Spire Privacy Policy
Effective as of October 26, 2023
This is the Privacy Policy for Spire, Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries. In this policy, we call ourselves “Spire,” “we,” “us,” or “our.” We refer to you, the person visiting our website, submitting their manuscript(s), and/or providing beta reader feedback “you,” “author,” and “reader.”
Spire offers a service that allows readers to earn money for providing feedback on authors’ manuscripts. Authors submit their writing to Spire, and we match them with readers.
What this Privacy Policy covers:
This Privacy Policy describes how Spire collects, processes, uses, and discloses Personal Information in connection with the www.spirebooks.co website (the “Site”).
In addition, the Privacy Policy covers the related content, products, services, platforms and other functionality offered on or through the Site, and any other website or application that we own or control which posts or links to this Privacy Policy (collectively, the “Service”). This Privacy Policy does not address our privacy practices related to Spire job applicants, employees and other personnel.
This Privacy Policy explains
The types of personal information we collect
How we collect and process your personal information
When and how we share information with third parties
Disclosures about storing personal information in the U.S.
Data security
Data retention
Our policies on not collecting Personal Information from children
How to contact us
The types of personal information we collect
What is personal information?
When we use the term “Personal Information” in this Privacy Policy, we mean information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, to an individual.
We collect Personal Information in connection with your use of the Service. This collection includes information that you provide in connection with the Service, information from third parties, and information that is collected automatically such as through the use of cookies and other tracking technologies.
What Personal Information is collected from you?
We collect Personal Information from you that you may provide to us through the Service or otherwise. The categories of information we collect may include
Contact information–for example, your first and last name, email and phone number.
Account and profile information–for example, Personal Information you provide to us when signing up for the Service, data from third party websites in links you provide (e.g., Goodreads or Storygraph profile), age, gender and any other additional information you voluntarily provide.
Feedback or correspondence–for example, information you provide when you contact us with questions, feedback, or otherwise correspond with us online.
Marketing information–for example, your preferences for receiving communications about our activities, events, and publications, details about how you engage with our communications, and emails you receive from specific businesses.
Other information–we may collect additional types of information which we will use in accordance with this Privacy Policy or as otherwise disclosed at the time of collection.
What information is automatically collected?
As is true of many digital properties, we and our third-party partners may automatically collect certain information from or in connection with your computer or mobile device when visiting or interacting with the Service, including but not limited to
Analytics Data
This includes information about your use of and actions on the Service, such as pages or screens you viewed, how long you spent on a page or screen, navigation paths between pages or screens, information about your activity on a page or screen, access times, and length of access, and metrics on how many emails we send that are actually opened and which attachments or links are opened, clicked or viewed.
Location Data
As is true of most other websites, Spire’s website collects certain information automatically and stores it in log files. The information may include internet protocol (IP) addresses, the region or general location where your computer or device is accessing the internet, browser type, operating system and other usage information about the use of the Site.
Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies
This website uses cookies.Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. For all other types of cookies we need your permission.
This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages. You can at any time change or withdraw your consent from the Cookie Declaration on our website.
How we collect and process your Personal Information
Spire collects Personal Information about its website visitors, authors, and readers. We use your Personal Information to deliver the Service to you, including the following:
Fulfill your requests and provide the Service to you. This includes
Establishing and maintaining your profile on the Service;
Enabling the security features of the Service, such as by sending you security codes via email or SMS;
Responding to requests, suggestions, questions, and comments, and providing other types of user support;
Sending you Service messages, such as changes to your account/profile;
Providing support and maintenance for the Service.
Personalize your experience on our Service
This includes providing you with content or other products or services you might be interested in and de-emphasize content you’ve already read or viewed.
Market our service
We will send you communications about new features, updates, products, and special offers. We may also use individual and aggregate information about you to inform our marketing and advertising campaigns.
Communicate with you
For example, we may communicate with you about your interactions with the Service, such as how many manuscripts you’ve provided feedback for. If you register with us, we may enroll you in our email newsletters or other periodic electronic communications and may also send you surveys and promotional communications. We may communicate with you by email, telephone, text message, or other means.
Monitor, improve, and develop our products and services
We may use your information to understand our visitors and customers and to tailor or optimize our Service. For example, we may analyze statistics and trends to make our Service better and to develop the Site or new services or features.
Prevent fraud
We may use your Personal Information and disclose it to law enforcement, government authorities, and private parties as we believe necessary or appropriate to protect, investigate and deter against fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, unethical or illegal activity.
Protect the security and integrity of our business, comply with legal requirements and obligations, or as otherwise permitted by law
We may use information to protect Spire, our users, and our Service. We may also use information in order to comply with laws, regulations, court orders, or other legal obligations or to assist in an investigation, protect and defend our rights and property, or the rights or safety of third parties, enforce our Terms of Service, this Privacy Policy, or agreements with third parties, detect and prevent fraud or for crime-prevention purposes, or for any other reason permitted by law. We may take part in or be involved with a corporate business transaction, such as a merger, acquisition, joint venture, or financing or sale of company assets and may use information in connection with or as an asset in such a corporate business transaction. Personal Information may also be used in the event of insolvency, bankruptcy, or receivership.
For any other purposes with your consent, at your direction, or where notice is provided.
When and how we share information with third parties
We do not sell personal information to anyone and only share it with third parties who are facilitating the delivery of our Services.
Sharing information with third parties
The personal information Spire collects from you is stored in one or more databases hosted by third parties located in the United States. These third parties do not use or have access to your personal information for any purpose other than cloud storage and retrieval.
We do not otherwise reveal your personal data to non-Spire persons or businesses for their independent use unless: (1) you request or authorize it; (2) the information is provided to comply with the law (for example, compelled by law enforcement to comply with a search warrant, subpoena, or court order), enforce an agreement we have with you, or to protect our rights, property or safety, or the rights, property or safety of our employees or others; (3) the information is provided to our agents, vendors or service providers who perform functions on our behalf; (4) to address emergencies or acts of God; or (5) to address disputes, claims, or to persons demonstrating legal authority to act on your behalf. We may also gather aggregated data about our services and website visitors and disclose the results of such aggregated (but not personally identifiable) information to our partners, service providers, advertisers, and/or other third parties for marketing or promotional purposes.
The Spire website connects with third party services such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and others. If you choose to share information from the Spire website through these services, you should review the privacy policy of that service. If you are a member of a third party service, the aforementioned connections may allow that service to connect your visit to our site to your personal data.
Disclosures about storing personal information in the U.S.
Spire has its headquarters in the United States. Information we collect about you will be processed in the United States. By using Spire’s services, you acknowledge that your personal information will be processed in the United States. The United States has not sought nor received a finding of “adequacy” from the European Union under Article 45 of the GDPR. Pursuant to Article 46 of the GDPR, Spire is providing for appropriate safeguards by entering binding, standard data protection clauses, enforceable by data subjects in the EEA and the UK. These clauses have been enhanced based on the guidance of the European Data Protection Board and will be updated when the new draft model clauses are approved.
Depending on the circumstance, Spire also collects and transfers to the U.S. personal data with consent; to perform a contract with you; or to fulfill a compelling legitimate interest of Spire in a manner that does not outweigh your rights and freedoms.
Data Subject rights
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other countries’ privacy laws provide certain rights for data subjects. Data Subject rights under GDPR include the following:
Right to be informed
Right of access
Right to rectification
Right to erasure
Right to restrict processing
Right of data portability
Right to object
Rights related to automated decision making including profiling
This Privacy Notice is intended to provide you with information about what personal data Spire collects about you and how it is used.
If you wish to confirm that Spire is processing your personal data, or to have access to the personal data Spire may have about you, please contact us.
You may also request information about: the purpose of the processing; the categories of personal data concerned; who else outside Spire might have received the data from Spire; what the source of the information was (if you didn’t provide it directly to us); and how long it will be stored. You have a right to correct (rectify) the record of your personal data maintained by Spire if it is inaccurate. You may request that Spire erase that data or cease processing it, subject to certain exceptions. You may also request that Spire cease using your data for direct marketing purposes. In many countries, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the appropriate data protection authority if you have concerns about how Spire processes your personal data. When technically feasible, Spire will—at your request—provide your personal data to you.
Reasonable access to your personal data will be provided at no cost. If access cannot be provided within a reasonable time frame, Spire will provide you with a date when the information will be provided. If for some reason access is denied, Spire will provide an explanation as to why access has been denied.
For questions or complaints concerning the processing of your personal data, you can email us at team@spirebooks.co. Alternatively, if you are located in the European Union, you can also have recourse to the European Data Protection Supervisor or with your nation’s data protection authority.
Data Security
Spire employs a number of organizational, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect the Personal Information we collect. We only use it in methods consistent with your relationship with Spire and the practices described in this Privacy Statement. Spire also enters into data processing agreements and model clauses with its vendors whenever feasible and appropriate. Please note that security risk is inherent in all internet and information technologies, and we cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Information.
Data retention
Your personal data is stored by the Spire on its servers, and on the servers of the cloud-based database management services the Spire engages, located in the United States. We will usually store the Personal Information we collect about you for no longer than necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, and in accordance with our legitimate business interests and applicable law. However, if necessary, we may retain Personal Information for longer periods of time, until set retention periods and deadlines expire, for instance where we are required to do so in accordance with legal, tax and accounting requirements set by a legislature, regulator or other government authority.
To determine the appropriate duration of the retention of Personal Information, we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the Personal Information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of Personal Information and if we can attain our objectives by other means, as well as our legal, regulatory, tax, accounting and other applicable obligations.
Once retention of the Personal Information is no longer necessary for the purposes outlined above, we will either delete or de-identify the Personal Information or, if this is not possible (for example, because Personal Information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store the Personal Information and isolate it from further processing until deletion or deidentification is possible.
Our policies on not collecting Personal Information from children
The Service is not directed to, and we do not knowingly collect Personal Information from, anyone under the age of 13. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that his or her child has provided us with information without their consent, he or she should contact us and we will promptly delete such information.
How to contact us
If you have questions, concerns, complaints, or would like to exercise your rights, please contact us at team@spirebooks.co.
