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Privacy Policy

Effective Date: June 13, 2025
Last Updated: June 13, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to Hobartist ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our platform, website, and services.

Hobartist is a comprehensive creative platform that enables users to create, share, and monetize digital art, manage print-on-demand stores, participate in communities, and utilize various creative tools and services. We comply with applicable privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

  • Account Information: Email address, username, password, profile picture, and display name
  • Profile Information: Bio, social media links, website URLs, and other profile customizations
  • Store and Business Information: Store name, business details, payout information, tax information, and business verification documents
  • Payment Information: Credit card details, billing addresses, and payment preferences (processed securely through Stripe)
  • Communication Data: Messages, comments, community posts, chat conversations, and customer support communications
  • Content and Creative Works: Digital artwork, photos, designs, NFT metadata, product descriptions, and other user-generated content

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

  • Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent on platform, click patterns, and user interactions
  • Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and screen resolution
  • Location Data: General geographic location based on IP address
  • Performance Data: Page load times, error logs, and platform performance metrics
  • Analytics Data: User behavior patterns, feature usage statistics, and platform optimization data

2.3 Information from Third Parties

  • Authentication Providers: Information from Google, GitHub, or other OAuth providers when you sign in
  • Payment Processors: Transaction data and payment status from Stripe
  • Print-on-Demand Partners: Order fulfillment data and shipping information from Printful
  • Social Media: Public profile information when you connect social media accounts
  • Google Services: Analytics data, advertising insights, and Maps integration data

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 Service Provision

  • Create and manage your account and profile
  • Process and fulfill orders through our print-on-demand services
  • Enable digital art creation, editing, and sharing
  • Facilitate community interactions, messaging, and collaboration
  • Manage NFT creation, minting, and marketplace transactions
  • Process payments, payouts, and financial transactions
  • Provide customer support and technical assistance

3.2 Platform Operations

  • Monitor platform performance and optimize user experience
  • Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security threats
  • Enforce our Terms of Service and community guidelines
  • Conduct analytics to improve our services and develop new features
  • Maintain data backups and ensure service reliability

3.3 Communications

  • Send transactional emails (order confirmations, account updates)
  • Provide important service announcements and security alerts
  • Send marketing communications (with your consent)
  • Respond to your inquiries and support requests

4. Third-Party Services and Integrations

4.1 Essential Service Providers

  • Clerk: Authentication and user management services
  • Supabase: Database hosting, real-time features, and file storage
  • Stripe: Payment processing, subscription management, and payout services
  • Printful: Print-on-demand fulfillment and shipping services
  • Vercel: Web hosting, deployment, and content delivery network
  • Google Services: Analytics, advertising, Maps integration, and OAuth authentication

4.2 Optional Integrations

  • Social Media Platforms: For sharing content and social login (with your consent)
  • Email Marketing Services: For newsletter and promotional communications (with your consent)
  • Analytics Tools: For understanding user behavior and improving our services
  • Customer Support Tools: For providing efficient customer service

5. Data Storage and Security

5.1 Data Storage

  • Your data is stored on secure servers provided by Supabase and Vercel
  • Data centers are located in the United States and European Union
  • We maintain regular backups to prevent data loss
  • File uploads and user-generated content are stored using secure cloud storage

5.2 Security Measures

  • End-to-end encryption for sensitive data transmission
  • Secure authentication using industry-standard protocols
  • Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
  • Access controls and permission management for internal systems
  • Monitoring and logging of system access and activities

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

6.1 Types of Cookies We Use

  • Essential Cookies: Required for basic platform functionality and security
  • Performance Cookies: Help us understand how users interact with our platform
  • Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings
  • Marketing Cookies: Used for advertising and marketing purposes (with your consent)

6.2 Managing Cookies

You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences. However, disabling certain cookies may affect platform functionality. We provide cookie consent management tools to help you control your preferences.

7. Data Sharing and Disclosure

7.1 We Share Information With:

  • Service Providers: Third-party companies that help us operate our platform
  • Payment Processors: For processing transactions and payouts
  • Legal Authorities: When required by law or to protect our rights
  • Business Partners: For specific features or services (with your consent)

7.2 We Do Not:

  • Sell your personal information to third parties
  • Share your creative works without your permission
  • Use your data for purposes other than those described in this policy
  • Share sensitive information without appropriate safeguards

8. Your Privacy Rights

8.1 General Rights

  • Access: Request information about the personal data we hold about you
  • Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal requirements)
  • Portability: Request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format
  • Objection: Object to certain types of data processing

8.2 GDPR Rights (EU Residents)

  • Right to be informed about data collection and use
  • Right to restrict processing in certain circumstances
  • Right to withdraw consent for consent-based processing
  • Right to lodge a complaint with supervisory authorities

8.3 CCPA Rights (California Residents)

  • Right to know what personal information is collected
  • Right to delete personal information
  • Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information
  • Right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international transfers, including:

  • Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
  • Adequacy decisions for certain countries
  • Certification schemes and codes of conduct
  • Binding corporate rules for intra-group transfers

10. Children's Privacy

Our platform is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete such information promptly.

For users between 13 and 18 years of age, we recommend parental guidance when using our platform, especially for features involving financial transactions or public content sharing.

11. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. Specific retention periods include:

  • Account Data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after deletion
  • Transaction Data: Retained for legal and tax compliance requirements (typically 7 years)
  • Creative Content: Retained according to your account settings and legal requirements
  • Communication Data: Retained for customer service and legal purposes
  • Analytics Data: Aggregated data may be retained indefinitely for business insights

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of significant changes through:

  • Email notifications to your registered email address
  • Prominent notices on our platform
  • In-app notifications for mobile users
  • Updates to this page with revised effective dates

Your continued use of our platform after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Information

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

  • Email: support@hobartist.com
  • Support Portal: Available through your account dashboard
  • Mailing Address: Hobartist Privacy Team, 1519 Wakendaw Rd, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
  • Data Protection Officer: support@hobartist.com (for GDPR-related inquiries)

We will respond to your privacy-related inquiries within 30 days (or as required by applicable law).

14. Additional Information

14.1 Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

  • Contract Performance: Processing necessary for providing our services
  • Legitimate Interests: Platform security, fraud prevention, and service improvement
  • Consent: Marketing communications and optional features
  • Legal Obligation: Compliance with applicable laws and regulations

14.2 Automated Decision Making

We may use automated systems for:

  • Fraud detection and prevention
  • Content moderation and community guidelines enforcement
  • Personalized content recommendations
  • Platform optimization and performance improvements

You have the right to request human review of automated decisions that significantly affect you.

14.3 Third-Party Links

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites or services. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you access through our platform.

This Privacy Policy is effective as of June 13, 2025, and applies to all users of the Hobartist platform.