Privacy Policy

Kathawin is a reading house for short, gripping fiction. We collect the small amount of information we need to sign you in, remember where you left off in a story, respond to your feedback, and make the site better. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not run third-party advertising trackers.

This page explains what we collect and why in plain language. If anything here is unclear, email us at privacy@kathawin.com and we will explain.

Kathawin operates the website at kathawin.com, where readers create a free account and read original serialized fiction. In this policy, "Kathawin", "we", "us", and "our" refer to the operators of that website, and "you" refers to a visitor or account holder.

We only collect what the service actually uses:

• Account details. Your email address, which we use as your sign-in identity, plus an optional display name and profile image if you provide one. We sign you in with a one-time link sent to your email (a "magic link"), so we do not store a password.
• Reading and listening activity. Which stories and chapters you open, and your position within them, so we can show you a "continue reading" row and resume audiobook playback where you paused.
• Usage events. Basic activity events such as chapter views, tied either to your account or to an anonymous identifier if you are signed out, so we can understand which stories readers enjoy and improve the catalog.
• Reviews and feedback. Any rating, message, and contact details you submit through our review or feedback forms, along with the browser user-agent string sent with that request.
• Newsletter and waitlist. If you opt in, your email address and the campaign or referral source that brought you, so we can send updates you asked for.
• Technical information. Standard information your browser and our servers exchange for any website, such as your device and browser type. We use this to keep the site secure and working.

We use a small number of cookies that are essential to how the site works:

• A sign-in session cookie that keeps you logged in as you move between pages.
• A staff-only administrative cookie used internally by our team to preview the site as different reader types. It is never set for normal readers.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking networks.

• To create your account and sign you in.
• To remember your place in a story and your audiobook progress.
• To respond to your feedback, reviews, and support requests.
• To understand how the site is used so we can improve the stories and the reading experience.
• To send updates you have opted in to receive.
• To keep the service secure and prevent abuse.
• To comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only in these limited cases:

• Service providers. Companies that help us run the site, such as our hosting provider and the service that delivers your sign-in and notification emails. They may process your information only to provide those services to us.
• Payments. Reading is free while we are in early access. If we introduce paid memberships, payments will be handled by a third-party payment processor, and full card details will be handled by that processor rather than stored by us.
• Legal reasons. When required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, and security of Kathawin, our readers, and the public.

We keep your account information for as long as your account is active. Reading progress and usage events are retained to power your experience and to understand the catalog over time. When you ask us to delete your account, we remove your personal information, except where we must retain some of it to meet a legal obligation.

• You can ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• You can ask us to correct information that is wrong.
• You can ask us to delete your account and personal information.
• You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the link in any such email, or by contacting us.

To make any of these requests, email privacy@kathawin.com from the address on your account.

Kathawin is intended for adult readers and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us their information, contact us and we will delete it.

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including limiting who can access it. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect your information and to respond quickly if something goes wrong.

We may update this policy as the service changes. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Significant changes may also be highlighted on the site.

Questions about this policy or your information? Email privacy@kathawin.com.