Privacy Policy

This is a template drafted for Whispering Shadows' current functionality. It is not legal advice — have it reviewed by a qualified professional before relying on it, and fill in the bracketed placeholders (operator name, jurisdiction, contact address) for your situation.

What this covers

This policy explains what information Whispering Shadows ("we", "us", "the library") collects when you use the site, how we use it, and the choices you have. By using Whispering Shadows you agree to the practices described here.

Information we collect

Account information. When you register, we collect your display name, email address, and password (stored as a salted hash — we never see or store your plaintext password). Your bio and profile image are optional and shown publicly if you set them.

Google sign-in. If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from Google to create or link your account. We do not receive your Google password, and we do not use this to access any other Google data.

Content you post. Stories, comments, tags on your own content, and reports you file are stored so the site can function. Story and comment text pass through an automated profanity filter on identity fields (display name, bio, tag names) — not on story or comment text, since dark and unsettling themes are the genre, not a violation.

Session and security data. We use a first-party session cookie to keep you signed in and a CSRF token cookie to protect against cross-site request forgery — both are functional, not tracking, cookies. We also log IP addresses briefly for rate-limiting (to stop abuse and brute-force login attempts) and request identifiers for debugging; these are not used to profile you or shared with advertisers.

What we don't do. We do not sell your information, run third-party advertising trackers, or share your data with data brokers.

How we use your information

• To operate your account and display your public profile, stories, and comments.
• To moderate content — members can report a story, comment, or profile they believe violates our Terms & Conditions; admin review of a story before it reaches the shelves is not required at this stage, though reported content is still reviewed.
• To keep the library secure (rate-limiting, session validation, abuse prevention).
• To communicate with you about your account (e.g. notifications you've opted into within the app).

Content moderation and enforcement

Reading is public; participating (commenting, publishing, following) requires an account. At this stage, submitted stories publish without prior admin review; members can still report a story, comment, or profile, and admins can resolve reports, block an account, or remove content that violates our terms.

We do not tolerate child sexual abuse material (CSAM), non-consensual intimate imagery, or any sexually explicit content involving minors, in any form — text, image, or otherwise. An account found to have posted such content will be permanently banned and reported to [the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or the equivalent authority in your jurisdiction] and law enforcement as required by law.

Your rights and choices

• Edit your profile at any time from your account settings.
• Delete your account at any time. This anonymizes your login credentials (so you could register fresh with the same email or Google account) and removes your session; content you've posted stays attributed to a de-identified "departed" account rather than being silently deleted, since your stories and comments may still be part of conversations other members are having.
• Request a copy or deletion of your data beyond the above by contacting us (see below).

Children's privacy

Whispering Shadows is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will remove it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site changes. We'll update the "last updated" date above when we do; significant changes will be noted on this page.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Reach us at [contact email placeholder].