Privacy Policy

Photo Animate
Privacy Policy

Effective date: August 22, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Photo Animate ("we", "us") collects, uses, shares, and protects personal information when you use photoanimate.org (the "Service"), and what rights you have over that information.

1. Who we are (data controller)
Photo Animate, operator of https://photoanimate.org, is the data controller for personal information processed through the Service.
- Privacy contact: [email protected]
- Data protection officer: Not established. You can reach us at the privacy contact above for all data protection matters.

2. Information we collect
We collect two categories of information:

A. Information you provide (active collection):
- Account data: your email address and password (stored only as a cryptographic hash).
- Uploaded content: the images you upload and the prompts you enter, which are processed to generate AI outputs. Depending on the feature, uploads may be sent to third-party AI model providers in order to generate your results.
- Payment metadata: subscription status, billing history, and transaction identifiers. Card numbers and other payment credentials are collected and processed exclusively by our payment processors (such as Stripe and Creem) and never reach our servers.
- Communications: messages you send to customer support.

B. Information collected automatically:
- Technical data: IP address, device and browser type, operating system, and approximate region.
- Usage data: pages visited, features used, generation activity, and error logs.
- Analytics: privacy-friendly, aggregate usage statistics via Plausible Analytics.

3. How we use your information
- To provide the Service (performance of a contract): operating your account, processing subscription payments, generating AI outputs from your uploads, and delivering results.
- To keep the Service safe (legitimate interests / legal obligations): preventing abuse, fraud, and prohibited content, enforcing our Terms of Service, and keeping security logs.
- To improve the Service (legitimate interests): understanding feature usage, diagnosing issues, and improving output quality.
- To communicate with you (contract / your consent): service announcements, billing notices, security alerts, and — only with your consent — marketing emails.
- To meet legal obligations: tax and accounting records, and disclosures required by law.

4. Cookies and similar technologies
- Essential cookies / local storage: keep you signed in and remember your session and preferences. These cannot be disabled.
- Analytics: we use Plausible Analytics, a cookie-free, privacy-friendly analytics tool that does not collect personal information or cross-site data and does not build user profiles.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; some parts of the Service may then stop working.

5. How we share information
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with:
- Service providers: cloud hosting and storage (including R2 object storage), email delivery, and the third-party AI model providers that process your images and prompts to generate outputs.
- Payment processors: Stripe and Creem, which handle payment data as independent processors under PCI-DSS standards. We never store full card numbers.
- Authorities: where required by law, regulation, or valid legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, and integrity of the Service.

6. Data security
We protect your information with TLS encryption in transit, hashed passwords, access controls, and least-privilege practices for our team. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights, we will notify you and the competent supervisory authority without undue delay and, where required, within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.

7. Data retention
- Account data: kept while your account is active, and up to 90 days after cancellation or a deletion request, after which it is deleted or anonymized.
- Uploaded images, prompts, and generation history: retained while your account is active to provide your history, and deleted or anonymized within 90 days after account closure.
- Transaction records: kept for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
- Technical and security logs: kept for up to 12 months.
- Support communications: kept for up to 24 months.

8. Your rights (GDPR and similar laws)
Where the GDPR or a similar law applies to you, you have the right to:
1) access the personal information we hold about you;
2) rectify inaccurate information;
3) erase your personal information ("right to be forgotten");
4) restrict processing;
5) receive a copy of your data in a portable format (data portability);
6) object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling;
7) withdraw consent to consent-based processing at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing;
8) lodge a complaint with your national supervisory authority.
To exercise any right, email [email protected]. We respond within 30 days. We may ask you for information to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.

9. Marketing communications
We only send marketing emails if you have consented. Every marketing email contains an unsubscribe link, and you can also opt out at any time by emailing [email protected]. You will continue to receive essential service messages (such as billing and security notices) after unsubscribing.

10. International transfers
Our servers and providers may be located outside your country. Where personal information is transferred out of the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland, we rely on adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) with our providers, or another lawful transfer mechanism.

11. Minors
Photo Animate is not directed at children. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account (see our Terms of Service). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact [email protected] and we will delete it.

12. Third-party links
The Service may contain links to third-party websites (for example, payment or support tools). This Policy does not apply to those websites; we encourage you to read their privacy policies.

13. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or through the Service at least 14 days before the new version takes effect, and update the effective date at the top of this page. Continued use of the Service after the effective date means you accept the updated Policy.

14. Contact
Questions about this Policy or your data:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://photoanimate.org
- Related policies: https://photoanimate.org/tos, https://photoanimate.org/refund-policy

Last updated: August 22, 2026 · Photo Animate · https://photoanimate.org