Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Effective Date: January 2027

PRIVACY POLICY

Welcome to The Village, an online publication. Your privacy is important to us. This policy outlines how The Village collects, uses, and protects your information.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect information that is necessary to email our stories to you and manage your subscription:

• Email Addresses: Collected voluntarily when you sign up for our free or paid subscription.
• Subscriber Information: For the paid tier, we collect basic details (such as name) required to manage your account.
• Usage Data: We may collect anonymous data via Ghost regarding how you interact with our content to improve the reader experience.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To deliver newsletters and new stories directly to your inbox.
• To manage your subscription status and provide access to "Members Only" content.
• To communicate regarding updates or changes to your account.

3. Third-Party Services

We do not sell your data. However, we rely on trusted partners to run The Village:

• Ghost: Our hosting platform. They store your account data securely.
• Stripe: All payment processing is handled by Stripe. The Village does not store your credit card details. Your financial information is governed by Stripe’s Privacy Policy.

4. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Unsubscribe from our emails at any time using the link at the bottom of any message.
• Request the deletion of your account and personal data.
• Access the data we hold about you.

TERMS OF SERVICE

By using The Village, you agree to the following terms:

1. Subscription & Access

• Free Accounts: Provide access to all public stories.
• Paid Subscription: Provides access to premium content. These are billed on a recurring basis (monthly or annually) via Stripe.
• Account Security: You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account login.

2. Payments & Refunds

• All payments are processed securely through Stripe.
• By subscribing to the paid tier, you authorize us to charge the provided payment method.
• Refunds are handled on a case-by-case basis unless otherwise required by law. You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings.

3. Intellectual Property

All content published on The Village is the property of the publication and its creator, Alicia Boetter. You may not republish, sell, or distribute The Village content without express written permission. You are welcome to share links to our stories on social media.

4. Content Disclaimer

The stories and information provided on The Village are for entertainment purposes.

5. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms or engage in behavior that is harmful to the community.

6. Contact Us

If you have questions about these policies, please contact Alicia Boettjer at hello@aliciaboettjer.com.