# **NOVA Privacy Policy (Draft)**

**Effective Date:** 01/01/2026
**Entity Responsible:** **Novus Atlas**

NOVA (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a writing, reading, and community platform also known as Novus Atlas. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have when using NOVA.

If you use NOVA, you’re trusting us with words. We take that seriously.

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## 1. Scope

This policy applies to all NOVA services, including our website, applications, APIs, and community features.

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## 2. Information We Collect

### 2.1 Information You Provide

* Account information (email, username, authentication credentials)
* Profile details (bio, avatar, preferences)
* Content you create (stories, poems, comments, metadata)
* Communications with us (support tickets, emails, feedback)

### 2.2 Authentication Information

We support third-party authentication via:

* **Google OAuth**
* **Discord OAuth**

We do not receive your passwords from these providers.

### 2.3 Information We Do **Not** Collect

* We **do not collect or store IP addresses**
* We do **not** sell user data
* We do **not** collect precise location data

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## 3. Cookies & Tracking

We use a limited number of cookies for essential functionality and analytics:

* **Authentication cookies** (required for login and session management)
* **Analytics cookies** provided by **PostHog**, used to understand platform usage and improve performance

We do not use advertising cookies.

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## 4. How We Use Information

We use collected information to:

* Create and manage user accounts
* Authenticate users and secure sessions
* Host, display, and organize user content
* Provide discovery, recommendations, and search
* Maintain platform safety and moderation
* Respond to support requests
* Improve performance and reliability

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## 5. Content Visibility & Ownership

### 5.1 Public vs Private Content

* Users explicitly mark content as **public** or **private**
* **Only public content is visible** to other users or the public
* Private content remains accessible only to its creator

### 5.2 Ownership

* **Creators retain full ownership** of their content
* NOVA receives a limited license only to host and display content as intended
* If a creator signs an exclusivity agreement, ownership **still favors the creator**, with terms explicitly defined in that agreement

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## 6. AI, Embeddings & Automated Processing

* NOVA **does not use user data to train AI models**
* We **do not run LLMs on user content for inference**

We use **embeddings** strictly for:

* Search
* Recommendations
* Content discovery

In limited cases:

* **Metadata** (such as title, tags, or summaries) may be passed to an LLM to generate a **summary for embedding only**
* This improves discoverability for authors and reading experience for users
* Full content is **not** sent to LLMs

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## 7. Data Storage & Security

* User content is stored on NOVA-controlled infrastructure
* Blob storage is hosted on **R2** and accessible **only through internal services**
* User content does **not** leave NOVA’s servers

We implement industry-standard security measures, but no system is invulnerable.

### User Responsibility

Users are responsible for:

* Keeping passwords secure
* Safeguarding generated API keys or access tokens

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## 8. Data Sharing

We share data only with:

* Infrastructure providers required to operate NOVA
* Authentication providers (Google, Discord)
* Payment processors (**Polar**)

We do **not** sell or rent personal data.

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## 9. Payments

All payments and billing information are handled by **Polar**. NOVA does not store raw payment details.

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## 10. Data Retention

* Active and inactive accounts remain stored until deletion is requested
* Inactive accounts are **not automatically deleted**
* Users may request account deletion at any time

Deletion requests can be made by:

* Emailing support
* Creating a support ticket

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## 11. Age & Mature Content

- You must be at least **13 years old** to create an account on NOVA  
- NOVA does **not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13**  
- Content marked as mature requires **age verification** and may be restricted  
- If we discover that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information

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## 12. Your Rights

Users may request:

* Access to their data
* Correction of inaccurate information
* Deletion of their account and associated data

Requests can be submitted through support channels.

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## 13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on the platform. Continued use of NOVA constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

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## 14. Contact

For privacy-related questions or requests:

**Email:** [community@novusatlas.org](mailto:community@novusatlas.org)
**Responsible Entity:** Novus Atlas