Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 July 2025

This Privacy Policy explains how Comic4u collects, uses, and protects your personal data when you use our website and services. We process your data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG).

1. Data Controller

The controller responsible for the processing of personal data on this website is:

Comic4u Musterstraße 42 10115 Berlin Germany Email: hello@comic4u.com Website: https://comic4u.com

2. Data We Collect

We collect and process the following categories of personal data:

2.1 Account Data

  • First and last name
  • Email address
  • Encrypted password
  • Preferred language and theme

2.2 Usage and Content Data

  • Story configurations and comic generation inputs
  • Generated comic pages and images
  • Credit balance and transaction history

2.3 Payment Data

Payment processing is handled by Stripe, Inc. We do not store your full card details. Stripe may collect billing name, card number (tokenised), and billing address as a data processor acting on our behalf. See Stripe's Privacy Policy at https://stripe.com/privacy.

2.4 Technical Data

  • IP address (anonymised after 7 days)
  • Browser type and version
  • Operating system
  • Date and time of access
  • Pages visited and referrer URL

2.5 Contact Form Data

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Phone number (optional)
  • Subject and message content

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases under Art. 6 GDPR:

  • Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR — Performance of a contract: processing necessary to provide you with our comic generation services and manage your account.
  • Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR — Legal obligation: processing required to comply with tax, accounting, and other statutory obligations.
  • Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR — Legitimate interests: improving service quality, ensuring platform security, preventing fraud, and maintaining server logs.
  • Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR — Consent: where you have given explicit consent (e.g. marketing communications or non-essential cookies). You may withdraw consent at any time.

4. How We Use Your Data

  • Creating and managing your user account
  • Processing and delivering comic generation requests
  • Processing payments and managing credit balances
  • Responding to support and contact form enquiries
  • Sending transactional emails (account confirmations, payment receipts)
  • Sending marketing emails where you have consented — you may unsubscribe at any time
  • Improving and securing our platform
  • Complying with legal and regulatory obligations

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy or as required by law:

  • Account data: retained for the duration of your account; deleted within 30 days of account closure, unless legal retention obligations apply.
  • Payment records and invoices: retained for 10 years in accordance with § 147 AO (German Tax Code).
  • Server log files: automatically deleted after 7 days.
  • Contact form submissions: retained for up to 2 years to handle follow-up enquiries.
  • Generated comic content: retained until you delete your account or the content.

6. Sharing of Data

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We share data only in the following circumstances:

  • Stripe, Inc. (payment processing) — acting as a data processor under a Data Processing Agreement.
  • Cloud infrastructure providers for hosting and storage — subject to GDPR-compliant data processing agreements.
  • Email delivery service providers — solely for transactional and, where consented, marketing emails.
  • Competent authorities — when required by law, court order, or to protect our legal rights.

7. International Data Transfers

Some of our service providers may be located outside the European Economic Area (EEA). In such cases, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with Chapter V GDPR, such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission or adequacy decisions.

Stripe, Inc. is certified under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework. Details are available at https://stripe.com/privacy.

8. Your Rights under GDPR

As a data subject, you have the following rights under the GDPR:

  • Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR): You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR): You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR): You may request deletion of your data where the legal basis for processing no longer applies.
  • Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR): You may request that we restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
  • Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR): You may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
  • Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR): You may object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling and direct marketing.
  • Right to withdraw consent (Art. 7(3) GDPR): Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
  • Right to lodge a complaint (Art. 77 GDPR): You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

9. Supervisory Authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection supervisory authority. The supervisory authority for Berlin is:

Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit Mahlsdorfer Str. 126 12555 Berlin Germany Website: https://www.datenschutz-berlin.de Email: mailbox@datenschutz-berlin.de

10. Cookies

Our website uses cookies. For detailed information on the cookies we use, their purposes, and how to manage your preferences, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

11. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures include TLS encryption for data in transit, encrypted storage of passwords (bcrypt), access controls, and regular security reviews.

While we take data security seriously, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password for your account.

12. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe that a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it promptly.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data processing practices or applicable law. We will notify registered users of material changes by email and update the 'Last updated' date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Continued use of our services after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy.

14. Contact

For any questions, requests, or concerns relating to the processing of your personal data or to exercise your rights, please contact us:

Email: hello@comic4u.com Postal address: Comic4u, Musterstraße 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany