Privacy policy
Reading needs no account and no personal details. If you choose to make an account, this is everything that changes.
Who to contact
For anything on this page, write to contact@talehour.com.
Reading without an account
Every story on this site is readable with no sign-up. We do not ask for your name or your email address.
A few things are kept in your own browser, on your own device: the theme, text size and reading font you picked, how far you had scrolled into each story, and which story you read last — those two are what put a "Continue reading" link in the header. None of these are sent to us, and clearing your browser data removes them.
Your browser also keeps one random ID for this site, which is not linked to you or to any account. It is used only for counting reads, described below.
If you create an account
An account carries your place across devices, keeps the stories you save, and lets you comment. It is optional and there is nothing to buy.
When you make one, we store:
- the name you choose, and your email address;
- your password, hashed — we cannot read it, and nobody here ever sees it;
- how far into each story you had read;
- the stories you saved, and any comments you post.
That is the whole list, and we never sell it.
Creating an account sends one activation link, and the account cannot sign in until it is clicked — that is how we know the address is really yours. A password reset or a change of address sends a link the same way.
Those are the only emails the site sends today. They are sent through our email provider, Lark Suite. If that ever changes, this page will say so first, and every such email will carry an unsubscribe link that works. Addresses are never sold or shared.
Comments
Comments are public and show your display name. You can take yours down at any time, and they are deleted with your account.
Cookies of our own
Every visit gets two cookies from us, a session cookie and a security token, which the site needs to work and to sign you in. They are not used for advertising or tracking, and expire after two hours without use.
Counting reads
When a story opens, the page tells us so, together with the random ID described above and where the visit came from (the site or campaign that linked to it, or another story here); when you leave, it sends how long the page was in front of you, how far down you scrolled, and whether you reached the end. We store that against the story and the ID, so we can see which stories people actually finish. If your browser does not allow the ID to be stored, a hash of your IP address and browser identifier is used in its place, and your IP address itself is not stored.
Opening the same story again within about thirty minutes is not counted twice. None of this is linked to an account, shared with anyone, or used for advertising, and it is deleted automatically after 90 days.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used as a whole — pages viewed, how visitors arrived, the kind of device and browser, and approximate location. It sets its own cookies (named "_ga" and "_ga_…") on this site.
If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, those cookies are not set unless you agree to them in the consent message; until then Google receives only limited signals without cookies. You can stop Google Analytics everywhere with Google's opt-out browser add-on.
Advertising
This site is paid for by display advertising, served by Google AdSense and by MGID. Some ads sit in places we chose; others are placed on the page automatically by Google, and those can appear between paragraphs as the page loads.
Google, and the advertising partners it works with, may set cookies or use similar technology to show you ads based on your visits to this site and to other sites. Those cookies belong to them and are covered by their policies, not this one; Google explains what it does with data from sites that show its ads at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
MGID shows ad and recommended-content widgets on some pages. It may also set cookies or use similar technology to choose and measure those ads, under its own policy rather than this one: mgid.com/services/privacy-policy.
Your choices
- In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, a consent message asks before personalised ads and analytics cookies are used. You can change your answer at any time with the Privacy settings link at the bottom of every page.
- In US states with privacy laws (including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia and Texas), you can opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for targeted advertising with the Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information link at the bottom of every page. Ads still show; they are no longer chosen using that information.
- Anywhere, you can switch personalised ads off at Google's ad settings, opt out of many other vendors' personalised ads at aboutads.info, and block or clear cookies in your browser.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to know what personal information we hold about you, to get a copy of it, to have it corrected or deleted, to object to or restrict how it is used, and to withdraw a consent you gave. We will not treat you differently for using any of these rights.
For an account, you can delete everything yourself (below). For anything else, write to contact@talehour.com. If you are in the EEA, the UK or Switzerland, you can also complain to your local data protection authority.
Why we use your information (EEA, UK and Switzerland)
- an account, its emails and your comments: to provide the service you asked for;
- personalised ads and analytics cookies: your consent, which you can withdraw at any time;
- counting reads and server logs: our legitimate interest in running the site securely and knowing which stories people read.
Where it is processed
The site is delivered through Cloudflare, and account emails through Lark Suite. These, the site's servers, and the Google and MGID services described above may process information outside your own country. Google describes the safeguards it uses in its privacy policy.
Server logs
Standard web server logs record requests, including IP address, browser, and the page requested. They are used to keep the site running and secure, and are overwritten automatically after a short time.
Deleting your account
You can do it yourself, immediately, from your account page. It asks for your password again and then removes the account, your saved places, your saved stories and your comments. It happens straight away and cannot be undone — we keep no copy and cannot restore it afterwards.
If you would rather a person did it, or you cannot get into the account, write to contact@talehour.com.
Either way, deleting the account does not touch what your own browser has stored. Clear your browser data for that.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect information from them.
Changes
If this policy changes, the change appears on this page and the date at the top moves with it.