Privacy Policy
Last updated: [LAUNCH DATE] | Own Your Narrative Ltd | Company No: 17066279
This Privacy Policy explains what personal data Own Your Narrative Ltd collects, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights regarding that data. We have written this policy in plain English because we believe you deserve to understand it.
In plain English: We will always tell you exactly what data we collect before you choose your tier. No surprises. No small print designed to confuse.
1. Who We Are
Own Your Narrative Ltd is a private limited company registered in England and Wales (Company No: 17066279). Our registered office is at 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ. We operate the book subscription platform at ownyournarrative.co.uk.
For data protection purposes, Own Your Narrative Ltd is the data controller. You can contact us at privacy@ownyournarrative.co.uk.
2. The Data We Collect — By Tier
We operate a transparent tier model. The data we collect depends entirely on the tier you choose. Here is exactly what each tier involves:
| Tier | Data Collected | Legal Basis |
|---|
All Tiers
(including Premium) | Name, email address, reading progress (for account management only) | Contract |
| Tier 1 — Reader | Which books read, when, how long, genre preference, device type. Anonymised and aggregated before sharing. | Consent (via tier selection) |
| Tier 2 — Enthusiast | Tier 1 data, plus: drop-off points, completion rates, re-reading behaviour, time-of-day patterns, session frequency. | Consent (via tier selection) |
| Tier 3 — Contributor | Tiers 1 & 2 data, plus: age range (not exact date of birth), broad region (e.g. “Midlands” — never precise location), search behaviour, cross-device patterns. | Consent (via tier selection) |
| Premium — Private Reader | Name, email, payment information (processed by Stripe), reading progress. No behavioural tracking. No analytics tools applied to your account. | Contract |
In plain English: You choose your tier knowing exactly what data that involves. Free tiers exchange anonymised reading behaviour for access. Premium means we collect only what is necessary to run your account. We never share your personal records — only anonymised, aggregated patterns.
3. How We Use Your Data
Account management
We use your name, email and reading progress to operate your account, process payments, and provide customer support. This applies to all tiers.
Reading insights (Tiers 1–3)
Anonymised and aggregated reading behaviour data is shared with publishers and researchers as part of our business model. Before any data is shared externally, it is anonymised so that no individual reader can be identified. We sell patterns, not personal records.
Platform improvement
We use aggregated data to improve the platform, add books readers want, and understand how the library is used. This never involves sharing identifiable personal data.
Legal compliance
We retain financial records for 7 years as required by HMRC.
4. Analytics Tools
We use the following tools on free tiers only. Premium accounts are excluded from all analytics tracking.
- Google Analytics — applied to Tiers 1, 2, and 3
- Hotjar — applied to Tiers 2 and 3 only
- First-party WordPress tracking — applied to Tiers 1, 2, and 3
In plain English: If you choose Premium, none of these tools are active on your account. Zero tracking. That is the point of Premium.
5. Data Sharing
We share data with the following categories of third party:
- Publishers and researchers — anonymised, aggregated insights only. No personal records.
- Stripe — payment processing for Premium accounts. Stripe processes payments under their own GDPR-compliant terms. We have a Data Processing Agreement in place with Stripe.
- Hosting providers — Hostinger stores our website data under GDPR-compliant terms.
- ICO — we are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (Registration No: C1889341).
We do not sell personal data. We do not share identifiable personal records with any third party.
6. Data Retention
- Account data: retained while your account is active, plus 2 years after closure
- Individual reading session data: deleted within 12 months
- Anonymised aggregated data: retained for research purposes
- Payment records: 7 years (HMRC requirement)
In plain English: If you close your account, your personal data is deleted within 2 years. Your accumulated book library is also lost on account closure — this cannot be recovered.
7. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:
- Right to access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Right to rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate data
- Right to erasure — ask us to delete your personal data (subject to legal retention requirements)
- Right to restrict processing — ask us to limit how we use your data
- Right to data portability — request your data in a portable format
- Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests
- Right to withdraw consent — withdraw consent at any time by changing your tier or closing your account
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@ownyournarrative.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.
8. Complaints
If you believe we have mishandled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
We would always prefer to resolve any concerns directly. Please contact us at privacy@ownyournarrative.co.uk before escalating to the ICO.
9. Changes to This Policy
We will update this policy when our data practices change. We will notify existing users of material changes by email. The date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent update.
10. Contact Us