1. Who We Are
USA World Unity ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website at usaworldunity.com, a platform dedicated to celebrating American voices by publishing writing, stories, and creative works submitted by authors across the United States.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our website and Author Submission portal.
2. Information We Collect
We collect information in two ways: information you provide directly, and information collected automatically.
Information You Provide:
- Your name and email address (via Google Sign-In)
- Your Google profile photo (displayed in the author portal)
- Book and manuscript details you enter in the Author Submission form (title, subtitle, author name, genre, summary, chapter content, etc.)
- Any Google Docs links you choose to share with us for import
Information Collected Automatically:
- Basic usage data such as pages visited and time spent on the site
- Your browser type and device information
- IP address (used for security and fraud prevention only)
🔒 Important: When you import a Google Doc, we only read the specific document you share with us. We do not access any other files, folders, or content in your Google account.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect solely to operate and improve our platform. Specifically:
- To verify your identity and authenticate you via Google Sign-In
- To receive, store, and review your author submission
- To contact you at your provided email address regarding your submission status
- To display your name and profile photo in the author portal during your session
- To improve the functionality and user experience of our website
- To prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third parties. We do not use your data for advertising purposes.
4. Data Storage & Security
Your data is stored securely using Google Firebase (Firestore), a cloud database service provided by Google LLC. Firebase is hosted on Google's secure infrastructure and complies with industry-standard security practices.
- All data is transmitted over encrypted HTTPS connections
- Access to submission data is restricted to authorized USA World Unity staff only
- We retain your submission data for as long as necessary to review and process it
- You may request deletion of your data at any time (see Your Rights below)
While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We encourage you to use strong, unique passwords for your Google account.
5. Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services to operate our platform. Each has its own privacy policy:
- Google Sign-In (Firebase Authentication) — Used to verify your identity. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
- Google Firestore — Used to store your submission data securely in the cloud.
- Google Docs API — Used only when you choose to import a document. We access only the specific document you share.
- Cloudflare — Used for website security and performance. Governed by Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.
6. Your Rights
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Access — You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Correction — You may request that we correct any inaccurate information.
- Deletion — You may request that we delete your submission data and account information.
- Withdrawal of Consent — You may revoke Google Sign-In permissions at any time through your Google Account settings.
- Portability — You may request a copy of your submission data in a portable format.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the address below.
7. Cookies
We use minimal cookies necessary to operate our website, including:
- Authentication cookies — Set by Firebase to keep you signed in during your session
- Security cookies — Set by Cloudflare for bot protection and site security
We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but this may prevent you from signing in to the Author Submission portal.
8. Children's Privacy
Our Author Submission portal is intended for users aged 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted information to us, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:
USA World Unity
📧 shadowheightspublisher@gmail.com
We aim to respond to all privacy-related requests within 30 days.