order history and to document the services requested and provided.
Different categories of information may be retained for different periods depending upon the nature of the information, the purpose for which it was collected or processed, customer expectations, operational requirements, contractual obligations, security considerations, dispute-resolution needs, and applicable legal requirements.
When information is no longer reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it is retained, Become The Story may delete, anonymize, de-identify, or otherwise dispose of it in accordance with applicable law and reasonable business practices. Information may remain for a limited period in backups, archives, security records, fraud-prevention systems, or other systems where immediate deletion is not reasonably practicable or where continued retention is legally permitted or required.
Customers may contact Become The Story to request deletion of certain Personal Information or Customer Content as described in the privacy-rights sections of this Privacy Policy. A deletion request does not necessarily require deletion of information that the Company is legally permitted or required to retain, including appropriate transaction, tax, accounting, security, fraud-prevention, dispute, and legal records.
Become The Story uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect Personal Information and Customer Content against unauthorized access, acquisition, disclosure, alteration, loss, destruction, or misuse, taking into account the nature of the information and the Services.
Security measures may include access controls, authentication mechanisms, restricted access to systems and information, secure communications technologies where appropriate, service-provider security measures, monitoring, logging, backups, and other safeguards reasonably appropriate to the operation of the Services.
No website, database, cloud service, transmission method, or information-storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Accordingly, Become The Story cannot guarantee that unauthorized persons will never defeat security measures or that information will never be accessed, disclosed, altered, lost, or destroyed despite reasonable safeguards.
You are responsible for taking reasonable steps to protect your account credentials, devices, and access to your email account. You should notify Become The Story promptly if you reasonably believe your account or Personal Information has been accessed or used without authorization.
If Become The Story becomes aware of a security incident involving Personal Information, the Company may investigate the incident, take reasonable remediation measures, cooperate with applicable service providers or authorities, and provide legally required notifications in accordance with applicable law.
Customers who are provided an eligible review opportunity may voluntarily submit a star rating and written review regarding their Become The Story product or experience. Become The Story may use order or transaction information to verify that a review is associated with an eligible purchase.
When an approved customer review is published, the public review may display the customer's first name, star rating, written review, review date, and an indication that the review is associated with a verified purchase. Become The Story does not need to publicly display the customer's last name, email address, order number, payment information, shipping information, or other private transaction information as part of the review.
Become The Story may review or moderate submissions for legitimate purposes, including protecting personal or private information; addressing abusive, threatening, hateful, harassing, or unlawful content; addressing spam, advertising, unrelated commercial solicitation, or malware; addressing content that is not a genuine product-experience review or is knowingly false, fraudulent, fabricated, or submitted to manipulate the review system; protecting intellectual-property, privacy, publicity, or other legal rights; and complying with applicable law. Become The Story will not remove or suppress an otherwise lawful and genuine customer review merely because the review is negative or critical. An approved review may also be removed at the reviewer's request where Become The Story can reasonably identify the applicable review.
Photographs, likenesses, stories, questionnaire responses, generated book content, or other Customer Content submitted privately for creation of a personalized product will not automatically be treated as review, testimonial, gallery, advertising, or promotional content merely because the customer used the Services.
Where a customer separately agrees or gives legally sufficient permission for Become The Story to use a review, photograph, testimonial, reaction video, book image, or other identifiable content for marketing or promotional purposes, the Company may process and use that material within the scope of the permission provided and applicable law.
Customers should not submit photographs, videos, testimonials, or other public-facing material depicting or identifying a minor unless they possess appropriate legal authority to authorize the submission and intended use. Become The Story may request additional permission or verification before publicly using identifiable promotional material involving a minor.
Become The Story may send communications reasonably necessary to provide the Services, including communications concerning account activity, project status, previews, purchases, payments, production, fulfillment, shipping, customer support, security, policy updates, and other service-related matters.
Where permitted by applicable law, Become The Story may send marketing or promotional communications to customers who have consented, subscribed, or otherwise may lawfully receive such communications.
Where required, marketing emails will provide an appropriate method to unsubscribe or opt out of future promotional communications. Opting out of marketing communications does not prevent Become The Story from sending non-promotional communications reasonably necessary to administer an account, fulfill an order, provide customer support, communicate important service information, or comply with legal obligations.
Become The Story may use customer testimonials, reviews, photographs, videos, reaction footage, or personalized-book imagery for advertising or promotional purposes when the Company has obtained any permission or authorization required for that use.
Depending on where you reside and applicable law, you may have rights concerning Personal Information processed by Become The Story. These rights may include the ability to request access to certain Personal Information, correction of inaccurate information, deletion of certain information, information concerning processing or disclosure practices, or other rights provided by applicable law.
Privacy rights are subject to applicable legal limitations, exceptions, verification requirements, and retention obligations. For example, Become The Story may be permitted or required to retain certain transaction, tax, accounting, security, fraud-prevention, dispute, contractual, or legal records even after receiving a deletion request.
To protect customer privacy and security, Become The Story may take reasonable steps to verify your identity before fulfilling a privacy request. If a request concerns another person, including a minor, the Company may also require reasonable verification that the requester possesses appropriate authority to act on that person's behalf.
Where applicable law permits an authorized agent or representative to submit a request on another person's behalf, Become The Story may request information reasonably necessary to verify the authorization and identity of the relevant individual.
Become The Story will not unlawfully discriminate against a customer for exercising privacy rights provided by applicable law.
To request access to, correction of, or deletion of Personal Information associated with your use of Become The Story, email hello@becomethestory.com and identify the nature of your request. Please provide enough information for us to reasonably identify the relevant account, project, order, or information without unnecessarily providing sensitive information.
We may request additional information reasonably necessary to verify your identity, account ownership, relationship to the information, or authority to act for another person before fulfilling a request.
A verified deletion request may result in deletion, anonymization, de-identification, restriction, or other appropriate handling of Personal Information or Customer Content, depending on the nature of the information, the request, applicable law, operational requirements, and legally permitted or required retention.
Even after a deletion request, Become The Story may retain information where reasonably necessary and legally permitted or required for purposes such as completing an existing transaction, maintaining financial or tax records, documenting customer approval or fulfillment, detecting or preventing fraud, maintaining security, resolving disputes, enforcing agreements, complying with legal obligations, or establishing, exercising, or defending legal claims.
Deleting certain photographs, Customer Content, generated materials, or project information may prevent Become The Story from continuing to provide, reproduce, regenerate, support, or otherwise maintain some personalized project features. Where practical, we may explain material consequences associated with a requested deletion before completing the request.
Residents of certain U.S. states may have additional privacy rights under applicable state law. Depending on the law, the nature of Become The Story's activities, and whether applicable legal thresholds or requirements are met, these rights may include rights to access, confirm, correct, delete, or obtain a copy of certain Personal Information, as well as rights concerning certain types of data processing.
Not every state privacy law or statutory right applies to every business, consumer, type of information, or processing activity. Become The Story will honor privacy rights to the extent required by applicable law and may voluntarily accommodate reasonable requests where appropriate.
You may submit an applicable state privacy request by contacting hello@becomethestory.com. We may take reasonable steps to verify your identity and, where applicable, your authority to act on behalf of another person before processing the request.
If applicable law provides a right to appeal a decision concerning a privacy request, you may submit an appeal by contacting hello@becomethestory.com and identifying the request and decision you wish to appeal. We will review qualifying appeals and respond as required by applicable law.
Become The Story is operated from the United States. If you access or use the Services from outside the United States, information you provide may be processed or stored in the United States or other locations where Become The Story or its authorized Service Providers operate.
Privacy and data-protection laws may differ between jurisdictions. Where applicable law imposes requirements concerning international processing or transfers of Personal Information, Become The Story will take measures required of it under applicable law.
Availability of the Services in a particular location does not necessarily mean that Become The Story markets or offers all products or Services in that jurisdiction.
Become The Story may collect, use, preserve, or disclose Personal Information and Customer Content where reasonably necessary to comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, court orders, subpoenas, or lawful governmental requests.
We may also process or preserve information where reasonably necessary to investigate suspected fraud, abuse, intellectual-property violations, privacy violations, security incidents, unauthorized access, violations of our Terms or policies, disputes, chargebacks, or other conduct that may affect Become The Story, our customers, Service Providers, or others.
Information may also be processed where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise, investigate, prosecute, or defend legal claims or to protect the rights, property, safety, security, or legitimate interests of Become The Story, our customers, Service Providers, or other persons.
The Services may contain links to, integrate with, or rely upon websites, platforms, applications, payment systems, shipping services, or other services operated by third parties.
Become The Story does not control every independent privacy practice of third parties. When you interact directly with a third-party website or service, information processed independently by that third party may be governed by its own privacy policy, terms, and practices.
We encourage customers to review applicable third-party privacy information when interacting directly with services that are not controlled by Become The Story.
If Become The Story is involved in or evaluates a merger, acquisition, financing, restructuring, reorganization, bankruptcy, sale of assets, sale of the business, or similar corporate transaction, Personal Information and other business records may be disclosed, reviewed, transferred, or otherwise processed as reasonably necessary in connection with that transaction, subject to applicable law and appropriate confidentiality or other protections where required.
Become The Story may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the Services, technology, business practices, Service Providers, legal requirements, or other circumstances.
When this Privacy Policy is updated, the “Last Updated” date will be revised. Where required by applicable law, we may provide additional notice or obtain consent regarding material changes.
We encourage customers to review this Privacy Policy periodically to remain informed about our privacy practices.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or Personal Information associated with your use of the Services, or if you wish to submit a privacy request, please contact:
Become The Story, LLC
Seguin, Texas 78155
Email: hello@becomethestory.com
Please do not send passwords, complete payment-card numbers, government identification numbers, or other unnecessary sensitive information by email when submitting a privacy request.
