Version: v1.0
Effective date: 2026-05-26
Last updated: 2026-06-06
Operator: Cognitex Cultural Technology Co., Limited
Service name: ThePeopleBook
Legal notices: [email protected]
Privacy contact: [email protected]
Support: [email protected]
Language control: The English version is the legally binding version unless ThePeopleBook expressly publishes a tri-language equal-effect clause.
1.1 ThePeopleBook is operated by Cognitex Cultural Technology Co., Limited. In this Privacy Policy, “ThePeopleBook”, “we”, “us”, and “our” mean that operator when we collect, hold, process, or use personal data in connection with ThePeopleBook.
1.2 This Privacy Policy is based on the Hong Kong Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, Cap. 486 (PDPO). If GDPR, UK GDPR, or other mandatory privacy laws apply to a user or processing activity, the jurisdiction-specific provisions below apply in addition to the Hong Kong baseline.
2.1 Account information: name, email address, username, password hash, profile details, language preferences, account status, login records, and security settings.
2.2 Payment information: payment-provider tokens, payment status, transaction IDs, amounts, currency, refunds, chargebacks, tax-related transaction records, and limited card information returned by payment providers such as card brand, last four digits, and expiry. Stripe or another payment provider processes card details. We do not intend to store full card numbers.
2.3 Payout, KYC, and tax-related information: We currently expect Airwallex or similar payout providers to handle creator payouts, identity verification, payout-account verification, sanctions screening, and tax-related workflows. Those providers may directly collect identity documents, passport / identity card information, tax forms, and payout account data. Unless we separately notify you or legal requirements apply, ThePeopleBook usually receives and stores only verification status, provider record IDs, payout status, necessary compliance / risk results, transaction records, and accounting records rather than complete identity documents or complete payout account details.
2.4 Usage and device data: reading progress, trial-reading progress, page visits, clicks, search and recommendation interactions, device identifiers, IP address, browser type, operating system, logs, diagnostics, referral information, and fraud / security signals.
2.5 Cookies and similar technologies: necessary, functional, analytics, and marketing cookies or similar technologies, subject to applicable consent requirements.
2.6 User Content and collaboration records: book ideas, outlines, drafts, manuscripts, edits, comments, reviews, proofreading notes, forum posts, metadata, publication configuration, book-team records, governance workflow records, and moderation records.
2.7 Signing and legal acceptance records: user ID, legal document type, version number, accepted timestamp in UTC, IP address, User-Agent, SHA-256 hash of accepted text, locale, source page or workflow, book ID where applicable, Documenso envelope ID, signature ID, signature status, and related audit records.
2.8 Support communications: emails, tickets, chat messages, attachments, call notes, complaint records, and responses.
We use personal data for:
4.1 Under the Hong Kong PDPO, we collect personal data for lawful purposes directly related to our functions and activities. Data collected should be necessary, adequate, and not excessive for those purposes.
4.2 Where we collect personal data directly from you, we aim to inform you on or before collection of the purposes of collection, whether provision is obligatory or voluntary where relevant, the consequences of not providing required data, classes of transferees, and your access and correction rights.
4.3 We use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected or directly related purposes, unless we obtain prescribed consent or another legal basis applies.
4.4 We take reasonably practicable steps to protect personal data, maintain transparency about our policies and practices, allow access and correction requests, and avoid retaining personal data longer than necessary for the purposes of use, subject to legal, evidence, accounting, and operational exceptions.
Where GDPR or UK GDPR applies, our legal bases may include:
6.1 We may share personal data with service providers and subprocessors that support ThePeopleBook, including:
ingest.us.sentry.io). Purpose: bug detection and incident response;6.2 These providers may process personal data under their own terms and privacy policies. We use reasonable contractual, access-control, and security measures based on the providers actually used and applicable law.
6.3 We do not sell personal data. We do not provide personal data to third parties for their own direct marketing without required notice and consent.
7.1 ThePeopleBook operates globally. Personal data may be processed in Hong Kong and in other jurisdictions where AWS, Cloudflare, payment providers, payout providers, signing providers, AI providers, support providers, or other service providers operate.
7.2 If Hong Kong PDPO section 33 or cross-border transfer restrictions become applicable to a transfer, or if GDPR / UK GDPR applies, we will use appropriate transfer safeguards where required, such as contractual protections, standard contractual clauses, UK addendum, transfer-risk assessment, consent where appropriate, or other lawful mechanisms.
8.1 We retain account data for the account lifetime and a reasonable period after closure where needed for security, disputes, legal compliance, audit, backups, or legitimate business purposes.
8.2 Financial, payment, payout, tax, accounting, and audit records may be retained for legally required periods.
8.3 Signing records, publication consent records, copyright complaints, infringement evidence, moderation decisions, and dispute records may be retained for evidence, legal claims, audit, and platform integrity.
8.4 We may delete, anonymize, or aggregate data when it is no longer needed, subject to legal, evidence, accounting, backup, safety, and operational exceptions.
9.1 Under Hong Kong PDPO, you may request access to and correction of your personal data, subject to legal limits. Requests should be sent to [email protected].
9.2 Depending on applicable law, you may also request deletion, export, restriction, objection, withdrawal of consent, or opt-out from marketing.
9.3 If GDPR / UK GDPR applies, you may have rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, objection, withdrawal of consent, and complaint to a supervisory authority, subject to legal limits.
10.1 We may use necessary cookies for login, security, load balancing, checkout, reader operation, and legal acceptance records. Necessary cookies cannot be disabled where required to provide the Services.
10.2 Functional cookies may remember language, display, reader, and workflow preferences.
10.3 Analytics cookies help us understand usage, improve reliability, and develop features.
10.4 Marketing cookies may support marketing, attribution, or promotional measurement.
10.5 Where law requires, non-essential analytics and marketing cookies will be disabled unless you consent. Users should be able to change cookie choices where required.
ThePeopleBook is not directed to users under 18. Users must be at least 18 years old to create accounts or enter into ThePeopleBook agreements.
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal data against unauthorized or accidental access, processing, erasure, loss, or use. No system can be guaranteed completely secure.
13.1 We may use AI-assisted moderation, risk flags, search, recommendations, fraud detection, and quality-assurance tools.
13.2 AI outputs may be inaccurate or incomplete. Where decisions materially affect content availability, account status, payout, or publication, we may provide human review or appeal where appropriate and legally required.
13.3 ThePeopleBook does not receive default AI training rights in User Content under the Terms or Creator Content License. Any use of User Content for AI model training would require separate opt-in or written authorization.
Privacy requests: [email protected]
Support: [email protected]
Legal notices: [email protected]
We may update this Privacy Policy. Material updates may be notified by banner, email, in-app notice, or legal-version announcement. Where required, we may request re-acceptance or renewed consent.