Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 24, 2026

At Akoni Books ("we," "us," or "our"), we take your privacy seriously — especially when it comes to children's data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect the information you provide when using our personalized children's storybook service at www.akonibooks.com.

1. Information We Collect

When you create a personalized storybook, we collect the following information:

• Child's photo: A photograph of your child's face, used solely to generate personalized illustrations.
• Child's first name: Used to personalize the story text and illustrations.
• Child's age: Used to tailor the story's reading level and content.
• Appearance details: Optional descriptions such as skin tone, hair color, and eye color, used to improve illustration accuracy.
• Payment information: Processed securely through Stripe. We do not store your credit card details on our servers.
• Email address: If provided, used to deliver your digital book and communicate about your order.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use the information you provide exclusively for the following purposes:

• Book generation: Your child's photo, name, and appearance details are sent to AI services (OpenAI, Replicate) to generate story text and illustrations for your personalized book.
• Order fulfillment: To process payments, generate your digital PDF, and fulfill print orders.
• Service improvement: Aggregated, anonymized usage data may be used to improve our service quality.

We do not use your child's data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose beyond creating your storybook.

3. Data Retention and Deletion

• Photos: Your child's uploaded photo is used during the book generation process and is automatically deleted from our servers within 24 hours of book completion. Photos are not stored long-term.
• Generated books: Your completed book files are retained for 30 days to allow for re-downloads, after which they are automatically deleted.
• Account data: Any email or order information is retained only as long as necessary for order fulfillment and customer support.
• Deletion requests: You may request immediate deletion of all your data at any time by emailing hello@akonibooks.com.

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to deliver our product:

• OpenAI: For generating story text. Subject to OpenAI's Privacy Policy.
• Replicate: For generating illustrations. Subject to Replicate's Privacy Policy.
• Stripe: For payment processing. Subject to Stripe's Privacy Policy.
• Google Cloud: For hosting and infrastructure.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with any third party for marketing or advertising purposes.

5. COPPA Compliance (Children Under 13)

We are committed to complying with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Our service is designed for parents and guardians to create books for their children:

• We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13. All information is provided by a parent or legal guardian.
• A parent or guardian must initiate and complete the book creation process.
• We collect only the minimum information necessary to generate the personalized book (photo, first name, age).
• Children's photos are automatically deleted after book generation is complete.
• Parents may review, request deletion of, or refuse further collection of their child's information at any time by contacting us.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including:

• HTTPS encryption for all data in transit
• Secure, access-controlled cloud infrastructure
• Automatic deletion of photos after processing
• No long-term storage of sensitive personal data

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Request access to the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction or deletion of your personal data
• Withdraw consent for data processing at any time
• File a complaint with a data protection authority

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Continued use of our service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

Email: hello@akonibooks.com