Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you use ProseArk, we collect the following types of information:

1.1 Account Information

• Email address: Used for account identification, login, and important notifications
• Username/Display name: Shown on your profile and comments
• Password: Stored as a secure hash (never in plain text)

1.2 Reading Data

• Reading progress: Chapter and position tracking for seamless reading across devices
• Bookshelf data: Novels you've added to your library
• Reading history: Recently read content for quick access

1.3 Usage Data

• Pages viewed and features used
• Device type, browser, and operating system
• Approximate location (country/region level from IP)
• Campaign parameters and the origin/path of the referring page, without its query string or fragment
• A pseudonymous first-party visitor identifier stored in your browser

Authentication pages do not load ProseArk's analytics or advertising scripts. Passwords and password-reset tokens are not included in analytics page locations.

2. How We Use Your Information

• Account management: Create and maintain your user account
• Personalized recommendations: Suggest novels based on your reading history and preferences
• Reading progress sync: Keep your place across all your devices
• Service improvement: Analyze usage patterns to enhance features
• Communications: Send important account updates and, with consent, new chapter notifications
• Security: Detect and prevent fraudulent activity

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to provide and improve ProseArk:

• Cloudflare: Hosting, CDN, security, and edge computing
• Cloudflare Web Analytics: Aggregate traffic and performance measurement on non-authentication pages
• Google Analytics 4: Pseudonymous page and usage measurement on non-authentication pages
• Google AdSense: Advertising on eligible non-authentication pages; advertising storage and personalization are denied by default unless you consent
• PayPal: Payment processing for subscriptions
• Google OAuth: Optional "Sign in with Google" authentication

These providers operate under their own policies, including Cloudflare's Privacy Policy and Google's Privacy Policy.

4. Data Storage

Your data is stored securely on Cloudflare's global edge network using:

• Cloudflare D1: Structured data (accounts, progress, bookshelf) stored at edge locations worldwide
• Cloudflare R2: Content storage with global distribution
• Cloudflare KV: Session data with automatic expiration

All data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest. Passwords are hashed using PBKDF2 with 100,000 iterations.

5. Data Retention

We retain your data according to the following schedule:

• Active accounts: Data retained for the duration of your account
• Deleted accounts: Personal data is removed within 30 days of account deletion
• Comments: Anonymized upon account deletion (attributed to "Deleted User")
• Payment records: Retained for 7 years for legal/tax compliance
• Analytics data: Retained according to our configured provider retention periods and associated with pseudonymous identifiers where applicable

6. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you
• Export: Download your data in a portable JSON format
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request permanent deletion of your account and data
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time

To exercise these rights, visit your Account Settings or contact us at support@proseark.com.

7. Cookies

ProseArk uses cookies and browser storage for essential features, measurement, and—with your consent—advertising personalization:

• Authentication token: Maintains your login session (HttpOnly, Secure)
• Theme preference: Remembers your light/dark mode choice (localStorage)
• Reading preferences: Font size and other reader settings (localStorage)
• Visitor and campaign data: A pseudonymous visitor ID and campaign parameters used to understand reading journeys
• Google Analytics: Measurement storage on non-authentication pages
• Google AdSense: Advertising storage and personalization only after consent

Choose “Essential Only” in the cookie banner to keep advertising storage and personalization disabled. You can reopen the banner from Cookie Settings in the site footer.

8. Children's Privacy

ProseArk is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at support@proseark.com, and we will delete such information.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Send an email notification to registered users
• Display a prominent notice on our website

Continued use of ProseArk after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: