Privacy policy

1. Controller

The data controller is Essay Atelier (essayatelier.net). Privacy and data-rights requests: info@essayatelier.net.

2. What we collect

• Account details: email address, display name, authentication data
• Brief and project content you submit (topic, assessment criteria, messages, files)
• Payment and commission status metadata (and payment processor data when Stripe is enabled)
• Technical logs needed to operate and secure the service
• Draft brief answers stored in your browser (localStorage) until you submit or clear them
• Optional analytics events if you accept analytics cookies (see Cookie policy)

3. Why we process data (legal bases)

• Contract — to create your account, quote, produce, deliver, and support your commission
• Legitimate interests — to secure the service, prevent abuse, and improve reliability (balanced against your rights)
• Consent — for optional analytics cookies; you may withdraw consent anytime via cookie preferences
• Legal obligation — where we must keep records for tax, accounting, or dispute resolution

4. How we use it

Data is used to authenticate you, quote and deliver commissions, send transactional emails, process uploaded PDF text for scope review, create auditable contract manifests, and operate the client dashboard. We do not sell your personal data or use it for third-party advertising.

5. Processors / recipients

• Supabase — authentication, database, and file storage
• Resend — transactional email delivery
• Vercel — application hosting; analytics / speed insights only if you consent
• Stripe — card payments when online checkout is enabled
• OpenAI (or the configured compatible language-model provider) — analysis of brief, profile context, clarification text, and extracted supporting-document text to assist our human quotation review

Some processors may process data outside the UK/EEA. Where they do, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) provided by those processors.

Do not upload unnecessary identifiers, health information, or other special-category data. If you do not want project content processed by the quotation assistant, contact us before submitting and we will arrange a manual review where operationally possible.

6. Retention

Account and project data are kept while your account is active and for a reasonable period afterward for support, dispute resolution, and legal record-keeping. You may request earlier deletion where the law allows. Browser draft data remains until you clear it or submit the brief.

7. Your rights

Under UK/EU GDPR you may request:

• Access to your personal data
• Rectification of inaccurate data
• Erasure (“right to be forgotten”) where applicable
• Restriction of, or objection to, certain processing
• Data portability for data you provided to us
• Withdrawal of cookie/analytics consent at any time

Email info@essayatelier.net with the subject “Data rights request”. After we verify your identity, an administrator will process export or erasure through our internal review workflow (see privacy operations in our ops documentation). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or your local EU supervisory authority.

8. Cookies

Essential cookies keep you signed in. Optional analytics cookies run only after you accept them. Details: Cookie policy.

9. Children

The service is intended for adults commissioning professional writing drafts. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16.

10. Contact

Privacy enquiries: info@essayatelier.net