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Privacy Policy

Effective Date: May 1, 2026Last Updated: May 15, 2026

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Afterword LLC (“Afterword,” “we,” or “us”) collects, uses, shares, and protects personal information when you use our websites, apps, QR-code experiences, and related services (the “Service”).

The Service is offered only to residents of the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, we are not directing the Service to you, and we do not intend to collect your personal information.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Categories of personal information

  • Account information: name, email address, password (stored as a hash), and profile details you provide.
  • User Content: stories, advice, letters, audio recordings, video, photos, and other material you upload.
  • Payment and shipping information: billing address, shipping address, and payment-card details (processed by our payment processor; we do not store full payment-card numbers).
  • Communications: messages you send to support, survey responses, and feedback.
  • Device and usage data: IP address, device identifiers, browser type, operating system, pages visited, referring URLs, approximate location derived from IP, and interactions with the Service.
  • Cookies and similar technologies: see Section 7.
  • Information from Legacy Contacts and estate representatives: names, contact information, and documentation submitted to verify authority.
  • Sensitive information (only if you choose to include it): your User Content may include religious or philosophical views, health-related information, sexual orientation, family relationships, or other sensitive categories.
  • Audio recordings and voice data: see Section 8.

2.2 Sources of information

  • Directly from you when you create an account, submit content, or contact us;
  • Automatically from your devices when you use the Service;
  • From service providers (e.g., payment processor, shipping carriers, analytics providers); and
  • From other users (e.g., if you are designated as a Legacy Contact).

3. How We Use Information

We use personal information to:

  • Provide, maintain, and secure the Service and fulfill orders;
  • Verify your identity and administer accounts and Legacy Contact designations;
  • Process payments and ship physical products;
  • Communicate with you about the Service, including service notices and transactional messages;
  • Send marketing communications with your consent or on an opt-out basis, as permitted by law;
  • Measure, personalize, and improve the Service;
  • Publish de-identified or aggregated excerpts of User Content consistent with our Terms;
  • Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents; and
  • Comply with law and enforce our Terms.

4. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

We do not use your User Content to train AI or machine-learning models unless you have separately and expressly opted in. We contractually prohibit our service providers from using your User Content to train their models on our behalf. If we later offer AI-based features, we will describe them clearly at the point of use and obtain any additional consents required. See Section 11 of the Terms of Service.

5. How We Share Information

We share personal information only as described below:

  • Service providers acting on our behalf under confidentiality and security obligations, including hosting and infrastructure, payment processing, shipping carriers, analytics, email delivery, customer support tools, and error monitoring;
  • Legacy Contacts and estate representatives consistent with our Terms and your designations;
  • At your direction (for example, with QR-code recipients);
  • Legal and safety: when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to comply with law, legal process, or enforceable governmental requests; to enforce our Terms; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Afterword, users, or others; and
  • Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, with appropriate protections and notice.

We do not sell personal information for money. Some analytics or advertising cookies may qualify as “sharing” or “sale” under California law; we honor opt-out requests and Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as described in Section 12.

6. Retention

We retain personal information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. After account closure, we retain:

  • Account records and minimal personal information for up to 7 years for tax, audit, and legal-hold purposes;
  • Published public content as described in our Terms;
  • De-identified or aggregated data for ongoing use; and
  • Backup copies until routine backup rotation deletes them.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following categories:

  • Strictly necessary: to authenticate you and keep the Service secure;
  • Functional: to remember preferences;
  • Analytics: to understand Service usage;
  • Marketing: limited to our own campaigns; we do not permit third-party behavioral advertising on the Service by default.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings and through the cookie-preferences control available on our site. We respect Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals where applicable.

8. Audio Recordings and Biometric Information

If you record audio through the Service:

  • Purpose. We process audio recordings solely to store, stream, and display the content you choose to save.
  • No voiceprints. We do not create, store, or use voiceprints or other biometric identifiers for authentication or identification.
  • Consent. By recording audio, you consent to our collection, storage, transmission, and processing of the audio and any voice data embedded in it.
  • Retention. Audio recordings are retained consistent with Section 6 and may be deleted by you at any time.
  • State rights. Illinois (BIPA), Texas (CUBI), Washington (RCW 19.375), and other biometric-information laws may apply to residents of those states, and nothing in this Policy limits rights those laws provide.

9. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information, including encryption in transit, encryption at rest for sensitive fields, access controls, and logging. No security program is perfect, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Data Breach Notification

If we experience a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and applicable regulators as required by law.

11. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you;
  • Correct inaccurate personal information;
  • Delete personal information;
  • Receive a portable copy of your personal information;
  • Opt out of targeted advertising, sale, or sharing of personal information;
  • Limit our use of sensitive personal information;
  • Appeal a denial of a rights request; and
  • Not be discriminated against for exercising your rights.

To exercise these rights, email privacy@myafterword.co or use the rights request form. We will verify your identity and respond within the timeframe required by applicable law (generally 45 days, extendable as permitted). You may designate an authorized agent to act on your behalf.

12. U.S. State-Specific Privacy Rights

12.1 California (CCPA/CPRA)

California residents have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended. In the 12 months preceding the Effective Date above, we collected the categories of personal information listed in Section 2, for the business purposes in Section 3, from the sources in Section 2.2, and shared them with the categories of recipients in Section 5. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of consumers under 16. You may submit requests as described in Section 11, and you may designate an authorized agent (with proof). We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as opt-outs of sale or sharing. We do not engage in financial-incentive programs.

12.2 California “Shine the Light”

California residents may request information about disclosures of personal information to third parties for those third parties’ direct marketing purposes. We do not currently make such disclosures. Requests may be sent to privacy@myafterword.co.

12.3 Nevada

Nevada residents may submit verified requests to opt out of the sale of certain personal information under NRS 603A.340. We do not currently sell personal information, but you may submit a confirming request to privacy@myafterword.co.

12.4 Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, and other state privacy laws

Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws have rights substantially similar to those described in Section 11, including access, correction, deletion, portability, and opt-out of targeted advertising, sale, and profiling in furtherance of decisions with legal or similarly significant effects. Where state law provides an appeal right, appeals may be submitted to privacy@myafterword.co.

12.5 Washington (My Health My Data Act)

If your User Content includes consumer health data covered by Washington’s My Health My Data Act, you may have additional rights, including a right to withdraw consent. Requests may be sent to privacy@myafterword.co.

13. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. The minimum age for an Afterword account is 18. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information, contact privacy@myafterword.co and we will delete it.

14. Deceased Users

Privacy rights in most U.S. jurisdictions do not automatically extend to deceased persons. We treat deceased users’ information with respect. Legacy Contacts and authorized personal representatives may exercise certain rights on behalf of a deceased user consistent with our Terms, Section 14 of the Terms, and applicable law. Access to private communications of a deceased user is limited as described in the Terms.

15. Sensitive Information

User Content may include information that is sensitive by its nature (such as religious views, health-related information, or family relationships). By submitting such content, you understand that it will be processed to provide the Service and, where you have chosen to publish it, made accessible to recipients you designate. We will not use sensitive information for purposes other than those listed in this Policy without your consent.

16. Marketing Communications

With your consent (where required) or where permitted by law, we send marketing emails. You can unsubscribe through the link in any marketing email or by emailing privacy@myafterword.co. Transactional messages necessary to operate the Service will continue. If we send SMS or MMS, we will obtain prior express written consent consistent with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

17. Do Not Track

Our Service does not respond to “Do Not Track” browser signals. We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals for opt-out of sale or sharing under applicable state laws.

18. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes as described in Section 3 of the Terms. The Effective Date at the top of this Policy reflects the most recent update.

19. Contact Us