Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains what information Artisanal Futures collects, how we use it, and the choices you have. It applies to our website and the services we offer through it, including artisan and shop profiles, our community forum, surveys, and our image generation app, "UPCY". By using our site you agree to the practices described here.

We aim to collect as little personal information as possible and to keep as much of it as we can on infrastructure we operate ourselves.

What information do we collect?

We only collect information that is needed to provide our services. Depending on how you use the site, this may include:

• Account information: When you register, we collect your name, email address, and an optional username and profile image. You may sign up with an email and password or through a third-party login (Google, Discord, or Auth0). Email addresses may be verified by sending a unique link.
• Shop and artisan profiles: If you create a shop or artisan profile, we collect the details you provide, such as business name, owner name, bio, contact email, phone number, website, business address, and photos. This information is generally displayed publicly on your profile.
• Survey responses: If you complete one of our surveys, we collect the answers you give, which may include your name, email address, general location (country and state), and information about your craft or business.
• Forum activity: When you participate in the community forum, we store the content you create — posts, comments, and votes — along with the IP address a post or comment originated from.
• Messages: If you use our messaging features, we store the messages and any files you send so they can be delivered and displayed.
• UPCY content: When you use UPCY, our image generation app, we store the images you upload, the prompts and settings you provide, the images that are generated, and any custom models or "checkpoints" you train, so we can produce and return your results.
• Technical information: When you sign in, we record limited technical details such as your IP address and browser user-agent to maintain your session and protect against abuse. We may also keep server logs that include the IP address of requests to our servers.

How do we use your information?

The information we collect is used to:

• Create and maintain your account and keep you signed in.
• Provide the features you use — shop profiles, the forum, surveys, messaging, and UPCY image generation.
• Communicate with you, including account-related and service emails and notifications you request.
• Operate, secure, maintain, and improve our services.
• Comply with the law and protect the rights, property, and safety of our community, others, and ourselves.

Cookies

We only use cookies that are strictly necessary for the functionality and security of our website and services, such as keeping you signed in and remembering interface preferences. We do not use cookies for personal tracking, advertising, or analytics. For more detail, see our Cookie Policy.

How we share information

We do not sell or rent your personal information, and we do not share it for advertising or marketing purposes. We share information only with the service providers we rely on to operate the site, and only as needed to provide our services:

• Sign-in providers (Google, Discord, Auth0): used only if you choose to sign in with them.
• Email delivery (Resend): to send account and service emails.
• Payments (Stripe): if you make a purchase. Payment card details are handled by Stripe; we do not store full card numbers.
• Abuse prevention (hCaptcha): to help protect sign-in and account flows from automated abuse.

Wherever practical, we keep processing in-house: uploaded files and images are stored on storage we operate, image generation is performed on our own backend, and our hosting infrastructure is self-managed. We may also disclose information when we believe it is necessary to comply with the law or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our community.

Third-party links

Our site may link to or offer third-party products or services. Those sites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their content or practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party site you visit.

Data retention

We keep personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services, and we make a good-faith effort to:

• Retain server logs containing IP addresses for no more than 90 days.
• Retain IP addresses associated with registered users and their forum posts for no more than 5 years.

When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymize it where reasonably possible.

Your rights and choices

You may request to access, correct, or delete the personal information we hold about you, and you may close your account at any time. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under applicable privacy laws. To make a request, contact us using the details below, and we will respond as required by law.

How we protect your information

We implement a variety of technical and organizational measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you enter, submit, or access it. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information using industry-standard practices.

Children's privacy

Our site, products, and services are directed to people who are at least 13 years old. In accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), if you are under the age of 13, please do not use this site.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above and post the changes on this page.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us at support@artisanalfutures.org.