Privacy Policy

1Who we are

StoryNest is a product of Cherry Ripe Software (Dane Porter, sole trader), based in Victoria, Australia. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" mean Cherry Ripe Software. "You" means the parent or guardian who holds a StoryNest account, or anyone who uses a guest recording link.

This policy covers this website (storynest.com.au) and the StoryNest app (app.storynest.com.au). We handle personal information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.

2What we collect

We only ask for what StoryNest needs. Children don't create their own accounts or give us an email address, and we never ask for a child's surname, birthday, school or photo.

3Children's information

StoryNest is made for families, so some information relates to children: their first name, avatar, listening activity and, if you use Reading practice, recordings of them reading aloud. An adult always sets this up. Only the parent or guardian who owns the account can see a child's practice recordings and notes, and you can delete any of it whenever you like.

We don't show advertising, we don't profile children for marketing, and we never sell or rent anyone's information.

4AI reading feedback

AI reading feedback is an optional Hardcover feature. It stays off until a parent switches it on in the Practice tab, and you can switch it off again at any time. While it's on, here's what happens after each practice recording:

• Speech to text. The recording is sent to Google, through our hosting provider Floot, to be turned into text with word timings.
• Checking. StoryNest compares that text with the passage to work out accuracy, words correct per minute and words to practise. This part runs on our own servers.
• Feedback. The text, the passage and your child's first name are sent to Anthropic's Claude model, which writes the friendly feedback and practice ideas. The audio itself isn't sent to Anthropic.
• Spotting the end. In some browsers, such as Chrome on a computer or Android, StoryNest uses the browser's built-in speech recognition during a reading challenge to notice when your child reaches the last words and stop recording. Your browser provider (for Chrome, that's Google) processes that audio.

The transcript and feedback are saved with the practice session in your account. We don't use your children's recordings or transcripts to train AI models, and we don't sell them. Google and Anthropic handle the data under their own terms and privacy policies as our service providers.

With AI feedback switched off, practice recordings stay between your family and our storage provider. Nothing is sent to Google or Anthropic for analysis.

5Who we share it with

We use a small number of service providers to run StoryNest. They only get what they need to do their job.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect someone's safety. If StoryNest is ever sold, the buyer would have to look after your information under this policy, and we'd tell you first.

6Information stored overseas

Some of our providers store or process data outside Australia, most likely in the United States and other countries where they run data centres. When we send information overseas, we take reasonable steps to make sure the provider protects it in a way that's consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.

7Cookies and local storage

The app uses one essential cookie to keep you signed in. It also saves a small note in your browser's local storage to remember whether the device is in kids' mode and which child is using it.

This website and the app don't use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking.

8Keeping it safe

Everything travels over encrypted connections (HTTPS). Passwords and PINs are hashed. Recordings sit in private storage and can only be played through short-lived links that StoryNest creates for your signed-in account, or for a guest link you've shared. No system is perfectly secure, but we work hard to protect your family's information. If a data breach is likely to cause you serious harm, we'll tell you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), as the law requires.

9How long we keep it

We keep your information while your account is open. Delete a recording, book, practice session or reader, and it's removed from your account and our storage straight away. Backups may hold copies for a short time after that before they cycle out.

To close your account, go to Settings → Delete account in the app. That removes your recordings, readers, books and practice history and cancels Hardcover. We may keep basic billing records for as long as tax law requires.

10Your choices and rights

• See and change most of your information in the app at any time.
• Ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it, by emailing hello@storynest.com.au.
• Switch AI reading feedback off in the Practice tab.
• Delete your account from Settings, or email us and we'll do it for you.

11Questions and complaints

If you have a question or a privacy concern, email hello@storynest.com.au. We aim to reply within 30 days. If you're not happy with our answer, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.

12Changes to this policy

We'll update this page if StoryNest changes how it handles information. If a change is significant, we'll let you know by email or in the app before it takes effect.