Privacy Policy

Bylne, Inc. ("Bylne," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of journalists and newsroom professionals who use our platform. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and services.

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, organization name, and payment information. Payment processing is handled by our third-party payment processor; we do not store full credit card numbers on our servers.

Content You Create

We store the content you create and upload through our platform, including articles, drafts, research notes, source documents, transcription files, and verification reports. This content is yours — we do not claim ownership of it.

Usage Data

We automatically collect information about how you interact with our services, including pages visited, features used, session duration, browser type, device information, and IP address. This data helps us improve our platform and diagnose technical issues.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for authentication, preferences, and analytics. See Section 7 (Cookie Policy) below for details.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve our services
• Process transactions and manage your account
• Send service-related communications (e.g., security alerts, updates)
• Analyze usage patterns to improve features and user experience
• Ensure platform security and prevent fraud
• Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your content (articles, sources, research) to train AI models. Your editorial work remains private and confidential.

3. Data Storage and Security

Your data is hosted on Google Cloud Platform infrastructure with encryption at rest and in transit. We implement industry-standard security measures including:

• AES-256 encryption for data at rest
• TLS 1.2+ encryption for data in transit
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Role-based access controls for internal systems
• Automated backups with geographic redundancy

While we take reasonable measures to protect your data, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We encourage you to use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication where available.

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may receive limited data:

• Google Analytics — for website traffic analysis and usage metrics. Google Analytics collects anonymized browsing data. You can opt out using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Google Cloud Platform — for hosting, storage, and compute infrastructure.
• FormSubmit — for processing demo request form submissions on our website.
• Payment Processor — for handling subscription payments securely.

Each third-party service operates under its own privacy policy. We only share the minimum data necessary for each service to function.

5. Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation:

• Right of Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to Rectification — request correction of inaccurate personal data
• Right to Erasure — request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Portability — request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to Restrict Processing — request that we limit how we use your data
• Right to Object — object to processing based on legitimate interests

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at valter@bylne.com. We will respond within 30 days.

6. Your Rights Under CCPA

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act provides you with the following rights:

• Right to Know — request information about what personal data we collect, use, and disclose
• Right to Delete — request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Opt-Out — opt out of the sale of your personal data (note: we do not sell personal data)
• Right to Non-Discrimination — we will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights

To exercise your CCPA rights, contact us at valter@bylne.com.

7. Cookie Policy

We use the following categories of cookies:

• Essential Cookies — required for authentication and core functionality. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics Cookies — used by Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. These can be opted out of.
• Preference Cookies — used to remember your settings and preferences.

You can control cookie settings through your browser. Note that disabling essential cookies may prevent you from using certain features of our platform.

8. Data Retention

We retain your account information and content for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will remove your personal data and content within 30 days, except where we are required by law to retain certain records. Anonymized usage data may be retained indefinitely for analytics purposes.

Backups containing your data may persist for up to 90 days after deletion before being permanently removed from our systems.

9. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child, we will promptly delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on our website and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of our services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us:

Email: valter@bylne.com
Company: Bylne, Inc.
Location: New York, NY