CCPA Privacy Notice
Effective Date: April 2026
Introduction
This California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Privacy Notice supplements our main Privacy Policy and provides specific information for California residents about their privacy rights under California law.
Ethos (operating as Ethos OÜ in Estonia, serving customers worldwide including California) is committed to protecting the privacy of California consumers.
Contact: hello@ethosbook.co
Information We Collect
Under CCPA, we collect the following categories of personal information:
Categories of Personal Information
| Category | Examples | Collected? |
|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | Name, email, phone number, IP address, device ID | Yes |
| Customer Records | Billing address, payment information | Yes |
| Protected Classifications | Age, gender (if you provide in stories) | Sometimes |
| Commercial Information | Purchase history, payment records | Yes |
| Biometric Information | Voice recordings | Yes |
| Internet Activity | Browsing history, page views, clicks | Yes |
| Geolocation Data | Approximate location from IP address | Yes |
| Audio/Visual Information | Voice recordings you submit | Yes |
| Professional Information | Job title (if you provide in stories) | Sometimes |
| Education Information | Educational background (if in stories) | Sometimes |
| Inferences | Preferences derived from your usage | Yes |
Sources of Information
We collect this information from:
- Directly from you - Account registration, voice recordings, checkout forms
- Automatically - Website cookies, analytics, usage tracking
- Third parties - Payment processors (Stripe), social login (Google), affiliate networks (Rewardful)
How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information for the following business purposes:
- Provide our service - Create your AI-generated biography book
- Process transactions - Handle payments and fulfill orders
- Customer support - Respond to your questions and issues
- Improve our service - Analyze usage to enhance features
- Marketing - Send promotional emails (with your consent)
- Security - Detect fraud and protect against threats
- Legal compliance - Meet regulatory requirements
How We Share Your Information
Categories of Third Parties
We share personal information with:
- Service providers - Supabase (hosting), Stripe (payments), Brevo (email), ElevenLabs (transcription), Lulu (printing)
- Advertising partners - Meta/Facebook (with consent for advertising)
- Affiliate networks - Rewardful (referral tracking with consent)
- Analytics providers - PostHog (user experience analysis with consent)
- Professional advisors - Lawyers, accountants, auditors
- Government authorities - When required by law
Do We Sell Your Personal Information?
NO. We do not sell your personal information as defined by CCPA.
While we use cookies from Meta and other partners for advertising, this is done with your consent and you can opt out at any time through our cookie settings.
We do NOT:
- Sell your contact information to data brokers
- Sell your voice recordings or stories
- Sell your payment information
- Sell any personal information for monetary compensation
Your CCPA Rights
Right to Know
You have the right to request:
Categories of information:
- What categories of personal information we collected
- What categories of sources we collected from
- Our business purpose for collecting
- What categories of third parties we share with
Specific pieces of information:
- The specific personal information we have about you
How to request: Email hello@ethosbook.co with "CCPA Right to Know Request" in the subject line.
Response time: 45 days (may extend by 45 days if needed)
Frequency: You can make up to 2 requests per 12-month period
Right to Delete
You have the right to request deletion of your personal information.
What we'll delete:
- Your account information
- Voice recordings and stories
- Usage data and preferences
- Marketing preferences
Exceptions (we may keep data if necessary for):
- Completing your transaction or service
- Security incident detection and prevention
- Complying with legal obligations (e.g., tax records)
- Internal uses reasonably aligned with your expectations
How to request: Email hello@ethosbook.co with "CCPA Deletion Request" in the subject line.
Response time: 45 days (may extend by 45 days if needed)
Right to Opt-Out of Sale
While we don't sell personal information, you can control cookie-based data sharing:
To opt out of advertising cookies:
1. Click the cookie settings banner on our website
2. Disable "Marketing Cookies"
3. Save your preferences
Or email: hello@ethosbook.co with "Opt-Out of Sale" in the subject line
Right to Non-Discrimination
You have the right to non-discriminatory treatment for exercising your CCPA rights.
We will NOT:
- Deny you goods or services
- Charge different prices or rates
- Provide a different level of service quality
- Suggest you'll receive different service or pricing
How to Submit a CCPA Request
Authorized Methods
You can submit a request by:
1. Email: hello@ethosbook.co
- Subject: "CCPA [Type of Request] Request"
- Example: "CCPA Right to Know Request"
2. Mail:
Ethos OÜ - CCPA Requests
Kursi tn 3, 10415 Tallinn, Estonia
Identity Verification
To protect your privacy, we'll verify your identity before fulfilling requests.
For Right to Know requests:
- Match your email to our records
- Verify account details you provided
For Deletion requests (stricter verification):
- Match email and account details
- May require additional verification (e.g., security questions)
- May ask for government-issued ID if high-risk deletion
If you use an authorized agent:
- Provide written permission signed by you
- Agent must provide their own identification
- We may contact you directly to confirm
Response Timeline
- Initial response: 10 business days (acknowledgment)
- Full response: 45 days
- Extension: May extend by 45 days for complex requests (we'll notify you)
Response Format
We'll deliver information:
- Electronically - Via secure email (default)
- By mail - If you request it
- Portable format - JSON or CSV for data portability
California "Shine the Light" Law
Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83, California residents can request information about sharing personal information with third parties for direct marketing purposes.
Our policy: We do not share your personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes without your consent.
California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA)
We comply with CalOPPA by:
- Having a clear privacy policy accessible from our homepage
- Posting our privacy policy URL in the footer
- Allowing you to change your personal information through your account
- Notifying you of privacy policy changes
Do Not Track Signals
Our website honors "Do Not Track" (DNT) signals through our cookie consent management:
- If you enable DNT in your browser, we'll respect it
- Essential cookies will still function
- Marketing and analytics cookies will be disabled
- You can also control cookies through our cookie banner
Children's Privacy (Under 16)
We do not knowingly collect information from California residents under 16 without parental consent.
- Under 13: We don't collect data from children under 13
- Ages 13-15: We require verifiable parental consent before collecting data
- Ages 16-17: We require opt-in consent from the minor
If you believe we've collected information from a minor without proper consent, contact us immediately at hello@ethosbook.co.
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) Updates
Starting January 2023, California consumers have additional rights under CPRA:
Right to Correct
You can request correction of inaccurate personal information.
How to request: Email hello@ethosbook.co with "CCPA Correction Request" and details of the inaccurate information.
Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information
We don't use sensitive personal information (voice recordings, health data in stories) beyond what's necessary to provide our service.
If you believe we're using your sensitive information beyond our stated purposes, email hello@ethosbook.co with "Limit Sensitive Information Use".
Data Retention
You can request information about how long we keep different types of data. See our Privacy Policy Section 8 for retention periods.
Financial Incentives
We may occasionally offer financial incentives or price differences:
- Referral programs - Discounts for referring friends
- Newsletter discounts - Special offers for email subscribers
- Loyalty programs - Rewards for repeat customers
How to opt in: Programs are voluntary and clearly disclosed when offered.
How to opt out: Unsubscribe from emails or email hello@ethosbook.co.
Value of data: The value is reasonably related to the value you receive (e.g., $10 discount for referring a customer who spends $99).
Contact Us for CCPA Requests
Email: hello@ethosbook.co
Subject: "CCPA [Type of Request] Request"
Mail:
CCPA Compliance Officer
Ethos OÜ
Kursi tn 3, 10415 Tallinn, Estonia
Response time: We'll acknowledge your request within 10 business days and respond fully within 45 days (may extend by 45 days if complex).
Questions? Email hello@ethosbook.co with your CCPA questions.
We respect your California privacy rights and are committed to transparency in how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.