Your photos & privacy

The short version

You provide a first name or nickname and one photo to help us make a personalised adventure. A person prepares and checks the AI-assisted artwork. Your uploads are not automatically published in our gallery, and giving permission to make a book is not permission to advertise with your child’s image.

What we collect and why

We save your sign-in email, child’s first name, source photo, generated character and cover, finished book PDFs, release records, your format choice, permission record, preview approvals and privacy requests. We use these to manage your account, prepare your requested adventure and handle your choices. We keep essential technical records to operate and protect the service.

Use a first name or nickname rather than a full name. Do not include other people, school details, addresses, documents or sensitive background information in the photo. An illustration that still resembles your child is also personal information.

How AI and human review work

In this supervised prototype, an authorised HeroTrail operator can use OpenAI/ChatGPT to turn the photo into an illustrated character, then use generated references for further poses. Canva is used to arrange generated artwork and book pages. Uploading here does not automatically start AI generation.

We do not run a model-training programme using customer photos. External providers have their own processing and retention terms. We have not yet verified all settings for the manual prototype accounts, so we do not promise that every provider offers zero retention or identical training controls. Until these checks are complete, testing should use synthetic images.

AI can make mistakes. We review the artwork, and you review your character and cover before approving the preview. We do not use these images for identity verification or decisions about a child’s eligibility, ability or behaviour.

Who can access the information

Your account and authorised HeroTrail operators can access your adventure. Lovable Cloud provides our account and private file storage, configured in its Europe region. Operators may also handle working copies in the illustration services and on their work computer. Private image links expire, but an already downloaded copy is not removed just because its link expires.

Shopify handles the separately controlled test checkout. Our checkout connection sends an opaque reference, not the child’s photo or name. Payment and delivery details entered in Shopify are processed there. No print partner is connected to this prototype.

European website storage does not mean all external services process data only in Europe. Provider agreements, locations and any required transfer safeguards are part of our pre-launch checks. We do not sell children’s images or use them for targeted advertising.

Permission and your choices

Only an adult parent or legal guardian should submit a child’s photo. We record the permission wording version and time. Permission for AI-assisted creation is separate from public sharing or marketing; neither is included. You can ask to see, correct or delete information, or withdraw permission for further AI artwork.

Sign in to My adventures and open “Your privacy choices”. Requests apply to that account and all its adventures. A deletion or withdrawal request pauses new artwork and new checkout attempts after it is recorded. Existing orders or checkout links are not automatically cancelled; the operator will review them. Briefly valid image links and existing downloads may still exist.

Keeping and deleting files

Automatic retention-based deletion is not active in this prototype. A deletion request is reviewed by an operator and is not confirmation that every copy has already been erased. Review includes stored uploads, old artwork versions, working downloads, AI conversations/files and Canva copies. Backup or provider retention may mean some copies expire later; we will explain any applicable limits rather than promise instant deletion everywhere.

The production retention schedule is still being finalised. Records needed for a legal obligation or a dispute may require separate handling from the child’s photo. Withdrawal stops future processing based on permission; it does not undo processing already carried out.

Contact, complaints and updates

If you cannot sign in or the privacy form is unavailable, contact the person who invited you to this test. A public privacy contact will be published before customer launch. You may also raise a concern with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. We will update this notice when the workflow changes and seek fresh permission where needed.