Privacy Policy

1. Our Philosophy

At Prowlpad, we believe that your digital privacy is as sacred as the stories we tell. Our data collection is minimal, transparent, and focused entirely on providing an exceptional reading experience. We do not track your activity across unrelated websites, nor do we sell your profile information.

2. Data We Collect

We only collect information that is strictly necessary to run the platform and save your reading progress. This falls into three categories:

• Guest Mode Reading: Prowlpad operates in Guest Mode for all readers. We do not offer public user accounts and do not ask for or collect your name, email address, or passwords.
• Functional Reader Data: We store reading histories, active chapters, and story bookmarks strictly locally in your browser using localStorage. This data never leaves your device and is never synced to our servers.
• Analytics Data: We use Google Analytics to collect anonymous usage metrics (such as pages visited, session duration, and general geographic region) to improve the platform. This data is processed by Google in accordance with their privacy policy and is only collected with your cookie consent.

3. Third-Party Service Providers

To operate our platform, we use the following third-party services. We never sell your data to data brokers.

• Google Analytics: Used to collect anonymous usage metrics. Google may process this data in accordance with their Privacy Policy.
• Google AdSense: Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve advertisements based on a user's prior visits to Prowlpad or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to our users based on their visit to our site and/or other sites on the Internet. You can manage or opt out of personalized advertising at any time by visiting Google Ads Settings.
• Hosting & Infrastructure: We use industry-standard cloud hosting to serve the platform securely and globally.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you reside in the European Economic Area (EEA), we process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Consent: We collect analytics cookies only after you have provided explicit consent via our Cookie Banner.
• Legitimate Interests: Necessary to monitor site safety, prevent spam or abuse, optimize loading speeds, and analyze platform usage trends using anonymized data.

5. Data Retention & Self-Service Erasure

Because your reading history and bookmarks are stored entirely locally on your device, you have complete control over your data.

You can instantly and permanently erase all your Prowlpad reading data simply by clearing your browser's cache and local storage data. We do not hold backups of your reading history on our servers.

6. Your European Rights (GDPR Compliance)

If you are a resident of the European Union, you have the following rights regarding your data:

• The right to access and request copies of the personal data we hold about you.
• The right to request rectification of any inaccurate or incomplete details.
• The right to request the permanent deletion (erasure) of your personal data.
• The right to object to or restrict the processing of your information.

7. Your California Rights (CCPA/CPRA Compliance)

If you are a California resident, you have specific consumer privacy rights:

• Right to Know: You can request disclosure of the specific categories of data we collect, share, or sell (Prowlpad does not sell your data).
• Right to Delete: You can request deletion of any personal data collected.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will never deny services or charge different rates if you choose to exercise your privacy rights.

8. Your Rights in India (DPDP Act Compliance)

If you reside in India, your data is protected under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Prowlpad acts as the Data Fiduciary for the limited data you provide. As a Data Principal, you have the right to:

• Access a summary of the personal data we process and the identities of any data processors we use.
• Request the correction of inaccurate data, or the erasure of your data when it is no longer needed.
• Nominate an individual to exercise these rights in the event of death or incapacity.
• Readily access our designated Grievance Officer (listed below) for any data concerns.

9. Age Restrictions & Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

Prowlpad is strictly intended for an adult audience and is not intended for children under the age of 18. In compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and international equivalents, we do not knowingly solicit, collect, or process personal data from anyone under the age of 18.

If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a minor under 18, we will immediately delete that data. If you believe we might have any information from or about a minor, please contact our Grievance Officer immediately so we can remove it.

10. Cookies & Analytics Disclosure

Prowlpad uses browser localStorage for purely functional purposes — to save your reading progress and theme preferences (Dark, Light, or Sepia). This is not a tracking cookie and does not send data to any server.

We use Google Analytics to understand how readers use the platform. Google Analytics collects anonymized data such as pages visited and session duration. This service is only activated after you click "Accept All Cookies" on our Cookie Banner. If you click "Decline," no analytics cookies are set.

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to Prowlpad or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve relevant ads based on your visits across the Internet. You may opt out of personalized advertising at any time via Google Ads Settings. For comprehensive details on cookie categorization and to adjust your preferences, please consult our dedicated Cookie Policy.

11. Data Controller & Grievance Officer

Prowlpad operates as a digital-first entity. For privacy protection and security, we do not list a physical corporate mailing address. The designated Data Controller and Grievance Officer for all matters relating to this policy, data rights execution, or security concerns can be reached directly via email at [email protected].