Who we are

EssayStory is a service of Gavanix LLC ("EssayStory", "we", "us", or "our"), Sammamish, WA 98074, USA. We are responsible for the personal information described in this policy. Contact us at support@essaystory.com.

What we collect

Account info from your sign-in provider. Your name and email address, received from Microsoft or Google when you sign in (details below).
Essay content. The drafts, versions, notes, comments, and feedback you create in the product.
Profile info. Optional details (grade level, interests, intended major, activities, background) you provide to personalize brainstorming and theme ideas.
Sharing and comments. Share links you create, and the names and comments that people you share with add to your essays.
Agreement records. Which version of these terms you accepted, when, and your confirmation that you meet the minimum age.
Billing metadata. Subscription status, plan, and renewal dates. Payment details (card number, billing address) are handled by Stripe — we never see or store your card.
Email records. Which account emails we have sent you and when, so we don't send duplicates.
Usage and diagnostic data. Server logs (request paths, error traces, response times), and analytics about how the site is used (see Cookies and analytics). This can include your IP address, browser, and device type.

Sign-in with Microsoft

When you sign in with Microsoft, we receive the following information from Microsoft's OAuth service:

Your display name (e.g., "Jane Smith")
Your email address (or User Principal Name)
A stable account identifier (object ID) used to recognize you on return visits

We use this information solely to:

Create and identify your EssayStory account
Display your name in the app UI (e.g., "Welcome back, Jane")
Send the account emails described in Emails we send

We request only the openid, email, and profile permissions. We do not request, receive, or access any other Microsoft service data, including OneDrive, Outlook mail, Calendar, Contacts, Teams, or your organization's directory.

Sign-in with Google

When you sign in with Google, we receive the following information from Google's OAuth service:

Your display name
Your email address
A stable Google account identifier (the sub claim) used to recognize you on return visits

We use this information solely to:

Create and identify your EssayStory account
Display your name in the app UI
Send the account emails described in Emails we send

We request only the openid, userinfo.email, and userinfo.profile scopes. We do not request, receive, or access any other Google service data, including Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, YouTube, Photos, or any other Google APIs.

EssayStory's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. We do not transfer, sell, or use this data for advertising or other unrelated purposes, and we do not allow humans to read it except where we have your explicit consent, where necessary for security purposes (e.g., investigating abuse), or to comply with applicable law.

How we use your essay content

Storage. We store your essays, versions, notes, and comments in our database so you can return to them across sessions and devices.
AI features. When you use an AI feature (such as feedback on a version, brainstorming questions, theme ideas, or adapting or comparing essays), the essay text and profile details that feature needs are sent to our language-model provider (currently Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service) to generate the result. Azure OpenAI processes the content under Microsoft's data protection terms and does not use it to train any models.
Sharing you choose. If you create a share link, the people you give it to can see the essay as described in Sharing and comments.
Account emails. Essay titles, deadlines, and comment counts may appear in the emails described in Emails we send. Essay text does not.
Nothing else. We do not use your essays for any purpose beyond providing the product to you.

Sharing and comments

Your essays are private until you create a share link. You choose what a link exposes (view, comment, or suggest; one version or all versions).
Anyone who has the link can open it, without an EssayStory account, until you revoke it or it expires. Only share links with people you trust, and revoke a link when you no longer need it.
People you share with can add comments under a name they type. Their names and comments are stored with your essay and visible to you and to anyone else with the link. If you comment on someone else's essay, the same applies to you.
We are not responsible for what people do with an essay after you share it with them.

Emails we send

Account emails: a welcome email after you sign up, and occasional summaries of your own essays (upcoming deadlines, new comments, recent progress). These come from support@essaystory.com.
Service and billing emails: receipts, subscription changes, and important notices about your account or these policies.
Opting out: reply "unsubscribe" to any account email, or write to us, and we will stop sending welcome and summary emails. Service, billing, and legal notices may still be sent while you have an account.
We do not send third-party advertising and never sell or rent our email list.

What we don't do

We do not sell your data — ever, to anyone.
We do not use your essays, profile data, or sign-in information to train any AI models (ours or any third party's).
We do not share your essays with anyone except the AI provider that processes the features you use, and the people you choose to share them with.
We do not run third-party advertising networks or behavioral retargeting on the app.
We do not access any data from Microsoft or Google services beyond your name, email address, and account identifier.
We do not let our staff read your essays except where you explicitly request support that requires it, or where required to investigate abuse or comply with applicable law.

Third-party processors we use

To operate EssayStory we rely on the following service providers. Each processes your data to provide its service to us under its own terms and data protection commitments:

Microsoft Azure — web hosting, database (Cosmos DB), AI inference (Azure OpenAI Service), application monitoring (Application Insights).
Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) — "Sign in with Microsoft" provider.
Google — "Sign in with Google" provider; Google Analytics (site usage analytics).
Stripe — payment processing. Stripe receives your card and billing details directly; we receive only a customer ID and subscription status.
Namecheap (Private Email) — sending and receiving email from support@essaystory.com.

We may disclose information if required by law, to protect the rights and safety of our users or others, or to a successor if EssayStory is sold or merged, in which case this policy continues to apply to your data.

Cookies and analytics

Sign-in. We store a session token in your browser's local storage, and the sign-in process sets a short-lived cookie, so you stay signed in. These are needed for the app to work.
Google Analytics. Sets cookies to measure page views and a few events (sign-in, sign-up, and purchases). Google receives your IP address and device information to do this, and processes it under Google's privacy policy. We use it only to understand how the site is used, not for advertising.
Application Insights. Records performance and error information from your browser and our servers so we can find and fix problems.

You can block or delete analytics cookies in your browser settings, with a content blocker, or with Google's opt-out add-on, without affecting the app. We do not use cookies for behavioral advertising or cross-site tracking.

Security

Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest, access is limited to the people who operate the service, and sign-in is handled by Microsoft or Google so we never store passwords. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee that your information will never be accessed, disclosed, or lost. If we learn of a breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you as required by law. Keep your Microsoft or Google account secure, and tell us at support@essaystory.com if you suspect misuse of your account.

Data retention

Active accounts: Your essays, versions, and profile data are retained for as long as your account is active.
Cancelled subscriptions: If you cancel your subscription but do not delete your account, your data remains available so you can resume later.
Inactive accounts: We may delete accounts that have not been signed in to for 24 months or more, after emailing a notice to the account's address.
Deleted accounts: When you request account deletion, your essays and profile data are deleted within 30 days, and backup copies expire on their normal schedule. Billing records required for tax and accounting purposes are retained as required by law, typically up to 7 years, and we may keep a record that you accepted these terms.
Logs and analytics: Diagnostic logs are kept for a limited period (typically up to 90 days). Analytics data is kept according to our analytics provider's retention settings.

Your rights and how to exercise them

Access & portability. You can view all your essays directly in the product. To request a machine-readable export of your data, email support@essaystory.com.
Correction. You can edit your profile data anytime from the Profile page.
Deletion. You can delete individual essays and versions from the product UI, and revoke share links at any time. To delete your entire account and all associated data, email support@essaystory.com with the subject "Delete my account" — we will confirm and complete the deletion within 30 days.
Email choices. Reply "unsubscribe" to any account email.
Subscription management. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime through the Stripe Customer Portal linked from the Billing page.
Withdraw consent. Disconnecting your Microsoft or Google sign-in does not delete your EssayStory account. To remove EssayStory's access from the provider side, visit your Microsoft account settings or Google account permissions.
Where you live. Depending on your location (for example California, other U.S. states, the UK, or the European Union), you may have additional rights to know, access, correct, delete, or restrict use of your personal information, and to complain to a data protection authority. We honor these requests as the law where you live requires. We will not treat you differently for exercising them. To make a request, email us; we may need to verify your identity first. A parent or guardian may make requests on behalf of a minor.

Children and students

EssayStory is intended for users who are at least 13 years old, and everyone confirms their age when they first sign in. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, please contact support@essaystory.com and we will delete the account promptly.

Users under 18 should use EssayStory with the involvement of a parent or guardian. We do not sell students' information, use it for targeted advertising, or build profiles of students for any purpose other than providing EssayStory to them. EssayStory is used directly by students and families and is not operated on behalf of any school.

International users

EssayStory is operated from the United States. By using the product, you understand that your data may be processed in the United States and other countries where our service providers operate. We rely on industry-standard safeguards (including the Microsoft Azure data protection terms and the Stripe Data Processing Agreement) when data is transferred outside your home jurisdiction.

Changes to this policy

We will update this page when our practices change. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. If we make material changes, we will ask you to review and accept the updated policy the next time you sign in, and may also email your account address.

Contact

Questions about privacy, requests to delete your data, or anything else? Email support@essaystory.com, or write to Gavanix LLC, Sammamish, WA 98074, USA. See our Support page for response-time expectations.