Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Scratch. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our platform.

By using Scratch, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information

You can create a Scratch account using a third-party provider or via a code sent to your email address. When you sign in through a third-party provider, we receive basic profile information from that provider. We do not receive or store your provider password. Regardless of how you sign up, we collect:

• Email address
• Username and display name
• Profile picture (if provided)
• Account preferences and settings

Payment Information

Payment processing is handled by Stripe. We do not store complete credit card numbers or bank account details on our servers. From Stripe we receive limited information such as transaction amounts, dates, and status; payout status; the last four digits of your card; and identity verification status.

Artists who set up Stripe Connect or Scratch Payouts use hosted payout setup. During that process, Stripe may collect government-issued ID, tax identification numbers, and bank account details directly. This information is held by Stripe and is not stored on Scratch servers.

Commission Content

When you create or fulfill a commission request, we store the content associated with that commission, including:

• Request description text
• Reference image URLs or uploaded reference images
• Delivered artwork files
• Clarifying questions and answers between commissioner and artist

Commission content is stored on US-based cloud infrastructure. Uploaded reference photos are deleted 30 days after delivery.

Art Contest Content

When you enter an art contest, we store the artwork file, public social-post URL, optional image description, authorship and content confirmations, moderation status, and any final placement. We also keep upload-session metadata used to secure and clean up staged files.

Approved entries are displayed with your public profile identity in the contest gallery. Final placements are hidden until results are released. Withdrawing an entry removes it from public display, but we may retain private media and review records for resubmission, moderation, safety, and contest administration. Full account purge removes user-scoped contest media subject to any legal retention obligations.

Optional Discovery Question

After profile setup, we may ask where you heard about Scratch. Answering is optional. If you answer, we store the category you select and use it in aggregate to understand how people find Scratch. We also record whether an artist registered through an invite code or portfolio review. These answers and registration paths aren't shown on public profiles.

Usage Information

We automatically collect certain information when you use Scratch:

• IP address and device information
• Browser type and version
• Pages visited and features used
• Time and date of visits
• Referring website addresses

When you follow a campaign link, we may also store the link's campaign source, medium, campaign name, content label, the Scratch page path, and the referring site's hostname. This campaign record does not include the page query, referring page path, IP address, or user agent. We use it in aggregate to understand whether campaigns lead to signups, contest participation, or commission requests.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and maintain our platform
• Process transactions and send related information
• Send you technical notices, updates, and support messages
• Respond to your comments, questions, and requests
• Monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities
• Detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent transactions and abuse
• Personalize and improve your experience
• Comply with legal obligations

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and track information about your activity on our platform. Cookies are small data files stored on your device.

Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential cookies: Required for the platform to function properly, including authentication and security
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our platform. A campaign-attribution cookie may hold an opaque random identifier for up to 90 days; the cookie itself does not contain campaign labels or account information
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some features of the platform may not function properly without cookies.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

With Other Users

When you submit a commission request, the request description text and any reference image URLs or uploaded reference images you provide are shared with the artist. Uploaded reference photos are temporary and are deleted 30 days after delivery. Once a commission is delivered and accepted, the delivered artwork and request text may be displayed publicly on the artist's profile.

Do not include sensitive personal information (such as your address or phone number) in commission request text.

Your public profile information, including your display name and profile picture, is visible to other users of the platform.

If your art contest entry is approved, its artwork, image description, public social-post URL, and your public profile identity may be visible to anyone. Published contest results also display your placement when applicable.

With Service Providers

We share information with the following categories of third-party providers who perform services on our behalf:

• Authentication: Google and Discord (for third-party sign-in)
• Payments: Stripe (for payment processing and artist payouts)
• Cloud infrastructure: Hosting and file storage providers

These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only as necessary to provide their services to us. The specific providers we use may be updated from time to time.

For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information if required by law, or if we believe in good faith that such action is necessary to:

• Comply with legal obligations
• Protect and defend our rights or property
• Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing
• Protect the personal safety of users or the public

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Regular security assessments
• Access controls and authentication
• Secure data storage practices

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

Account Deletion

When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, with the following exceptions:

• Records we are required to retain for tax, legal, or regulatory purposes
• Anonymized artwork and request text that has been publicly displayed on artist profiles may remain visible
• Information already held by third-party providers (such as Stripe) subject to their own retention policies

If you are an artist, deleting your account will remove your public profile and any commission work displayed on it.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information
• Portability: Request a copy of your data in a portable format
• Objection: Object to processing of your personal information
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information provided below.

9. Children's Privacy

Scratch is not intended for children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete that information as quickly as possible.

10. Data Sales

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We do not share your information with advertisers. For details on the limited circumstances in which we share information, see Section 5 ("Information Sharing and Disclosure") above.

11. International Data Transfers

Scratch is based in the United States and your information is stored and processed on US-based servers and cloud infrastructure. If you access Scratch from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

We take the following safeguards to protect information transferred internationally:

• Contractual obligations with service providers to protect your data in accordance with applicable law
• Use of providers who participate in recognized compliance frameworks (for example, Stripe and Google maintain their own international data transfer mechanisms)

By using Scratch, you acknowledge and consent to the transfer and processing of your information in the United States.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this 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 "Last updated" date. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes are effective when they are posted on this page.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at support@scratch.art.