Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains what information Leafmines collects when you use leafmines.com, how we use that information, and the choices you have. By using the site, you agree to the data practices described here.

We keep this policy as plain and direct as possible. If you have questions that aren't answered here, see the Contact section at the bottom.

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate your account and the platform as a whole
• Display your content to readers according to your visibility settings
• Process contest entries and subscription payments
• Send essential account emails, such as password reset links and payment confirmations
• Detect and prevent abuse, spam, and policy violations
• Debug technical issues and improve the platform

We do not use your data to serve third-party advertising. We do not send marketing emails without your explicit opt-in.

Leafmines uses cookies to keep you logged in and to remember your preferences. Authentication is handled via a JWT (JSON Web Token) stored in a cookie. These tokens expire after 7 days, after which you will need to sign in again.

We also use Google Analytics, which sets its own cookies to measure aggregate site traffic and usage. These are analytics cookies, not advertising cookies — they help us understand how the site is used and are not employed to target you with ads. You can opt out of Google Analytics across all sites using Google's browser add-on.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies. We do not sell access to your browsing behavior to data brokers or ad networks.

By using Leafmines, you consent to our use of cookies as described here. Most browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. Disabling cookies may prevent you from logging in or using core platform features.

If you purchase a Premium subscription or pay a contest entry fee, payment is processed entirely by Stripe, a third-party payment processor. Leafmines does not see or store your full card number, expiration date, or CVV.

Stripe provides us with a payment confirmation and a customer reference ID so we can associate your subscription with your account. Stripe's own privacy policy governs how they collect, use, and protect your payment information.

We retain a record of your subscription status and payment history for billing and support purposes.

If you upload an avatar, story cover, contest banner, or other image, that file is stored on our servers. Uploaded images may be publicly accessible via a URL, depending on the context in which they are used.

Please do not upload images that contain personal information you do not want to be publicly viewable. You are responsible for having the right to use and share any image you upload.

Leafmines includes a direct messaging feature that allows registered users to send private messages to one another. Messages are stored on our servers and are visible to both participants in a conversation.

Messages are not end-to-end encrypted. They are stored in our database and may be reviewed by Leafmines staff if needed to investigate reports of abuse, harassment, or other violations of our Terms of Service.

We do not sell or share the contents of your messages with third parties except as required by law or to prevent imminent harm.

Important: We strongly advise you not to share sensitive personal information — such as passwords, financial details, home addresses, or government-issued ID numbers — over messages. Leafmines cannot verify the identity of other users, and we are not responsible for any harm resulting from information you voluntarily share in messages.

We use the following third-party services to operate Leafmines:

• Stripe — payment processing for Premium subscriptions and paid contest entries
• Google Analytics — aggregate traffic and usage measurement to help us understand how the site is used and improve it
• AI service providers — certain features on Leafmines use third-party artificial intelligence services. When you use these features, limited content you provide may be processed by those services to generate a result.
• Infrastructure and hosting providers — servers and services used to run the platform
• Email delivery services — for sending transactional emails such as password resets and payment notifications

We share only the data necessary for these services to function. We do not sell your personal data to any third party.

We do not sell or rent your personal data. We do not share your personal information with other users — for example, your email address is never visible to other members.

We may share your data in the following limited circumstances:

• With service providers (such as Stripe) strictly to the extent necessary to operate the platform
• If required by law, such as in response to a valid court order or subpoena
• To protect the safety, security, or integrity of the platform and our users
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we would notify you before your data is transferred

You can update your account information, username, and profile at any time from your account settings. You can also delete your account, which will remove your personal data from our active systems.

You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, or ask us to delete specific content or your account, by contacting us.

Please note that deleting your account does not guarantee the immediate removal of all data from backups or archived systems. Some content — particularly public posts that may have been indexed or cached by third-party services — may remain accessible even after deletion. We cannot control what third parties have already indexed.

We take reasonable steps to protect your data, including encrypting passwords, using HTTPS, and applying rate limiting to prevent abuse. We take security seriously and work to keep the platform safe.

However, no system is perfectly secure. We cannot guarantee that your account, content, or personal information will never be accessed by unauthorized parties. By using the platform, you accept this inherent risk.

Do not post sensitive personal information — financial details, government ID numbers, private contact information — anywhere on Leafmines that you cannot afford to have exposed.

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete your personal data within a reasonable time frame.

Some data may be retained longer where required by law, to resolve disputes, to prevent abuse, or for legitimate business purposes such as maintaining payment records. In these cases, we retain only what is necessary for that specific purpose.

Leafmines is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has created an account on Leafmines, please contact us. We will delete the account and associated data promptly upon verification.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the effective date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we may also notify users by email or through a notice on the site.

Your continued use of Leafmines after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy. If you disagree with a change, you should stop using the platform.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to request access to your data, or need to report a privacy concern, please reach out to us through the contact information available on the site.

We will do our best to respond promptly and address your concerns.