Privacy Policy

VUGA Publishing ("VUGA", "we", "us", "our") respects your privacy. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the rights you have under U.S. state laws (including the California Consumer Privacy Act / CPRA), the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the UK GDPR.

1. Who We Are

VUGA Publishing is a brand of VUGA Media Group LLC, a Florida limited liability company. VUGA Media Group LLC is the legal entity behind the VUGA Publishing brand and is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.

VUGA Media Group LLC (operating as VUGA Publishing)
[email protected] · 1 (833) 900-8842

If you have a question about your personal information, contact us at [email protected]. We aim to respond within 5 business days.

2. What We Collect

We collect only what we need to operate the website, fulfill orders, and respond to inquiries.

Information you give us

• Contact and account details — name, email address, phone number, mailing address (when applicable).
• Order details — book title, cover image, retailer URL, synopsis, author bio, and any related materials you submit for publication.
• Payment information — credit-card or other payment data is processed by our third-party payment processor (e.g., Stripe). We never store your full card number on our servers; we receive a transaction confirmation and the last four digits for receipts.
• Communications — anything you send us through the contact form, email, or phone.

Information collected automatically

• Server logs — IP address, user agent, requested URL, referring URL, and timestamp. Used only for security, debugging, and aggregate traffic analytics. Retained for up to 90 days.
• Cookies and similar technologies — see our Cookie Policy for details.

We do not collect biometric data, precise geolocation, government IDs, financial-account credentials, health information, or data about children under 13.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected, including to:

• Process orders, deliver editorial-feature placements, and provide the services you purchased;
• Communicate with you about your order, respond to inquiries, and provide customer support;
• Operate, secure, and improve the website;
• Comply with legal obligations (tax records, fraud prevention, court orders).

We do not use your information for automated decision-making that produces legal effects, and we do not engage in profiling.

4. Legal Bases (GDPR / UK GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, our legal bases for processing are:

• Contract — to fulfill an order you placed or to take steps at your request before entering a contract.
• Legitimate interests — to operate and secure the website, prevent fraud, and respond to inquiries you initiate.
• Legal obligation — to retain financial records and respond to lawful requests.
• Consent — for any non-essential cookies or marketing communications, where applicable.

5. Who We Share With

We do not sell or rent personal information. We share only as needed to operate the service:

• Payment processors (e.g., Stripe) to handle payment, refund, and chargeback workflows.
• Email and hosting providers we use to operate the website and send transactional email.
• Receiving magazines and editorial outlets in our network, who receive only the book metadata required to publish your editorial article (title, cover image, synopsis, author name, retailer link).
• Affiliates within VUGA Media Group for shared back-office functions (e.g., accounting), under written confidentiality.
• Law enforcement or regulators in response to a valid legal process or to protect our rights, safety, or property.

We may transfer information to service providers located outside your country, including in the United States. Where required by law, we use contractual safeguards (such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses) for those transfers.

6. How Long We Keep Information

• Order and billing records: 7 years after the last transaction (tax / audit retention).
• Customer support correspondence: up to 3 years after the last contact.
• Marketing email lists: until you unsubscribe or 2 years of inactivity, whichever comes first.
• Server logs: up to 90 days.

7. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you;
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• Delete your information, subject to legal-retention exceptions;
• Port your information to another service in a portable format;
• Object to or restrict processing;
• Opt out of any sale or "sharing" of your information for cross-context behavioral advertising (we do not sell or share for that purpose);
• Withdraw consent where consent is the legal basis;
• Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (e.g., the UK ICO, your EU member-state DPA, or your state attorney general).

To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected] with your request and a way for us to verify your identity (so we don't disclose your data to someone impersonating you). We will not discriminate against you for exercising a right.

8. Security

We use HTTPS sitewide, restrict back-office access to authorized personnel, and rely on reputable third-party processors (Stripe and similar) for payment data. No internet-based system is 100% secure; if we discover a breach affecting your information, we will notify you and, where required, regulators within the time frames mandated by law.

9. Children

The VUGA Publishing website and services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted information to us, please contact [email protected] and we will delete it promptly.

10. Do Not Track & Global Privacy Control

Some browsers transmit a Do-Not-Track or Global Privacy Control signal. Because we do not engage in cross-site tracking or sell personal information, we do not change behavior based on these signals — but we honor them as opt-out indicators where applicable law requires.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website links to external sites (retailers, partner companies, magazines). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. Review their policies before submitting personal information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Continued use of the website after a change indicates acceptance of the revised policy.

13. Contact

Questions about this policy or your information? Email [email protected] or call 1 (833) 900-8842.