Privacy Policy

1. Overview

This Privacy Policy applies to Native Story Book, operated by theLakotaDev (Isaac Hollow Horn Bear). It covers the website, the Stories Map, your profile, and everything you do through the platform. It works alongside our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. By using Native Story Book, you agree to this policy.

2. Information we collect

Information you give us

• Account details: your first and last name, username, and email address. If you register with a password, we store it in hashed form — we never see or keep your plain-text password.
• Social login: if you sign in with Google, GitHub, or Facebook, we receive basic profile details from that provider (such as your name, email, avatar, and a provider ID) to create and secure your account.
• Profile & identity: optional details such as your bio, location, avatar and cover images, and — if you choose to share it — whether you identify as Native American and your tribe or nation.
• Your content: the stories, photos and other media, tags, comments, reactions, shares, and follows you create. Uploaded media is stored with our cloud provider (Amazon Web Services S3).
• Location you add: when you pin a story to the map, the place and coordinates you choose.
• Requests & messages: details you submit in the request-access form or when you contact us, and reports you file through moderation.

Information we collect automatically

• Usage & device data: basic technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, and the actions you take, kept in server logs to keep the platform secure and working.
• Cookies: small files used to keep you signed in and to remember preferences — see the cookies section below.

3. How we use information

We use the information above to:

• create your account, sign you in, and operate the platform;
• display your stories, profile, and pins to the people who are meant to see them;
• send you notifications and important messages about your account;
• run community moderation — reviewing reports, hiding or removing content, and handling appeals and bans;
• keep the platform secure, prevent abuse, and debug problems; and
• comply with the law and enforce our Terms.

4. What is public

Native Story Book is a place for sharing. Your profile and the stories you publish are, by design, visible to others — and public stories can be seen by anyone on the internet, including through search engines and link previews. Comments, reactions, and shares are visible to those who can see the story they belong to. Please treat anything you post as something others may see, save, or re-share, and use a story’s privacy setting when you want to limit its audience.

5. Location & the Stories Map

When you pin a story to the Stories Map, the location you choose is stored and shown on the map with the story. We do not track your device’s real-time location — pins come from what you enter. Think carefully before pinning stories to sensitive or sacred places, and choose a broader area if precise coordinates could put a place, a person, or the community at risk.

6. Cookies & similar technologies

We use a small number of cookies, and we do not use them for third-party advertising:

• Session & security cookies keep you signed in and protect forms against cross-site request forgery.
• Preference cookies remember choices such as your light/dark appearance and whether the sidebar is open.

You can clear or block cookies in your browser, but some features — including staying signed in — may stop working if you do. The Stories Map is served by Google Maps, which may set its own cookies under Google’s policies.

7. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information or your stories. We share information only in these limited ways:

• With other members and the public, as described in “What is public” above — this is how sharing on the platform works.
• With service providers who help us run the platform under our instructions — for example, Amazon Web Services (media storage and hosting), Google Maps (the map), our social-login providers (sign-in), and our email provider (notifications).
• For legal and safety reasons, when we reasonably believe it is necessary to comply with the law, enforce our Terms, or protect the rights, safety, and property of members, the community, or the public.
• In a transfer, if the platform is ever transferred to a new operator, in which case we will seek to keep it in the spirit of community stewardship described here.

8. How long we keep information

We keep your account and content for as long as your account is active. When you delete content, or when you ask us to delete your account, we remove it from the live platform, though copies may remain for a reasonable period in routine backups, and content that others have already re-shared may persist with them. We may keep limited records longer where the law requires it or to resolve disputes and enforce our Terms.

9. Your rights & choices

• Access & update: you can view and edit your profile and content, and manage your account, from within the platform.
• Delete: you can delete individual stories, comments, and other content. To delete your whole account, contact us at isaachollowhorn@gmail.com.
• Appeal: if your content is hidden by moderation, you can request a review through the platform where available.
• Cultural requests: tellers, families, and communities may ask us to correct, restrict, or remove content for cultural reasons — see “Data sovereignty” below.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights over your personal information under local law. Contact us and we will do our best to honor them.

10. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information — passwords are hashed, media is stored with a reputable cloud provider, and access is restricted. No online service can be perfectly secure, and Native Story Book is in beta, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please use a strong, unique password and tell us right away if you notice anything suspicious.

11. Children’s privacy

Native Story Book is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has given us information, contact us at isaachollowhorn@gmail.com and we will remove it. Be especially thoughtful before posting images or information about children who cannot consent.

12. Data sovereignty

Native Story Book is built so that Native communities can keep their own record. We treat the stories and knowledge shared here as belonging to the people and communities they come from — not to us. We will not sell that content, and we will work in good faith with tellers, families, and communities who ask us to correct, restrict, or remove it. This commitment sits alongside — and does not replace — any rights a tribe or nation holds in its own cultural heritage.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the platform evolves. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, give notice within the platform. Your continued use after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.

14. Contact

Questions about your privacy or this policy? Reach us at isaachollowhorn@gmail.com. You can also read our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.