Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Newz Archive ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our newspaper digitization platform.

By using the Service, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

We collect information you provide directly to us, including:

• Account Information: Email address, password (encrypted), and optional profile information
• Uploaded Content: Newspaper scans, images, and associated metadata (titles, dates, descriptions)
• Comments and Discussions: Text content you post in comments on newspaper issues
• Favorites: Bookmarks and saved items

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you use the Service, we automatically collect:

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, search queries, and interaction patterns
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type, and screen resolution
• Log Data: IP address, access times, referring URLs, and error logs
• Cookies: Session cookies for authentication and user preferences

2.3 OCR-Processed Data

When you upload newspaper images, we process them through OCR technology (Google Cloud Vision and Tesseract). The extracted text is stored and made searchable. Original images and OCR text are retained indefinitely as part of the historical archive.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: Provide, maintain, and improve the newspaper digitization platform
• Account Management: Create and manage user accounts, authenticate users
• Content Processing: Apply OCR to uploaded images, extract metadata, generate searchable archives
• Feature Functionality: Enable favorites, comments, audio generation, and social sharing
• Communication: Send account-related notifications and service updates
• Security: Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• Analytics: Understand usage patterns and improve user experience
• Legal Compliance: Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

4.1 Public Content

The following information is publicly accessible by design:

• Uploaded newspaper images and OCR-extracted text
• Publication metadata (titles, dates, volume/issue numbers)
• Approved comments and discussions

Important: Do not upload content containing personal information you wish to keep private, as all uploaded content is intended for public historical archiving.

4.2 Third-Party Service Providers

We share information with third-party services that help us operate the platform:

• Google Cloud Vision: For OCR text extraction from images
• Cloud Hosting: For server infrastructure and data storage
• Analytics: For understanding usage patterns (if applicable)

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the services they provide to us.

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law or in response to:

• Legal processes (subpoenas, court orders)
• Government requests
• Protection of our rights, property, or safety
• Emergency situations involving potential harm

5. Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: Passwords are encrypted using industry-standard hashing (bcrypt)
• HTTPS: All data transmission is encrypted using SSL/TLS
• Access Controls: Limited access to personal data based on role requirements
• Regular Updates: Security patches and software updates

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information as follows:

• Account Data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after deletion
• Uploaded Content: Retained indefinitely as part of the historical archive (even after account deletion)
• Comments: Retained indefinitely as part of the community discussion history
• Log Data: Typically retained for 30-90 days for security and debugging purposes

Note: Since uploaded content is intended for permanent historical archiving, it is not deleted when you close your account. If you need content removed, please contact us with specific reasons.

7. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your information:

7.1 Access and Update

You can access and update your account information through your account settings.

7.2 Account Deletion

You may delete your account at any time. Note that uploaded content will remain in the public archive.

7.3 Data Portability

You may request a copy of your personal data in a machine-readable format.

7.4 Opt-Out

You can opt out of non-essential communications through account settings or by following unsubscribe instructions in emails.

8. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

• Authentication: Session cookies to keep you logged in
• Preferences: Storing user preferences and settings
• Security: Detecting and preventing fraudulent activity

You can configure your browser to refuse cookies, but this may limit functionality. We do not use third-party advertising cookies or tracking for behavioral advertising.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover we have collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. These countries may have different data protection laws. By using the Service, you consent to such transfers.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to know whether personal information is sold or disclosed
• Right to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
• Right to deletion of personal information (subject to exceptions)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

13. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Right of access to your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Right to withdraw consent