Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

ByLine is a writing desk for independent authors. You can use it to write stories, articles, books, and journal pages, and then choose whether to keep each piece private, share it with signed-in writers, or publish it publicly.

ByLine is operated by Luminosity Development LLC, a Washington State limited liability company ("Luminosity Development," "we," "us," or "our"). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use ByLine at byline.live (the "Service"), how we use it, and the choices you have. It should be read together with the ByLine Terms of Service.

2. Information we collect

Account information

When you create an account, we store:

• your name;
• your email address and whether it has been verified;
• your password, stored only as a one-way hash (we do not store your password in readable form).

Profile information

Your profile can include a display name, a handle, optional pronouns, a short bio, an optional avatar image, and your default visibility setting for new work.

Your content

When you write on ByLine, we store your pieces, including:

• the text you write;
• the kind of work (for example, a story, article, book, or journal page);
• its visibility setting (Private, Shared, or Public); and
• whether it is published or still a draft.

If you enter a piece in a contest, we record which piece you submitted.

Friends and messages

If you add friends or send direct messages, we store:

• the friendship, including who asked, who accepted, and whether you are still friends; and
• the direct messages between you, including the text and when a message was read.

Friends see only your display name, never your email. Direct messages are visible only to the two people in the conversation. You can unfriend or block another person at any time. Direct messages are deleted along with your account.

Feedback and messages to us

If you use the feedback form, we store whatever you type into it, so please avoid including sensitive information you do not want us to have.

Usage and device information

Like most websites, our servers and hosting provider may automatically record technical information when you use the Service, such as your IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, and the date and time of your requests.

Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies as described in Section 7.

We do not ask for, and you should not put into your profile, sensitive information such as government ID numbers, financial account numbers, or health information.

3. How we use information

We use the information above to:

• create and run your account and sign you in;
• store, display, and protect your writing according to the visibility you choose;
• show your profile to other people where your settings allow;
• run features such as contests;
• verify your email address and send you service-related messages (for example, verification, password reset, or important changes) through Microsoft Azure Communication Services;
• respond to feedback and support requests;
• keep the Service secure, prevent abuse, and enforce our Terms of Service;
• understand how the Service is used so we can fix problems and improve it; and
• comply with legal obligations.

We do not use your content for advertising, and we do not sell your personal information (see Section 5).

4. Visibility controls: who can see your work

Each piece has a visibility setting that you control:

• Private — only you can see it.
• Shared — any signed-in ByLine user can see it. (This setting may appear in the app as "Community.")
• Public — anyone on the internet can see it, including people who are not signed in. (This setting may appear in the app as "Everyone.")

A few important points:

• New pieces default to Private. You can change your default in your profile.
• Drafts stay in your library. An unpublished draft is not shown to others, even if its visibility setting is Shared or Public.
• Public really means public. Once you publish a piece publicly, anyone can read it, copy it, link to it, or save it, and it may be indexed by search engines or archived by third parties. Changing a piece back to Private, or deleting it, stops ByLine from showing it, but we cannot recall copies others have already made.
• Profiles. Your display name, handle, pronouns, bio, avatar and other information provided by you in your profile may be visible to others alongside work you share or publish.
• Friends. Friends see only your display name, never your email.
• Direct messages. A direct message is visible only to the two people in the conversation.
• Unfriend and block. You can unfriend or block another person at any time.

5. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not sell or rent your writing or journals.

We share information only in these situations:

• Service providers. We use trusted vendors to run ByLine, and they may process information on our behalf only to provide their services to us. ByLine is hosted on Microsoft Azure, which stores our database and runs the application. Email is sent through Microsoft Azure Communication Services.
• Content you choose to share. Work you set to Shared or Public, and the profile details shown with it, are visible to others as described in Section 4.
• Legal reasons. We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that it is reasonably necessary to comply with a law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or other legal process; to protect the rights, property, or safety of ByLine, our users, or others; or to investigate or prevent fraud, abuse, or violations of our Terms of Service.
• Business transfers. If Luminosity Development LLC is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, or similar transaction, information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will take reasonable steps to ensure this policy, or one at least as protective, continues to apply.
• With your consent. We may share information in other ways if you ask us to or give us permission.

6. Artificial intelligence and your writing

We do not intentionally use your Private content to train artificial intelligence or machine-learning models. We may use AI tools to review content for compliance with our community standards, and to provide writing assistance when you choose to use it.

Content you publish publicly can be accessed by anyone, including third parties who may operate automated tools or crawlers. We cannot control what third parties do with publicly available content.

7. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary to run the Service — for example, to keep you signed in, remember your session, and protect against fraud and cross-site request forgery.

Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. If you block essential cookies, you may not be able to sign in or use parts of the Service.

8. Retention and deletion

We keep your account information and content for as long as your account is active, or as needed to provide the Service.

• Deleting a piece. When you delete a piece, it is removed from the Service. Copies may remain in backups for 30 days, and are used only for site continuity.
• Deleting your account. When your account is deleted, we will delete or de-identify your personal information and content within 7 business days, except where we need to keep certain information to comply with law, resolve disputes, prevent abuse, or enforce our agreements. Direct messages are deleted along with your account. You can request deletion by emailing support@luminositydevelopment.com.
• Backups and logs. Copies may remain in backups and server logs for 30 days before being overwritten.
• Feedback and contest records. Feedback and contest records remain in the system and are removed upon request.

9. Your choices and requests

You can:

• Access and update your account and profile information in your settings.
• Change visibility of any piece at any time, and change your default visibility for new work.
• Export your data. Writings and personal data can be exported and downloaded by you. You can request an export by emailing support@luminositydevelopment.com.
• Delete pieces or your account. You can delete pieces or your account in your profile settings or by request. Requests can be made by emailing support@luminositydevelopment.com.
• Opt out of non-essential emails, if we send any, using the unsubscribe link. We may still send service-related messages.

To make a request, email support@luminositydevelopment.com or use the details in Section 15. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and we will respond within a reasonable time.

10. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information. For example, passwords are stored only as one-way hashes, and the Service is hosted on Microsoft Azure infrastructure.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of your information. Please use a strong, unique password and keep it confidential. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us right away.

11. Children

ByLine is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete it. If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal information, please contact us.

12. Users outside the United States

ByLine is operated from the United States and is intended primarily for users in the United States. Our hosting and service providers may store and process information in the United States or other countries where they operate. If you use ByLine from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data-protection laws may differ from those in your country.

13. Your state privacy rights

Some U.S. states give residents certain rights over their personal information, such as the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information. Whether those laws apply to ByLine depends on factors such as the size of the business and the information processed. Regardless of where you live, you can use the choices in Section 9 and contact us with any privacy request, and we will consider and respond to it in line with applicable law. We will not discriminate against you for making a privacy request.

ByLine does not collect consumer health data, and we do not ask you to provide it. Please do not include health information in your profile; if you choose to write about health topics in your own work, that content is handled like any other content you create, according to the visibility you choose.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date above. If we make material changes, we will provide reasonable notice, such as by posting a notice in the Service or emailing you before the changes take effect. Your continued use of ByLine after an update takes effect means the updated policy applies.

15. Contact us

If you have questions or requests about this Privacy Policy or your information, contact:

You can also reach us through the feedback form in the ByLine app.