Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 25, 2026

Drifting Away is a small design studio for e-ink journals. We collect as little about you as we can, we don't track you or use your data for advertising, and we never sell or rent it. This page explains what we hold, what we can see, why, how long we keep it, and the choices you have — wherever in the world you are.

Who we are

Drifting Away ("we", "us") runs this website and the journal editor, and is responsible for the personal data described here. Questions about your data, or want to exercise any of the choices below? Email hello@driftingawaydesign.com.

What we collect — and what we can see

It helps to split this into the data we keep in our own systems and the data a store like Etsy lets us see as the seller.

When you buy through Etsy (or another store). Etsy runs the checkout, and as the seller it makes the order's details available to us — that includes your name and email address, your order number, what you bought, your country, your Etsy username, and anything you write in a note to us. We don't pull all of that into our own systems: we store only your email address and order number (with the product and date) to recognise your purchase and keep your designs with you. The rest stays in Etsy — we can see it there, but we don't copy it out. You can also just give us your email or order number yourself to unlock a journal.

• Content you create. The journal designs you build and any images you upload, so we can save your work and generate your PDF. Your images are private and only accessible to you (or anyone you deliberately share a design link with).
• Messages you send us. If you use our contact form or email us, we keep your name, email address and message — plus the IP address of a form submission, to guard against abuse — so we can reply and keep a record. If you message us through Etsy instead, that conversation lives in Etsy under its rules, and we can see it there.
• Technical data. A session cookie that keeps you signed in, plus your IP address and basic request logs, which we use to run the service and protect it from abuse.
• On-device storage. The editor saves your in-progress work and a few preferences in your browser's local storage, so the studio works and remembers where you were. That stays on your device and isn't used to track you.

We never receive your payment details. Your card and bank information are handled entirely by Etsy (or your store) and are never seen by us. Etsy doesn't share buyers' phone numbers with us either.

Why we use your data

• To deliver what you bought — unlock your purchase, save your designs and generate your PDFs. We need your email or order number for this; without it we can't unlock your journal.
• To support you when you get in touch.
• To keep the service secure and prevent abuse — rate-limiting and basic fraud checks, in our legitimate interest in protecting our site and customers.
• To meet legal and tax obligations where they apply.

We don't use your data for advertising or profiling, and we don't make automated decisions that have a legal or similarly significant effect on you. We never sell or rent your data. (We do advertise our own products on platforms like Etsy, but that never uses or shares the data we hold about you.)

Cookies & local storage

We use only what the site needs to work — no analytics, advertising or tracking cookies, and no third-party trackers:

• Session cookie — keeps you signed in and ties your designs to your account.
• Access cookie — used while the site is in limited / early-access mode.
• Admin cookie — only set for our own staff signing in to the admin area.
• Local storage — holds your in-progress design and a few preferences on your device, so the editor works and remembers your place.

Because we don't run analytics or ads and don't sell or share your data, there's nothing to opt out of — but we honour browser "do not sell or share" signals (Global Privacy Control) as a matter of course. Our fonts are served from our own servers, so loading a page doesn't share your details with any font or analytics provider.

Who we share data with

We don't sell your data or share it for anyone else's marketing. The only places it goes are:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) — hosting, database and private file storage in the United States. AWS runs our infrastructure and processes this data on our behalf, under its data-processing agreement.
• Zoho Mail — our email provider. If you email us, or we reply, Zoho stores and processes those messages on our behalf, under its own privacy and security terms.
• Etsy / your store — where your purchase happens. Etsy is an independent company with its own privacy policy and uses your information for its own purposes; we act as an independent seller, receive the order data described above, and use it only to fulfil your purchase. We don't control how Etsy handles your data.

How long we keep it

• Designs & images — until you delete them; you can remove any image or design yourself in the editor at any time.
• Purchase records (email and order number) — while your access is valid, and for as long as we need them for our records and tax/legal obligations, which can be several years.
• Messages — only as long as needed to handle your question and keep a reasonable record, then deleted.
• Logs — short-lived, kept only as long as useful for security and operations.

Data that stays in Etsy or with our email provider is kept under their retention policies, not ours.

Your choices and rights

Wherever you live, you can ask us to show you the personal data we hold about you, correct it, delete it, or send you a copy — and you can object to or ask us to limit certain uses. You can also delete your uploaded images and designs yourself in the editor at any time. Just email hello@driftingawaydesign.com and we'll take care of it, normally within 30 days. Depending on where you live you may have further rights under your local data-protection law, including the right to complain to your local data-protection authority — though we'd appreciate the chance to put things right first.

Security

Within our own systems, all traffic is encrypted in transit (HTTPS), files are stored in private storage that isn't publicly accessible, and data is encrypted at rest. Email you send us is held by our email provider (Zoho Mail) under their security measures rather than ours. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.

Children

The service isn't directed at children under 16, and we don't knowingly collect their data. If we learn we have, we'll delete it.

Where your data is handled

We're a small studio and our infrastructure runs in the United States (AWS), so if you use the service from elsewhere your data is processed in the US. Email you send us is handled by Zoho Mail. Where personal data moves between regions, we and our providers rely on standard contractual safeguards to protect it; email us if you'd like more detail.

If something goes wrong

If a breach ever affects your personal data, we'll notify you and any relevant authority as required by law.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy we'll update the page and the "last updated" date above. We won't make quiet, material changes to how we use data you've already given us — significant changes will be made clear.

Contact

Questions, requests, or concerns? Email hello@driftingawaydesign.com.