Privacy Policy - Story Threads

1. Introduction

Welcome to Story Threads. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and safeguard your information when you use our family storytelling application.

Story Threads is part of Dive Deep Dialogues and is operated by SILVER WOLF Productions (ABN 66 376 765 633), a business based in Australia, so Australian law applies to how we handle your information. People use Story Threads in many countries, including New Zealand, India, the UK, Ireland, Canada and the US. If you live outside Australia, the privacy law where you live may give you additional rights, and nothing in this policy takes those away.

Your Privacy Matters: Family stories can be deeply personal. We treat your stories, quiz answers and progress as confidential, and we don't sell them.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

You don't need an account to use Story Threads. If you sign in, you use your Dive Deep Dialogues account, the one account for all Dive Deep Dialogues apps, held in our account service at auth.divedeepdialogues.com (Google Firebase Authentication). Story Threads receives that account's email address and display name. Your password, if you use one, is handled by Google Firebase Authentication; we don't store it ourselves.

2.2 Your Story Threads Data

When you use the Service, it keeps the following in your browser on this device. If you sign in with backup on, the entries you make in the tools are also backed up to your Dive Deep Dialogues account; the rest stays on this device only.

Your Where to Start quiz answers and result
Chapter progress and completion data
Family stories, reflections and notes you write
Entries in the storytelling tools, some of which cover sensitive topics such as grief, trauma or mental health
Check-ins and conversation practice sessions

2.3 Technical Information

We don't currently run usage analytics or error-reporting services. Like any website, our hosting provider and Google (for Firebase sign-in, the backup to your account and Google Fonts) receive your IP address and basic browser details when your browser connects to them.

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 Primary Uses

Service Delivery: Provide personalised storytelling tools and track your progress
Account Management: Maintain your account and provide customer support
Backup: Back up your tool entries to your Dive Deep Dialogues account, so you can use them on your other devices (if you sign in)
Progress Tracking: Show your progress and suggest chapters based on your Where to Start answers

3.2 Service Improvement

Use feedback you send us to improve our features
Identify and fix technical issues
Develop new features and content

4. Data Storage and Security

4.1 Storage Options

Storage Type	Location	Encryption	Access
Local Storage	Your browser, on this device	None added by the app	Anyone who can use this device and browser
Backup to your account (if you sign in)	Your Dive Deep Dialogues account, in Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore)	Encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest by Google	Your signed-in account (see section 5 for limited exceptions)

4.2 Security Measures

Encryption: Data sent to and stored in Google Firebase is encrypted in transit and at rest. Data kept on your device is not encrypted by the app.
Access Controls: Database rules only let a signed-in account read or change its own backup
Maintenance: We fix security issues as part of ongoing maintenance
Data Minimisation: We aim to collect only the data the Service needs to work

Important: While we take care to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to protecting your data using industry-standard practices.

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

5.1 We Do NOT Sell Your Personal Data

We do not sell, trade or rent your personal information, including your stories, quiz answers and progress.

5.2 Limited Exceptions

We may disclose your information only in these specific circumstances:

Legal Requirements: When required by law or court order
Safety Concerns: To prevent harm to yourself or others
Service Providers: To the providers that run the Service for us (Google Firebase and Google Fonts), under their service terms

6. Your Privacy Rights

6.1 Access and Control

Wherever you live, you can ask us to:

Access: Show you the data we hold about you
Download: Give you a copy of your data in a portable format
Correct: Update or correct your personal information
Delete: Delete your account and associated data. You can also delete your Dive Deep Dialogues account yourself at auth.divedeepdialogues.com/account/delete, which deletes Story Threads' backup with everything else the account holds
Restrict: Limit how we process your data

Depending on where you live, local privacy law may give you further rights. To make a request, email us (see section 13). You can also clear your data from this device and the backup in your account yourself in Settings → Cloud Sync.

6.2 Data Portability

Some tools let you download or export what you've made. For a full copy of your data, email us and we'll provide it in a portable format such as JSON.

7. Cookies and Tracking

We keep tracking to a minimum:

Browser storage: Story Threads keeps your data and preferences in your browser's local storage, and Firebase sign-in uses browser storage to keep you signed in to your Dive Deep Dialogues account
Analytics: The app contains code for optional Google Analytics, but no analytics service is currently switched on, so no analytics cookies are set and no usage data is sent. If we switch analytics on, we'll update this policy first. Analytics is opt-in: nothing would be sent unless you switch it on in Settings, and you can switch it off again at any time.
No Advertising Tracking: We do not use cookies or tracking for advertising

8. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for children under 13, or under the minimum age for using online services without a parent's consent where they live, if that is higher. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under that age. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

9. International Users

We are based in Australia. Our account and backup services are provided by Google Firebase, so if you sign in with backup on your information may be stored and processed in Google data centres outside your country (including outside Australia). If you would rather keep your data on your device, choose device-only storage in Settings → Cloud Sync.

10. Data Retention

On your device: Data stays in your browser until you clear it in the app or clear your browser's site data
In your account: Your backup is kept while your Dive Deep Dialogues account exists, until you clear it or ask us to delete it. If you delete the account yourself, it and the backup are deleted 30 days later (you can cancel within that time)
Deletion requests: When you ask us to delete your account, we aim to delete your data within 30 days
Legal Requirements: Some data may be retained longer if required by law

11. Third-Party Services

Our Service uses these third-party services:

Firebase (Google): For your Dive Deep Dialogues account (sign-in) and the backup to it
Google Fonts: To display the app's fonts (Google receives your IP address when the fonts load)

These services have their own privacy policies that govern their use of your information.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by:

Posting the new Privacy Policy on this page
Updating the "Last updated" date
Providing notice through our Service or via email for material changes

13. Contact Us

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

Email: [email protected]

Operated by: SILVER WOLF Productions (ABN 66 376 765 633), Australia

We aim to respond to your enquiry within 30 days.