Last Updated: Oct 16, 2023
We at Sensible Studio, LLC, doing business as Hug Letters (“Company”, “us”, “we”, or “our”), understand the importance of your personal information. This privacy policy (the “Privacy Policy”) outlines the types of information we gather when you use our service (collectively, the “Service”), as well as our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.
This Privacy Policy applies to information we collect: (i) through our Service, (ii) in text and electronic messages between you and our Service, and (iii) via mobile and desktop applications you download from our Service, which provide dedicated non-browser-based interaction between you and our Service. This Privacy Policy does not apply to any other services or any information collected by us offline or via third-party sites that may be accessed through hyperlinks on our Service.
By accessing or using our Service, you agree to this Privacy Policy.
Hug Letters is dedicated to bringing families closer by offering a unique service where family members can contribute photos and stories that are compiled into a personalized family newspaper. This newspaper is then mailed to selected recipients, often grandparents, fostering a stronger connection between generations. We offer monthly and annual subscriptions for this service, facilitating regular, meaningful communication within families.
Directly Collected Information
We collect several types of information from and about users of our Service, particularly:
If you subscribe to our family newspaper, we will require certain information such as your name, email, payment information (to process the subscription fees), and content like photos or stories that you wish to include in the newspaper. Family members who contribute to the newspaper will need to provide their names, relation details, email addresses, and the content they wish to share. All users participating by uploading content or stories will need to provide any information necessary for these contributions. The specific information we collect is evident during the collection process.
Usage Data
We also collect information automatically about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns when you interact with our Service. The information we collect automatically (usage data) helps us to improve our Service and to deliver a better and more personalized experience.
We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information, for purposes such as:
(a) Providing and delivering our Service, including managing your account and subscriptions; (b) Notifying you about changes to our Service or any products or services we offer or provide through it; (c) Allowing participation in interactive features on our Service; (d) Providing customer support, including responding to your comments, questions, and requests; (e) Gathering analysis or valuable information to improve our Service; (f) Monitoring usage of our Service; (g) Detecting, preventing, and addressing technical issues and unauthorized use or abuse of the Service; (h) Carrying out our obligations and enforcing our rights arising from any contracts entered between you and us, including for billing and collection; (i) Notifying you about special offers, updates, newsletters, and similar information; (j) Any other purpose with your consent.
We do not share your personal information with third parties except as indicated below:
Family Members: For the purpose of creating family newspapers, we share your contributions with the family members you select or who are part of your subscription group. Service Providers: We may employ third-party companies and individuals to facilitate our Service ("Service Providers"), provide the Service on our behalf, perform Service-related services, or assist us in analyzing how our Service is used. These third parties have access to your personal information only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose. Compliance and Protection: We may disclose your information where we are legally required to do so to comply with applicable law, governmental requests, judicial proceedings, court orders, or legal processes, such as in response to a court order or a subpoena (including in response to public authorities to meet national security or law enforcement requirements). Consent: We may disclose your information with your consent.
You may review and change your personal information by logging into the Service and visiting your account profile page. You may also send us an email at contact@hugletters.com to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information that you have provided to us. We cannot delete your personal information except by also deleting your user account. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect.
If you delete your contributions from the Service, copies of your contributions may remain viewable in cached and archived pages or might have been copied or stored by other Service users. Proper access and use of information provided on the Service, including contributions, is governed by our terms of use.
Contact Information
To ask questions or comment about this privacy policy and our privacy practices, contact us at: contact@hugletters.com
Through cookies we place on your browser or device, we may collect information about your online activity after you leave our Service. Just like any other usage information we collect, this information allows us to improve the Service and customize your online experience, and otherwise as described in this Privacy Policy. Your browser may offer you a “Do Not Track” option, which allows you to signal to operators of websites and web applications and services (including behavioral advertising services) that you do not wish such operators to track certain of your online activities over time and/or across different websites. The Service does not support “Do Not Track” requests at this time, which means that we collect information about your online activity both while you are using the Service and after you leave the Service.
Your information, including User 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 from those of your jurisdiction.
If you are located outside the United States and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the data, including User Information, to the United States and process it there.
Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer.
Sensible Studio, LLC operating as Hug Letters will take all the steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of your User Information will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of your data and other User Information.
Sensible Studio, LLC operating as Hug Letters takes reasonable precautions to protect your User Information and to limit the risk that it will be accessed without authorization, including through the use of industry standard technologies and practices. Your information is maintained at our premises or the premises of our third-party providers, using industry standard security measures. We use Security Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption technology to encrypt sensitive User Information (such as your social security number) before it is sent via the Internet.
If we learn of a security systems breach, we will promptly investigate the matter. If we learn that such breach has caused any material loss, damage, or unauthorized access to your non-public information, we will promptly attempt to notify you via email or by a posting on your Service account page - so that you can take appropriate protective steps. We will endeavor to notify you of (i) the nature, timing, and extent of the breach, as well as what we are doing in response and (ii) the steps you can take to protect your information and, if reasonably possible, mitigate things.
By using the Service, you consent to receive such notice by electronic means (provided that such consent is void where prohibited by applicable law). To receive a free written notice of a security breach or if you have any questions about the security of the Service, please contact us at contact@hugletters.com. Please write the following in the subject heading: “Privacy Policy Inquiry”.
In addition to the security measures referenced above, you must prevent unauthorized access to your account and information by limiting access to your computer or device and browser by signing off after you have finished accessing Your account.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we cannot guarantee that our security measures are 100% impenetrable. Unauthorized third parties may be able to defeat our security measures and access your information.
The Service may contain links to other sites, services, or applications that are not operated by us. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the privacy practices of any such third-party sites, services, or applications. We strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit.
California Privacy Act Notice
UNDER CALIFORNIA’S “SHINE THE LIGHT” LAW (CIVIL CODE SECTION ### 1798.83), CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ARE ENTITLED TO ASK US, ONCE PER YEAR, FOR A NOTICE IDENTIFYING THE CATEGORIES OF INFORMATION WHICH WE SHARE WITH OUR AFFILIATES AND/OR THIRD PARTIES FOR MARKETING PURPOSES, AND PROVIDING CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THESE AFFILIATES AND/OR THIRD PARTIES. REQUESTS WILL APPLY TO INFORMATION PROVIDED DURING THE PREVIOUS CALENDAR YEAR (FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOUR REQUEST INFORMATION IN 2021, YOU WILL RECEIVE INFORMATION REGARDING 2020).
IF YOU ARE A CALIFORNIA RESIDENT AND WOULD LIKE A COPY OF THIS NOTICE, PLEASE SUBMIT A WRITTEN REQUEST BY EMAIL TO CONTACT@HUGLETTERS.COM WITH THE SUBJECT HEADING: “CALIFORNIA PRIVACY” OR BY REGULAR MAIL TO 2041 N Hamlin Ave, FL2, chicago 60647 Illinois (ATTN: PRIVACY).
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Notice
PURSUANT TO THE CALIFORNIA CONSUMER PRIVACY ACT (CIVIL CODE SECTION ### 1798.100 – ### 1798.199), CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS CAN REQUEST A DISCLOSURE IN MACHINE READABLE FORMAT OF THE CATEGORIES AND SPECIFIC PIECES OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE COLLECTED ABOUT YOU AND YOUR HOUSEHOLD DURING THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING OUR RECEIPT OF A VERIFIABLE CONSUMER REQUEST (LIMIT TWO TIMES PER 12-MONTH PERIOD). YOU CAN ALSO ASK WHERE THIS INFORMATION CAME FROM, WHAT WE USE IT FOR, AND WHETHER WE DISCLOSE OR SELL IT TO OTHERS. IF WE DISCLOSE OR SELL IT TO OTHERS, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO EASILY OPT OUT OF THIS PRACTICE. PLEASE CONTACT US AT CONTACT@HUGLETTERS.COM WITH THE SUBJECT HEADING “CALIFORNIA PRIVACY” IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OR EXERCISE ANY OF THESE RIGHTS.
SENSIBLE STUDIO, LLC OPERATING AS HUG LETTERS HAS NOT AND DOES NOT SELL YOUR PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION, SEPARATE FROM DISCLOSURES MADE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH SERVICES. SENSIBLE STUDIO, LLC OPERATING AS HUG LETTERS DOES NOT OFFER FINANCIAL INCENTIVES OR VARY ITS SERVICE TERMS WITH YOU IN EXCHANGE FOR YOU LETTING US SELL YOUR PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.
We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13 except where a parent or guardian has provided or consented to the collection of such information in connection with the production of a Hug Letters newspaper (such as including a child's story or photo). Please note, information collected from children as set forth in the preceding sentence will only be used for purposes of creating and delivering the applicable Hug Letters newspaper. Such information will not be used for any independent purpose, such as to target advertising. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with User Information in a manner you did not approve, please contact us (see the contact information below). If we become aware that we have collected User Information from children without parental consent, we delete that information promptly.
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 and updating the “effective date” at the top of this Privacy Policy.
If we make any material changes to how we treat our users' personal information, we will notify you through a notice on the Service’s home page. The date the privacy policy was last revised is identified at the top of the page. You are responsible for periodically visiting our Service and this privacy policy to check for any changes.
Your continued use of the Service after any modification to this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such modification.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:
By email: contact@hugletters.com By mail: Sensible Studio, LLC, 2041 N Hamlin Ave, FL2, Chicago, IL 60647