Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 23, 2026

Introduction

Archivis ("we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our biography writing and preservation service at archivis.org.

By using Archivis, you consent to the data practices described in this policy. This policy works together with our Terms of Service and Data Processing Agreement to protect your rights.

Information We Collect

1. Information You Provide Directly

Account Information:

Name and email address
Password (encrypted)
Account preferences

Order Information:

Billing address
Payment information (processed securely by Stripe/Affirm)
Package selection and customization choices

Biography Content:

Personal stories, memories, and narratives
Life details (dates, places, events, relationships)
Photographs and documents you upload
Questionnaire responses
Audio recordings (if provided)

Communication:

Correspondence with our support team
Any other information you choose to share

2. Information Collected Automatically

Usage Data:

IP address
Browser type and version
Device information
Pages visited and time spent
Referring URLs

Cookies and Tracking:

Session cookies for authentication
Preference cookies (reading settings, theme choices)
Analytics cookies (Google Analytics or similar)

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings.

How We Use Your Information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

Service Delivery

Creating and delivering your biography
Processing payments and orders
Communicating about your project
Providing customer support
Delivering revisions and final products

Service Improvement

Analyzing usage patterns
Improving our platform and features
Developing new services
Training staff and improving quality

Legal and Security

Preventing fraud and abuse
Complying with legal obligations
Enforcing our Terms of Service
Protecting our rights and property

Marketing (With Your Consent)

Sending service updates and announcements
Sharing relevant offers or features
Newsletter communications (opt-in only)

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time.

How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in these limited circumstances:

Service Providers

We share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us:

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Hosts our database and stores biography content
Subject to AWS's privacy policies and security standards
Data stored in US-East-2 (Ohio) region

Stripe and Affirm

Process payments securely
We never see or store full credit card numbers
Subject to their respective privacy policies

Google Workspace

Handles our email communications
Subject to Google's privacy policies

OpenAI

Powers AI-assisted biography features (certain tiers)
Content processed according to OpenAI's enterprise usage policies
We do not use your content to train their models

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required to:

Comply with legal processes (subpoenas, court orders)
Enforce our Terms of Service
Protect rights, property, or safety of Archivis, users, or others
Investigate fraud or security issues

Business Transfers

If Archivis is acquired, merged, or sold, your information may be transferred to the new entity. You will be notified and given options to export or delete your data within 60 days (as specified in our Terms of Service, Section 8.2).

With Your Consent

We may share information for other purposes with your explicit consent.

Published Biographies

If you choose to publish your biography on archivis.org, it will be publicly viewable. You control publication status and can unpublish at any time.

Data Storage and Security

Security Measures

We implement enterprise-grade security practices:

Encrypted data transmission: TLS 1.3 for all data in transit
Encrypted data storage: AES-256 encryption for data at rest
Secure password storage: Industry-standard hashing algorithms
Private cloud infrastructure: AWS with isolated database in private subnet (zero internet exposure)
Access controls: AWS Cognito authentication with JWT signature verification
Rate limiting: Protection against brute force attacks
Database backups: Automated daily backups with 7-day retention
Regular security audits: Ongoing monitoring and assessment

For complete technical details, see our Data Processing Agreement.

Data Retention

Data Type	Retention Period
Active accounts	Maintained indefinitely while account is active
Inactive accounts	Archived after 5 years of inactivity (with email notice)
Deleted accounts	Data deleted within 30 days of request
Backup retention	Backups purged within 90 days after deletion from active systems
Payment records	7 years (required by law for tax and accounting purposes)

International Transfers

Your data is stored on servers in the United States (AWS US-East-2 region in Ohio). By using our service, you consent to this transfer and storage. For EU residents, we use Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission to ensure adequate protection.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

Access and Portability

Request a copy of your personal data
Export your biography content and files in machine-readable format (JSON + ZIP)
Review what information we have about you

Correction and Update

Correct inaccurate information
Update your account details
Modify your biography content

Deletion ("Right to be Forgotten")

Request deletion of your account and data
Remove published biographies
Erase your personal information

Note: We may retain certain information for legal, accounting, or security purposes (such as payment records for 7 years as required by law).

Opt-Out Rights

Unsubscribe from marketing emails
Disable non-essential cookies
Opt out of data sharing with partners

Restriction and Objection

Restrict processing of your data
Object to certain uses of your information

To Exercise Your Rights

We will respond within 30 days.

State-Specific Privacy Rights

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

Right to Know: What personal information is collected, used, shared, and sold
Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information
Right to Correct: Correct inaccurate personal information
Right to Opt-Out: Opt out of the sale/sharing of personal information (we don't sell or share data)
Right to Limit: Limit use of sensitive personal information
Right to Non-Discrimination: No discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

California "Shine the Light" Law: Request information about data shared with third parties for marketing purposes. We do not share your personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.

European Residents (GDPR)

If you're in the European Union or European Economic Area:

Legal basis for processing: Contract performance, your consent, and our legitimate interests
Right to data portability: Receive your data in machine-readable format
Right to lodge complaints: Contact your local supervisory authority
Data Protection Officer: privacy@archivis.org
International transfers: Protected by Standard Contractual Clauses

Other U.S. State Privacy Rights

Residents of Virginia (VCDPA), Colorado (CPA), Connecticut (CTDPA), and other states with comprehensive privacy laws have similar rights to those described above. Contact us to exercise your rights.

Nevada Residents

Nevada residents may opt-out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell your personal information.

Children's Privacy

Archivis is not intended for users under 18. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us immediately at privacy@archivis.org for deletion.

Biographies About Minors

If you create a biography that includes information about minors (e.g., your children or grandchildren), you represent that you have the legal authority to share this information.

Third-Party Links

Our service may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices. Review their policies before providing any information.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. Changes will be posted with a new "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.

For significant changes that materially affect your rights, we will provide prominent notice through:

Email notification to your registered email address
A banner notification on our website
An in-dashboard alert

Continued use of Archivis after changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Data Breach Notification

In the unlikely event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will:

Notify affected users within 72 hours of discovering the breach
Describe the nature of the breach and what data was affected
Explain the steps we're taking to address it and prevent future breaches
Provide recommendations for protecting yourself
Report to appropriate regulatory authorities as required by law

Cookie Policy

Essential Cookies

Required for basic site functionality (these cannot be disabled):

Session management and authentication
Security features and CSRF protection
Load balancing

Preference Cookies

Remember your choices:

Reading settings (text size, theme, page color)
Language preferences
Dashboard view preferences

Analytics Cookies

Help us improve the service (with your consent):

Usage statistics and feature performance
Error tracking and debugging
A/B testing of new features

Managing Cookies:

Adjust cookie settings in your browser preferences. Note that disabling essential cookies may limit site functionality. You can delete cookies at any time through your browser settings.

Do Not Track

Some browsers offer "Do Not Track" (DNT) signals. Currently, there is no universal industry standard for handling DNT requests. We do not alter our data collection or use practices in response to DNT signals, but we respect your privacy choices through our cookie consent mechanism.

AI and Your Data

For customers using our AI-assisted biography services:

No training on your data: Your biographical content is not used to train OpenAI's models. This is guaranteed in our enterprise agreement with OpenAI.
Temporary processing: Your questionnaire responses are processed by OpenAI's API to generate draft content, then immediately discarded.
You own the output: You retain full ownership of the completed biography, including any AI-assisted portions.

See our Data Processing Agreement for complete details on AI data processing.

Contact Us

For privacy-related questions, concerns, or to exercise your rights:

Email: privacy@archivis.org
Website: archivis.org

Response Time: We respond to privacy requests within 30 days as required by law.

By using Archivis, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

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