Privacy

Learn how Storytell Protects your Privacy and Keeps Your Data Safe

We've Built Storytell with Trust and Safety in Mind

Here's our promise to you:

  • You retain ownership of any works you create with Storytell
  • Our product helps you distill signal from noise while protecting your privacy
  • ​We secure your personal information using the most modern encryption and up-to-date approaches and technologies to protect your data
  • We give you control over your data
  • We don't sell your personal information, ever
  • If you delete your files, they're gone forever.  
  • If you delete your account, everything linked to your account, such as user info, chat messages, uploaded content, saved prompts, will be deleted, too
  • You can read our full Terms of Service here.
01

What is Storytell?

Storytell helps you deliver data-driven Storytelling whether within your organization or beyond.  We know that taking on this kind of role comes with great responsibility, which is why we want you to know exactly how we’re keeping your data safe and secure and being 100% transparent about the entire process.​This is why we have a core company value to Default to Transparency, so you know as much about how we are building Storytell as possible.

02

How does Storytell approach AI responsibly?

Our goal is to give you, the user as much control as possible. Here's how we do that:

Your content is never used to train LLMs: We use OpenAI's API to process content, which does not use your data to train its models, as stated in its privacy policy. We are not using your data to train our own models, either.

Chat responses are based on your content: If you're using our SmartChat™ on files you've uploaded, our use of AI helps to query your database of knowledge and give human readable responses. You can think of the AI as a parser or formatter of content as well as an accessor of information. In this case, that's any information you've made accessible through your SmartChat™ account.

You have the power to delete files: With regard to any content you upload to your account, whether through the Chrome extension or in the SmartChat™ dashboard, you can delete that content, file by file, or in bulk, within the SmartChat™ dashboard. If you want to know more, email us at [email protected]

03

Our Chrome Extension

Our Chrome extension only processes a URL when it's open, which we call”Enabled.” When it's closed, which we call”Disabled,” Storytell doesn't process the data.

We are building additional features into our product to give you even more fine-grained control over what content Storytell runs on. Stay tuned!

Alternately, you may just want to free up some screen real estate while you keep Storytell running:

You can easily change the size of Storytell by clicking the "Expand" and "Hide" arrows, and by changing the width of Storytell on your screen.

When Storytell is "Hidden," you'll see a small tab on the right-hand side of your browser. If our Chrome extension is "hidden," it won't process the URL -- it will only do that once it's fully visible.

04

What does Storytell know about me?

As a part of helping you distill signal from noise, we ask you to register so we can craft unique experiences just for you. When you register, we ask for your:

  • Email address
  • First Name
  • Last Name

This is known as “personally identifiable information” or “PII.” We store this data in an encrypted (not plain text) state that supports GDPR protocols. You can learn more here: Is everything that is being summarized through Storytell private to the user? Or is that data being made public?

  • Our service is meant for people over the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13.

We enable you to open or hide Storytell so that, based on the page you are on, you can decide whether you want to see the value Storytell is providing for you.

When the Storytell Chrome Extension is “Enabled,” we are collecting the following information:

  • Web page usage data: We look at the web page you are on so we can allow you to run Storytell on that content
  • IP address, browser information and tracking technologies such as cookies, beacons, tags, and scripts: We use these techniques to create the most personalized, relevant experience for you
  • And that's it! Nothing else.

We use the latest, most advanced data encryption and security practices we can find to keep this personal data safe. Our approach is certified under major privacy and security standards such as ISO, SOC, and CCPA.

05

Here’s what happens with your data when you sign in with Google

Important: If you use Sign in with Google to create a Storytell.ai account, Google only shares the following information with us:

  • Your name
  • Your email address
  • Your profile picture

This data is associated with your Google account and it’s only shared after you give permission through Google OAuth Consent Screen.

It’s important you know that we DO NOT gain access to your Google Account password or anything beyond the data listed above. Furthermore, all of our databases are end-to-end encrypted.

Your name, email, and profile picture are stored in our database to help us provide a better service for you by personalizing our product. Our vendors and service providers, which are SOC2 compliant, also have access to the data so we can catch bugs and build a better product for you.

Would you like us to delete your data from our database? Email us at [email protected]

06

What does Storytell do with this data?

We use the data above to build and maintain a valuable approach to distilling signal from noise. We use PII to do data analysis. We will never sell your data to third parties.

We rely on some vendor APIs to power parts of the Storytell service, including Google Cloud Computing Service, OpenAI.com and . We carefully vet the vendors to ensure their privacy policies also honor our approach to user privacy. Here is a diagram showing how we use these vendors:

07

Want to read our full Privacy Policy?

Everything You Need to Know

Last updated: January 1, 2024

This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your Personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

  • Account means a unique account created for You to access our Service or parts of our Service.
  • Company (referred to as either "the Company", "We", "Us" or "Our" in this Agreement) refers to Signal from Noise, Inc, 2443 Fillmore St #380-5463, San Francisco, CA 94115.
  • Cookies are small files that are placed on Your computer, mobile device or any other device by a website, containing the details of Your browsing history on that website among its many uses.
  • Country refers to: California, United States
  • Device means any device that can access the Service such as a computer, a web browser, a Slack interface, a cellphone or a digital tablet.
  • Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
  • Service refers to the Website.
  • Service Provider means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Company. It refers to third-party companies or individuals employed by the Company to facilitate the Service, to provide the Service on behalf of the Company, to perform services related to the Service or to assist the Company in analyzing how the Service is used.
  • Usage Data refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).
  • Website refers to Storytell.ai, accessible from https://storytell.ai and all associated subdomains
  • You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable.

Collecting and Using Your Personal Data Types of Data Collected

Personal Data

While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

  • Email address
  • First name and last name
  • Usage Data

Usage Data

Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service.Usage Data may include information such as Your Device's Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

When You access the Service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device You use, Your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of Your mobile device, Your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser You use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.We may also collect information that Your browser sends whenever You visit our Service or when You access the Service by or through a mobile device.

Tracking Technologies and CookiesWe use Cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on Our Service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze Our Service. The technologies We use may include:

  • Cookies or Browser Cookies. A cookie is a small file placed on Your Device. You can instruct Your browser to refuse all Cookies or to indicate when a Cookie is being sent. However, if You do not accept Cookies, You may not be able to use some parts of our Service. Unless you have adjusted Your browser setting so that it will refuse Cookies, our Service may use Cookies.
  • Flash Cookies. Certain features of our Service may use local stored objects (or Flash Cookies) to collect and store information about Your preferences or Your activity on our Service. Flash Cookies are not managed by the same browser settings as those used for Browser Cookies. For more information on how You can delete Flash Cookies, please read "Where can I change the settings for disabling, or deleting local shared objects?" available here.
  • Web Beacons. Certain sections of our Service and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of a certain section and verifying system and server integrity).Cookies can be "Persistent" or "Session" Cookies. Persistent Cookies remain on Your personal computer or mobile device when You go offline, while Session Cookies are deleted as soon as You close Your web browser. Learn more about cookies on the Privacy Policies website article.

We use both Session and Persistent Cookies for the purposes set out below:

  • Necessary / Essential Cookies
Type: Session Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These Cookies are essential to provide You with services available through the Website and to enable You to use some of its features. They help to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use of user accounts. Without these Cookies, the services that You have asked for cannot be provided, and We only use these Cookies to provide You with those services.

  • Cookies Policy / Notice Acceptance Cookies
Type: Persistent Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These Cookies identify if users have accepted the use of cookies on the Website.

  • Functionality Cookies
Type: Persistent Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These Cookies allow us to remember choices You make when You use the Website, such as remembering your login details or language preference. The purpose of these Cookies is to provide You with a more personal experience and to avoid You having to re-enter your preferences every time You use the Website.
 For more information about the cookies we use and your choices regarding cookies, please visit our Cookies Policy or the Cookies section of our Privacy Policy.

Use of Your Personal Data

The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:

  • To provide and maintain our Service, including to monitor the usage of our Service.
  • To manage Your Account: to manage Your registration as a user of the Service. The Personal Data You provide can give You access to different functionalities of the Service that are available to You as a registered user.
  • For the performance of a contract: the development, compliance and undertaking of the purchase contract for the products, items or services You have purchased or of any other contract with Us through the Service.
  • To contact You: To contact You by email, telephone calls, SMS, or other equivalent forms of electronic communication, such as a mobile application's push notifications regarding updates or informative communications related to the functionalities, products or contracted services, including the security updates, when necessary or reasonable for their implementation.
  • To provide You with news, special offers and general information about other goods, services and events which we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or enquired about unless You have opted not to receive such information.
  • To manage Your requests: To attend and manage Your requests to Us.
  • For business transfers: We may use Your information to evaluate or conduct a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of Our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which Personal Data held by Us about our Service users is among the assets transferred.
  • For other purposes: We may use Your information for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Service, products, services, marketing and your experience.

We may share Your personal information in the following situations:

  • With Service Providers: We may share Your personal information with Service Providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service, to contact You.
  • For business transfers: We may share or transfer Your personal information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of Company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of Our business to another company.
  • With Affiliates: We may share Your information with Our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this Privacy Policy. Affiliates include Our parent company and any other subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other companies that We control or that are under common control with Us.
  • With business partners: We may share Your information with Our business partners to offer You certain products, services or promotions.
  • With other users: when You share personal information or otherwise interact in the public areas with other users, such information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside.
  • With Your consent: We may disclose Your personal information for any other purpose with Your consent.

Retention of Your Personal Data

The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.The Company will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or We are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

Transfer of Your Personal Data

Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company's operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of Your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from Your jurisdiction.Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by Your submission of such information represents Your agreement to that transfer.The Company will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of Your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of Your data and other personal information.

Disclosure of Your Personal Data

Business TransactionsIf the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, Your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before Your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.

Law enforcement

Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).

Other legal requirementsThe Company may disclose Your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

  • Comply with a legal obligation
  • Protect and defend the rights or property of the Company
  • Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
  • Protect the personal safety of Users of the Service or the public
  • Protect against legal liability

Security of Your Personal Data

The security of Your Personal Data is important to Us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While We strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, We cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Children's Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If You are a parent or guardian and You are aware that Your child has provided Us with Personal Data, please contact Us. If We become aware that We have collected Personal Data from anyone under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, We take steps to remove that information from Our servers.If We need to rely on consent as a legal basis for processing Your information and Your country requires consent from a parent, We may require Your parent's consent before We collect and use that information.

Links to Other Websites and usage of APIs

Our Service may contain links to other websites or interact with other APIs that are not operated by Us. If You click on a third party link, You will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise You to review the Privacy Policy of every site You visit. A list of APIs we interact with is provided below. This list may not be comprehensive as we are iterating and building quickly.We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update Our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.We will let You know via email and/or a prominent notice on Our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy.You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, You can contact us:

Storytell interfaces with the following APIs:

This list may not be comprehensive as we are iterating and building quickly.

Otter.ai

Storytell may use Otter to generate high-quality transcripts for use by our AI Algorithm. Raw audio (typically .mp3 file format) is loaded into the system, and a transcript is returned. You can find Otter’s privacy and security policy here.

  • TLS encryption
  • AES-256 encryption for real-time content
  • 2-factor authentication
  • SOC 2 TYPE 1: Otter has received a SOC 2 Type 1 report from a third-party and continues to audit our internal measures and controls against SOC 2 standards. This ensures that Otter has the appropriate controls in place to mitigate the risks related to security, privacy, availability, and confidentiality. Otter is currently working on achieving our SOC 2 Type 2 to fully align with the AICPA SOC II framework.
  • GDPR compliant: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is Europe’s regulation for data protection and privacy. Otter has incorporated GDPR standards into data practices to make sure its customers have confidence in its security.
  • CCPA compliant: California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is a statute intended to enhance privacy rights and consumer protection for residents of California, United States. Otter does not sell your data and is compliant with CCPA.
  • VPAT certified: Otter recognizes the importance of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and meets revised 508 Standards for IT accessibility. Otter is VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) certified.

Large Language Models (LLMs)

Storytell may call Large Language Models (LLMs) from varous vendors in the course of offering its Service. These vendors are subject to change without prior notice and currently include:

Where possible, Storytell uses the enterprise API from each of these LLMs such that:

  • LLMs store and process the data Storytell submits through their respective APIs in order to provide Storytell with its API services.
  • LLMs do not use the data Storytell submits through the API to train generative custom models for other API Customers. For example, OpenAI will not create a dataset of submissions to your chatbot application and use that data to train a chatbot for another customer.

Storage

Storytell may store data in secure cloud platforms that include: