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Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 17, 20206 Last Updated: July 17, 2026

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Bothered Stories ("Bothered Stories," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it through this Privacy Policy. This policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, use our subscription service, listen to our podcast (Smut Talks), sign up for our email newsletter, or otherwise interact with us (collectively, the "Services").

By using the Services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

 

1. Age Restriction

Bothered Stories provides adult-oriented content, including erotic fiction. Our Services are intended solely for individuals who are 18 years of age or older (or the age of majority in their jurisdiction, if higher). We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a person under 18, we will delete that information promptly. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us using the details in Section 12.

 

2. Information We Collect

a. Information You Provide Directly

  • Account information: name, email address, username, password

  • Payment information: billing address and payment details, processed by our third-party payment processor (we do not store full credit card numbers)

  • Communications: messages you send us via email, contact forms, or customer support

  • User content: comments, reviews, or other content you submit

b. Information Collected Automatically

  • Device and usage data: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, pages viewed, time spent on pages, referring URLs, and clickstream data

  • Cookies and similar technologies: see Section 4 below

  • Approximate location: derived from your IP address (we do not collect precise GPS location)

c. Information From Third Parties

  • Information from social media platforms if you interact with our pages or ads (e.g., Meta, TikTok, Instagram)

  • Information from advertising and analytics partners regarding ad performance and audience insights, including Google (Search, Display Network, and remarketing), Meta, and TikTok

  • Information from our email service provider regarding engagement with our newsletter and any ads or sponsored content included within it

d. Sensitive Information

Because our Services involve adult-oriented content, some information about your use of the Services (such as your reading activity or subscription status) may be considered sensitive personal information under certain laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act. We collect, use, and disclose such information only for the limited purposes necessary to operate the Services, process payments, and comply with applicable law — never to infer characteristics about you beyond what's needed for those purposes. We do not sell or share sensitive personal information.

 

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Create and manage your account and subscription

  • Process payments and prevent fraud

  • Deliver, maintain, and improve the Services

  • Communicate with you about your account, updates, or promotions (you may opt out of marketing communications at any time)

  • Personalize content and recommendations

  • Measure and improve the effectiveness of our advertising across platforms, including Google (Search and Display Network), Meta, TikTok, and email newsletter placements

  • Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service

  • Detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, or security issues

 

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies, pixels, tags, and similar tracking technologies to operate the Services and to support our advertising efforts across the platforms where we run ads, including:

  • Essential cookies: required for the site to function (e.g., login sessions, cart/checkout)

  • Analytics cookies: help us understand how visitors use our site

  • Advertising cookies, pixels, and tags: including the Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel, and Google tag/remarketing tag, which allow us to measure ad performance across Google Search and the Google Display Network, build custom or lookalike audiences, retarget visitors with relevant ads, and evaluate the effectiveness of ads placed through other channels, including sponsored placements in our own or third-party email newsletters

These third-party pixels and tags may collect data about your visit (such as pages viewed and actions taken) and share it with the relevant platform (Google, Meta, TikTok, or our email service provider) in accordance with that platform's own privacy policy. You can control cookie preferences through our cookie consent banner and through your browser settings. You can also opt out of interest-based advertising via:

If you receive our email newsletter, it may contain tracking pixels that tell us whether the email was opened and which links were clicked. You can opt out of the newsletter at any time using the unsubscribe link included in each email; note that image-blocking or privacy settings in your email client may also limit tracking.

 

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell or share your personal information, as those terms are defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA) or similar state privacy laws. We may, however, disclose information to the following categories of recipients so that we can operate the Services and run advertising:

  • Service providers: payment processors, hosting providers, email/marketing platforms, and customer support tools, who process data on our behalf

  • Advertising partners: Google (for Search and Display Network advertising and remarketing), Meta, and TikTok, for the purposes described in Section 4

  • Legal and safety purposes: when required by law, subpoena, or legal process, or to protect our rights, users, or the public

  • Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction

We require third parties who process personal information on our behalf to protect it consistently with this policy.

 

6. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

  • Access, correct, or delete your personal information

  • Object to or restrict certain processing

  • Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for targeted advertising (as those terms are defined under applicable law) — though as noted above, we do not sell or share your information

  • Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

  • Data portability

  • Lodge a complaint with a supervisory or regulatory authority

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the information in Section 12.

California

These additional disclosures apply to California residents. Terms have the meaning given to them under the CPRA.

  • We do not sell or share personal information, as defined by the CPRA.

  • We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of minors under 16.

  • Some information we collect, such as payment information and information about your use of adult-oriented content, may be considered sensitive personal information under the CPRA. We collect, use, and disclose sensitive personal information only for purposes permitted under the CPRA, and we do not use it to infer characteristics about you.

  • You have the right to know, correct, and delete your personal information, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights.

  • Under California's Shine the Light law, you may request information about disclosures of personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes by contacting us as described in Section 12.

Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia

These additional disclosures apply to residents of Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia. Terms have the meaning given to them under the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA), Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA), and Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), as applicable.

Nevada

If you are a Nevada consumer, you have the right to direct us not to sell certain covered information we have collected or will collect about you. We do not currently sell such information. You may still submit a request by contacting us as described in Section 12.

European Economic Area, Switzerland, and United Kingdom

These additional disclosures apply to individuals located in the EEA, Switzerland, or the UK ("Europe"). Terms have the meaning given to them under the GDPR or UK Data Protection Act.

  • We act as a controller with respect to personal data collected as you interact with the Services.

  • Our lawful bases for processing include: your consent; the necessity of processing to perform a contract with you (such as your subscription); compliance with a legal obligation; and our legitimate interests, where those do not override your rights and freedoms.

  • You have the right to access, rectify, or erase your personal data, the right to data portability, and the right to restrict or object to our processing, including for marketing purposes. You may withdraw consent at any time.

  • Where we transfer personal data outside Europe, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses, except where the destination country — such as Israel, where our website and subscription management provider is based — has been recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of protection, in which case no additional safeguard is required.

  • You have the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection regulator in your jurisdiction.

 

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide the Services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

 

8. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect your personal information. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

 

9. International Data Transfers

We are based in the United States, and information we collect may be processed and stored in the U.S. or other countries where our service providers operate. In particular, our website and subscription management platform, Wix.com Ltd., may store or process information in Israel as well as other locations where it operates. Israel has been recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection for personal information of individuals in the European Economic Area. If you access the Services from outside the U.S., you understand that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the U.S., Israel, or other countries with data protection laws that may differ from those of your country.

 

10. Third-Party Links and Advertising Platforms

Our Services may contain links to third-party websites or services (including author websites, social platforms, and payment processors), and we advertise through third-party platforms such as Google (Search and Display Network), Meta, and TikTok, as well as through email newsletters. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies, including Google's Privacy Policy at policies.google.com/privacy and, for how Google uses information from sites and apps that use its services, policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

 

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date. Material changes may be communicated via email or a prominent notice on our site.

 

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, contact us at:

info@botheredstories.com

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