Privacy Policy

1. Applicability of this Privacy Policy

BlinkStory (hereinafter referred to as 'we', 'us', or 'our') respects the privacy of its users and has created this Privacy Policy to demonstrate its commitment to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy governs your use of BlinkStory and describes the data we collect, how we store it, how we use it, with whom we share it, and your choices regarding such uses and disclosures. Please be sure to read this Privacy Policy in its entirety when using our Services.

Please review BlinkStory's Terms of Use for the meaning of defined words (in capital letters) that are not expressly defined in this Privacy Policy.

2. What types of data do we collect about you?

We collect various data that you voluntarily provide on BlinkStory (for example, when you send us emails). We collect your information in three ways: information you provide, information automatically collected, and information from other sources. Details are as follows:

2.1 The information you provide

—purchase information, including payment card information, billing information, contact information, and purchase history—is used when you make purchases, payments, or other transactions on or through the Service, including when you purchase BlinkStory tokens. The information you provide may contain sensitive personal information, which we process in accordance with applicable laws, such as for providing the service and for other purposes permitted by state privacy laws (such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). You can choose whether to include sensitive personal information in user content or other information you voluntarily submit. State privacy laws (such as the CCPA) define the following types of information as sensitive personal information: race or ethnic origin, nationality, religious beliefs, mental or physical health diagnoses, sexual life or sexual orientation, transgender or non-binary identity, citizenship or immigration status, and financial information. BlinkStory does not require you to provide this type of information.

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

– When you use this service, we automatically collect certain information about you, including: information about your use of the service, the duration and frequency of your use, and your interactions with other users. When you use our in-app browser, we also collect certain information about your interactions with websites. We collect technical information about your device, network, and applications, including your IP address, user agent, mobile carrier, time zone setting, identifiers used for advertising purposes, device model, device system, network type, screen resolution and operating system, application and filenames and types, and battery status. We automatically assign device IDs and user IDs and may use this information, along with other information, to identify your activity on different devices. We obtain your approximate location information based on your device and network information, such as SIM card region, IP address, and device system settings. Where required by law, we will obtain your permission before collecting such information. We, along with our service providers and business partners, use cookies and other similar technologies (such as web beacons, Flash cookies, pixels, SDKs, etc.) to provide certain functionalities, including measuring and analyzing how you use the service, such as the pages you visit most often and how you interact with content; to improve your experience using the service; and to enhance the service.

2.3 Information from Other Sources

– We may receive information described in this Privacy Policy from other sources, such as: if you choose to register or log in to the service using a third-party service, or associate your BlinkStory account with a third-party service, we may collect information from that third-party service, such as your publicly available profile information and email address.

2.4 Minors Protection

If you are a minor (as applicable law), you must obtain the prior consent of your parent or legal guardian before using our products or services. You should read this policy under parental supervision and ensure that you have obtained their consent before using our services or providing us with any information. If your parents or legal guardians do not agree to your use of our products or services in accordance with this policy, you must immediately stop using them and notify us promptly. When we collect personal data from minors with proper consent from their parents or guardians, we will only use or disclose this information as permitted by law, expressly authorized by the parents or guardians, or necessary to protect the well-being of the minor. If you are the guardian of a minor, please read this policy carefully before the minor registers for or uses our services. If you have any questions about a minor's use of our products or services, or the information they provide to us, please contact us immediately using the contact information provided in this policy. We protect the confidentiality and security of minors' information in accordance with applicable data protection laws and this policy. If we discover that personal data of a minor has been collected without proper consent from their parents or guardians, we will delete such information immediately.

3. How do we use the data we collect?

We and our service providers use personal data for: (i) providing services; (ii) detecting and preventing fraud; and (iii) promoting, analyzing, and improving our services. Specifically, we will use your personal data for:

• Providing you with the services you use or request, for example, we will use your data to verify your identity and authorize access to our services, and to identify you throughout the service process.
• We will use data on your use and interaction with our services to improve our services. We will conduct surveys and research, and test features under development. We will analyze existing data to evaluate our services and conduct audits and troubleshooting activities to improve our service content and layout.
• Processing your payments and sending notifications about your transactions.
• Verifying your identity, including during account verification.
• Taking legally required action to prevent, detect, investigate, resolve disputes and/or remedy malicious activity, fraud, and other cybercrimes, or to ensure you are a real person and to avoid the creation of fake accounts.
• Communicating information about our services to you via email and other means, including push notifications. We will send you messages regarding service availability, security, payment transactions, order status, legal notices, or other service-related information (“Service Messages”). We will also send you messages about service updates, such as new books or chapters added to the service (“Update Messages”). You can unsubscribe from Update Messages at any time. Please note that you cannot choose not to receive our Service Messages.
• To provide you with customer service and support.

We will also notify you if we wish to use your personal data for new or different purposes. We will only use your personal data for such other purposes to the extent permitted by applicable law or with your consent.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

The legal basis for our collection and use of your personal data will depend on the specific personal data in question and the circumstances under which we collect it. However, we generally only collect your personal data if: (a) we have obtained your consent; (b) we need the personal data to fulfill a contract we have entered into with you (e.g., to provide the BlinkStory service you have requested); or (c) the processing is in the legitimate interests of us or a third party (and does not supersede your data protection rights or fundamental rights and freedoms).

5. Retention Period

We will retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Please note that we have various obligations to retain the data you provide to us, including to ensure that transactions can be properly processed, settled, refunded or returned, to help identify fraud, and to comply with anti-money laundering and other laws and regulations that apply to us and our financial service providers. Therefore, even if you close your profile, we will still retain certain data to fulfill our obligations.

6. Who do we share your data with?

Protecting your personal data is very important to us. We will only share your personal data with third parties if: (i) we have a legal obligation to do so; (ii) the transfer of data is necessary for the performance of a contract with you; or (iii) you have consented to the transfer of your data.

Third-party service providers and partner companies will only receive your data to the extent necessary for the performance of our contract with you or with your consent. In this case, the extent of data sharing will be kept to an absolute minimum. If our service providers come into contact with your personal data, we will ensure that they also comply with all applicable data protection laws.

We do not share personal information with other companies, organizations and individuals unless the following circumstances exist:

• With your consent. We share personal data with other companies, organizations or individuals with your consent.
• Other users. Any data you include in your profile and any actions you take on our services may be visible to other users. For example, when you update or add a photo (which you can change), this data may be publicly viewable.
• Service providers. We may share your personal data with third parties who provide certain services on our behalf. We use these services for hosting and maintaining our website, application development, backup, storage, marketing assistance, performing business and sales analysis, supporting the functionality of our services, and supporting contests, sweepstakes, surveys, and other features offered through our services. These services process your personal data based on our instructions and in compliance with our Privacy Policy and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
• Other Situations. We may also disclose your data, including personal data, in the following circumstances:
  • In response to a subpoena or similar investigative request, a court order, or a request for cooperation from a law enforcement or other government agency; to establish or exercise our legal rights; to defend against legal claims; or as otherwise required by law. In such cases, we may raise or waive any legal objections or rights at our sole discretion.
  • When we believe disclosure is appropriate to investigate, prevent, or take other action regarding illegal activity, suspected fraud, or other wrongdoing; to protect and defend the rights, property, or safety of our company, our users, our employees, or others; to comply with applicable laws or cooperate with law enforcement; or to enforce our Terms of Use and Terms of Service or other agreements or policies.
  • In connection with a significant corporate transaction, such as the sale of our business, divestiture, merger, consolidation, or asset sale, or in rare cases in the event of bankruptcy.

7. International Data Transfers

BlinkStory is a global company. We may transfer personal data to countries outside your place of residence. The data protection laws in these countries may differ from those in the country where you originally provided your data. Our services are global, and we use service providers in multiple countries and regions. Your personal data may be primarily stored on servers outside your region. The data protection laws in the regions where data is stored may differ from those in your jurisdiction. If the data transfer does not require adequacy assessment or review by applicable regulations, we will take steps to comply with the applicable jurisdictional laws regarding cross-border personal data transfers and endeavor to achieve a substantially equivalent level of data protection in your jurisdiction. If you have any questions or need more information, you can contact us as instructed in the “How to Contact Us” section of this policy.

These terms are contractual commitments between companies transferring personal data, binding them to protect the privacy and security of the data. Therefore, BlinkStory employs standard contractual terms to ensure the legal flow of data necessary to provide, maintain, and develop our services.

8. How do we protect your personal information?

We employ various security technologies and procedures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. When collecting personal data on BlinkStory and/or transferring data to other websites, we use encryption protocols to protect your personal data. However, data transfer is often vulnerable, so please do not provide your login data to any third party.

We are committed to implementing comprehensive physical, electronic, and managerial security measures that meet industry standards to protect your personal data. We actively develop data security management standards and data security development guidelines to manage and regulate the storage and use of personal data, ensuring that we only collect information necessary to provide the services we offer.

We implement comprehensive data security controls by requiring individuals authorized to access personal data to sign confidentiality agreements, supplemented by continuous monitoring and auditing mechanisms. These measures prevent your personal data from being accessed, disclosed, used, modified, damaged, or lost without authorization.

We will make every effort to ensure the security of any information you transmit to us. However, please understand that due to technological limitations and various malicious attacks that may exist in the internet environment, the systems and communication networks you use to access our services may experience problems due to factors beyond our control.

9. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may modify this Privacy Policy at any time. If we decide to make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will provide a notice through our Services or other means to give you the opportunity to modify it before the changes take effect. We will also publicly disclose the last date this Privacy Policy was updated for your convenience. We recommend that you add BlinkStory to your list of approved senders in your email reader.

If you do not agree to the changes to this Privacy Policy, you should close your profile. Your continued use of our Services after we send you a notice about changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your consent to the updated Privacy Policy.

10. Privacy Rights

You can request at any time that we provide information about the processing of your personal data, correct any errors in your personal data, stop processing your personal data, delete your personal data or transfer your personal data for free. If you are a reader, please click the delete button on the Settings page of your personal center and do not log in for 7 days to delete your personal data.

If you are the author, please feel free to contact us at any time via email support@blinkstory.com and include “privacy Rights” in the subject line and body of your email.

If you send us a request by email, please indicate in the email which personal data you wish to change or delete. To protect you, we may only execute requests related to personal data associated with the specific email address you used when sending your request, and we may need to verify your identity before executing your request. We will respond to your request as soon as possible under reasonable circumstances.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our collection, use or storage of your data, please feel free to contact us by email at support@blinkstory.com

12. Appendix: Jurisdiction-Specific Notices

In the United States, the specific categories of personal data collected may vary depending on how and to what extent you use our services (for example, we will not collect your payment information if you do not top up tokens or purchase memberships). You can also contact us using the contact details in this policy for more information.

In some states (such as California), the following personal data may constitute sensitive personal data: your geographic location, payment card information, and transaction amounts. In some states (such as Virginia), processing your sensitive personal data requires your consent. However, we will not collect or process sensitive personal data as defined by applicable data protection laws in Virginia. If you are a U.S. resident with the right to authorize an agent, you may appoint an authorized agent to file a claim on your behalf. An authorized agent may file a claim with us on your behalf, along with the authorization statement we require, demonstrating their authority to act on your behalf. Please note that verifying and processing a claim filed by an agent may take additional time. Once confirmed, your authorized agent may exercise your rights on your behalf in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

Complaints: If you are a U.S. resident and have the right to appeal our decisions regarding your rights, and we have rejected your claim, you may appeal our decision regarding your personal data rights. When submitting a complaint, please use the same email address or other contact method you used when you initially filed your claim so that we can link your complaint to your original claim. Please also attach supporting documents or information related to your complaint.

In the United States (unless otherwise specified by a particular state), you must be 13 years of age or older to use our services. Otherwise, please ensure that your parent or other guardian has also read this policy and consented to or authorized us to process your personal data.