Privacy Policy

STORIES 4 GOOD LTD – TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Effective Date: 28^th April 2025

1. INTRODUCTION

Stories 4 Good Ltd (“Stories 4 Good”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to upholding the highest standards of data protection and privacy in the conduct of its operations. We recognise the importance of safeguarding the personal data of all individuals who engage with us, including but not limited to authors, contributors, readers, suppliers, partners, and other stakeholders.

This Privacy Policy sets out the lawful basis on which we collect, use, store, disclose, and otherwise process personal data, and outlines the rights of data subjects, in accordance with our obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (collectively, the “Data Protection Laws”).

This Policy applies to any personal data that is voluntarily disclosed to us, whether by email, through our website located at www.stories4good.com (the “Website”), or through any other direct interaction or communication with us. This Privacy Policy does not govern or apply to third-party websites, content, services, or platforms that may be linked to or accessible from the Website. We do not accept responsibility or liability for the data practices of such third parties, and we encourage users to consult their respective privacy policies independently.

By engaging with us or by submitting any personal data to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy, and you consent to the practices described herein, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

2. DATA CONTROLLER INFORMATION

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, the “data controller” is the natural or legal person who, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data, as defined under Article 4(7) UK GDPR.

The data controller responsible for the processing of personal data described in this Privacy Policy is:

Stories 4 Good Ltd

Company Number: 16237535

Registered Office: 128 City Road, London EC1V 2NX, United Kingdom

Email: privacy@stories4good.com

Stories 4 Good Ltd is the legal entity that determines the purposes and methods of collecting, handling, storing, and disclosing personal data submitted by users, authors, contributors, and other individuals who interact with the business. We are responsible for ensuring that such data is processed lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent manner in accordance with the Data Protection Laws.

Stories 4 Good Ltd uses third-party technical infrastructure and services to host and manage our website. All data processing is handled in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Should you have any questions regarding the processing of your personal data or wish to exercise your rights as a data subject, please refer to Section 12 of this Privacy Policy.

3. PERSONAL DATA WE COLLECT

We collect personal data solely where it is voluntarily and knowingly provided by you in the context of your engagement with Stories 4 Good Ltd. The categories of personal data we may collect include, but are not limited to:

Full name and title
Email address and other contact details
Written content or creative submissions (e.g., short stories, literary works)
Biographical or background information (where supplied)
Any personal data contained within email correspondence or supporting documentation

All such data is collected for specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes as outlined in this Privacy Policy. We do not currently employ cookies, web analytics, tracking pixels, or any form of automated data collection technology on our website.

4. HOW WE COLLECT PERSONAL DATA

We collect personal data directly from you through transparent and voluntary interactions. The methods by which we may obtain your personal data include:

Email submissions sent to our editorial or administrative team
Communications initiated by you, including enquiries, feedback, or expressions of interest
Voluntary provision of personal data in connection with story submissions, publication proposals, or related correspondence

We do not obtain personal data from third-party sources, automated technologies, or public databases. All personal data is collected in a manner that is lawful, fair, and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes outlined in this Policy.

5. PURPOSES OF DATA PROCESSING AND LAWFUL BASIS

In accordance with Article 6 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), all processing of personal data carried out by Stories 4 Good Ltd is grounded in a recognised lawful basis. The table below outlines the purposes for which we process personal data and the corresponding legal bases:

Purpose of Processing	Lawful Basis for Processing
Reviewing and editing story submissions	Consent; Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(a) and (f))
Attributing authorship and publication credit	Consent; Contractual Necessity (Article 6(1)(a) and (b))
Communicating with you in connection with submissions	Consent; Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(a) and (f))
Maintaining editorial, copyright, and publishing records	Legitimate Interests; Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(f) and (c))
Facilitating the tracking of charitable contributions	Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f))
Complying with legal and regulatory obligations	Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c))

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, where consent serves as the lawful basis for processing. Such withdrawal shall not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out prior to the withdrawal. To exercise this right, please contact us using the details provided in Section 12 of this Privacy Policy.

6. HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA

We process personal data strictly for the purposes specified in this Privacy Policy and only where such processing is necessary and proportionate to our legitimate publishing, editorial, and charitable activities.

Specifically, your personal data may be used to:

Assess, review, and select literary submissions for potential publication;
Communicate with you regarding the editorial process, feedback, or publication status;
Attribute authorship to published works where consent has been provided or where contractually agreed;
Maintain an editorial archive for recordkeeping, compliance, and reference;
Support transparency and traceability in relation to donations or charitable disbursements linked to published content.

All data is processed lawfully, fairly, and in a manner that respects your rights and freedoms under applicable data protection legislation.

7. COPYRIGHT ASSIGNMENT AND PERSONAL DATA

Where you assign or license copyright in your submitted work to Stories 4 Good Ltd, whether through a formal agreement or implied publishing arrangement, the personal data associated with your submission—including, but not limited to, your name, contact information, biography, and related correspondence—may be retained and processed for purposes intrinsically connected to the rights you have granted.

Such purposes include:

Preserving editorial and publishing integrity through accurate attribution and authorship acknowledgement;
Maintaining legal records related to the ownership, assignment, or licensing of copyright;
Facilitating royalty distribution, charitable fund allocation, or usage reporting where applicable;
Responding to legal notices, third-party claims, or intellectual property infringement enquiries.

Personal data will only be published or disclosed in connection with copyrighted works (e.g., name, biography) where you have provided explicit written consent or where such publication is contractually required. All use of personal data in connection with assigned or licensed content shall be conducted in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

8. DISCLOSURE OF DATA TO THIRD PARTIES

We do not sell, rent, or commercially exploit personal data under any circumstances.

Personal data may be disclosed to third parties only where such disclosure is necessary, proportionate, and subject to appropriate legal and contractual safeguards. Third parties to whom we may disclose personal data include:

Professional service providers such as editors, proofreaders, and consultants, subject to legally binding confidentiality obligations;
Publishing and production partners, including print and digital distributors, designers, and formatters, where necessary for fulfilment of our publishing objectives;
IT and infrastructure providers, including secure hosting, email, and storage solutions, who process data solely on our instructions in accordance with Article 28 UK GDPR;
Regulatory authorities, courts, or law enforcement agencies, where disclosure is required by law, court order, or legal process.

Where any third-party recipient is located outside the United Kingdom, we ensure that such transfers are conducted in accordance with Chapter V of the UK GDPR, including the implementation of appropriate safeguards such as the UK’s International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), as approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

9. DATA RETENTION

We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required to comply with applicable legal, regulatory, or operational obligations. Retention periods are determined in accordance with Article 5(1)(e) UK GDPR and are as follows:

Unpublished story submissions: retained for a period of up to 12 months from the date of receipt, unless extended due to editorial review or legal necessity.
Published works and associated contributor data: retained indefinitely for legal recordkeeping, rights management, and archival purposes, unless a valid erasure request is granted.
General enquiries and correspondence: retained for a period of up to 24 months, unless ongoing editorial or compliance requirements justify a longer retention period.

Data subjects may request the earlier erasure of their personal data in accordance with Section 10 of this Policy. All such requests will be considered in light of our obligations under data protection law, including any applicable exemptions under Schedule 2 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

10. YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE UK GDPR

As a data subject, you have the following rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, which you may exercise at any time:

Right to be informed – to receive clear and transparent information about how your personal data is processed;
Right of access – to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you and understand how it is used (Article 15 UK GDPR);
Right to rectification – to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data (Article 16 UK GDPR);
Right to erasure – to request the deletion of your data where there is no lawful reason to continue processing (Article 17 UK GDPR);
Right to restrict processing – to limit the use of your personal data under certain circumstances (Article 18 UK GDPR);
Right to data portability – to receive your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format (Article 20 UK GDPR);
Right to object – to processing based on legitimate interests, direct marketing, or profiling (Article 21 UK GDPR);
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing;
Right to lodge a complaint – with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed:

www.ico.org.uk

0303 123 1113

We encourage you to contact us directly to resolve any concerns before reaching out to the ICO.

11. DATA SECURITY

We implement and maintain appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access, in accordance with Article 32 UK GDPR.

These measures include, but are not limited to:

Secure email servers and encrypted data storage systems;
Role-based access controls and internal confidentiality undertakings;
Limited access to personal data strictly on a “need-to-know” basis;
Periodic review of our security protocols and data handling procedures.

While we take reasonable steps to safeguard your data, no system can guarantee absolute security. You acknowledge that the transmission of information via the internet is inherently insecure and done at your own risk.

12. CONTACT DETAILS

For all enquiries related to this Privacy Policy, the processing of your personal data, or to exercise any of your rights under data protection law, please contact:

Email: privacy@stories4good.com

Registered Office:

Stories 4 Good Ltd

128 City Road, London EC1V 2NX, United Kingdom