1. Introduction
Greater Story Publishing, operated by Jacob Denys (“we,” “us” or “our”), respects your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, store and disclose information through gospelofthefirstborn.com, www.gospelofthefirstborn.com and academy.gospelofthefirstborn.com.
It applies when you visit our websites, register for Academy, purchase digital access, activate an eligible book, subscribe to communications or contact us.
2. Information we collect
Depending on your interaction, information includes:
- Accounts: email address, account identifiers, registration time, account role and access status, salted password hashes, and authentication/session/password-reset records. Invited or owner access through ChatGPT can provide an authenticated user identifier and email address.
- Purchases: product and payment status, amount/currency, purchase time, Stripe transaction/session/event identifiers and account associations needed to fulfill and maintain access.
- Academy activity: saved highlights and their book locations/timestamps; account-linked Firstborn Code progression and last-seen/session information; onboarding preferences; activation outcomes; and optional details about your copy's edition and acquisition source.
- Browser and security information: session cookies, functional preferences and listening progress stored in your browser; security identifiers derived from account and network information to limit misuse.
- Communications: Ask Jacob name, reply email, question and account association; support correspondence; and information you voluntarily provide.
- Marketing: name where provided, email, signup/source information, consent and verification records, subscription status, delivery records and unsubscribe/suppression status.
Information comes from you, your use of our services, payment and email services, and existing subscription sources where applicable. Avoid including sensitive personal, payment-card or medical information in general forms or Ask Jacob.
3. How we use information
We use information to authenticate and maintain accounts; process purchases; verify book access; provide content, highlights and learning features; respond to questions/support; deliver password resets and necessary service messages; send optional marketing where permitted; prevent fraud/misuse; troubleshoot our services; and meet legal or financial recordkeeping obligations.
Account creation or purchase does not automatically subscribe you to promotional emails.
4. Payments and Amazon
Direct Academy Digital Edition payments use Stripe's hosted checkout. Our application does not collect or store complete payment-card numbers. We retain transaction identifiers and related account/order information for fulfillment, support, refunds and financial records.
Amazon paperback, hardcover and Kindle purchases are processed under Amazon's payment and privacy practices. Academy activation and support remain separate from Amazon order processing.
5. Cookies and local browser storage
Academy uses an essential authentication cookie, firstborn_session, valid for up to 30 days. Certain ChatGPT-authenticated visitor experiences use firstborn_truth_visit, a 30-minute cookie, for Firstborn Code progression.
Browser local storage holds theme, font size, selected book section, listening position/title and an account-associated home-screen onboarding preference. Our application sets no automatic expiry for these local items. Some preferences and listening history can remain on a shared device after logout.
You can manage or clear cookies and local storage using browser settings. Disabling essential storage can affect sign-in and features. Clearing browser storage does not delete server-saved highlights, Code progression or other account records.
6. Service providers
We use:
- ChatGPT Sites and Cloudflare hosting infrastructure: website/application operation, databases and content storage.
- ChatGPT authentication: identity information for invited/owner access where used.
- Stripe: hosted payment processing.
- Resend: password-reset and other service emails, purchase notifications to the operator, optional marketing delivery, contact synchronization and unsubscribe management.
- ImprovMX and Gmail: support forwarding and correspondence.
- ElevenLabs: book-related audio preparation.
We use ElevenLabs to prepare and align book-related audio content. This integration does not record customer conversations.
Providers process information needed for their services under their agreements and privacy practices. This can include recipient addresses, message contents, transaction information and technical request information appropriate to the service. Hosting and provider processing are separate from preferences stored only on your device.
7. Marketing choices
Promotional subscriptions are optional and separate from Academy purchases/accounts. Where signup is offered, it asks for marketing permission and email confirmation. Existing subscription sources are reviewed separately.
Unsubscribe through promotional email instructions or contact support@gospelofthefirstborn.com. Limited suppression records may be retained to honor your choice. Necessary account, purchase, password-reset and security messages may continue.
8. Disclosure of information
We disclose information to providers for hosting, authentication, payment, communications and customer requests. We may disclose information to meet legal obligations, resolve claims, protect legitimate rights or address fraud/security incidents.
Current Academy features do not publish your private highlights publicly. Ask Jacob submissions are stored for the operator to review and reply, rather than posted publicly by the submission feature.
9. Retention and security
Retention depends on information type and purpose: maintaining your account and purchased rights, delivering requested features, resolving support/disputes, preserving necessary financial records and honoring unsubscribe choices. Temporary authentication data and operational records have different purposes from purchase evidence.
Cookie/token expiry does not necessarily remove the corresponding stored record. Deletion requests are reviewed for applicable legal exceptions and provider/backup constraints. We retain only information justified for the relevant purpose and applicable obligations.
We use safeguards intended to protect information, including protected account sessions, password hashing and access controls. No internet service guarantees absolute security.
10. Privacy requests
Depending on applicable law, you may request access to, correction of or deletion of personal information and exercise other applicable privacy rights.
Email support@gospelofthefirstborn.com, subject Privacy Request. We may verify identity where appropriate and will respond within the period required by applicable law. We will explain relevant retention exceptions or limits affecting your request.
Some requests require manual review. We do not currently provide an automated complete account-deletion or account-correction tool. You can remove saved highlights through available reader controls when access permits, manage browser storage, and unsubscribe separately from closing an account.
Account closure/deletion can affect access to account-linked content; contact us to discuss the requested scope and purchased rights. Nothing in this policy waives rights provided by applicable law.
11. Children
Our services are intended for a general audience and are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly solicit personal information from children under 13. Contact us if you believe such information was provided so we can review and take appropriate steps under applicable law.
12. Do Not Track, Global Privacy Control, and Third-Party Technologies
Our websites' application code does not currently detect or respond to browser Do Not Track (DNT) signals or Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals. These signals do not change our application's authentication cookies, functional browser storage, or account-related activity records.
We do not install advertising pixels or cross-site analytics scripts in our current application.
Our websites rely on third-party service providers for hosting, authentication, payment processing, email delivery, and related functions. These providers may process information through their own technologies and systems, subject to their applicable privacy practices.
We have not independently verified every provider-managed tracking mechanism or whether providers collect information about visitors across other websites or services. Accordingly, we do not represent that all third-party cross-site collection is absent.
For information about a particular provider's practices, please consult its published privacy disclosures.
Nothing in this section limits privacy rights or opt-out requests available under applicable law. You may contact support@gospelofthefirstborn.com with privacy questions or requests.
13. Changes
We may update this policy as services, practices or legal obligations change. We will revise its effective date and communicate material changes through a website notice or other appropriate means. An update does not remove applicable privacy rights.
14. Contact
Greater Story Publishing
Operator: Jacob Denys
Customer service and privacy: support@gospelofthefirstborn.com
Website: https://gospelofthefirstborn.com