Lantern is free during private alpha. It does not currently collect card or bank information and does not sell personal information.
Who operates Lantern
Lantern is a private-alpha serialized-fiction service operated by Fantasy Slayer Publishing LLC. This policy explains the information Lantern currently handles while the service is free and being tested.
Information you give us
- Founding-circle information, including email address, reader/writer role, genre interests, notes, and volunteer interests.
- Account information, including email address, display name, authentication records, and account identifiers.
- Author submissions, including legal or contact name, pen name, email, story text, cover art, author photo, story media, World material, content notes, and private canon notes.
- Reader comments, including the displayed name, email address, comment, spoiler flag, story, and episode.
- Alpha feedback, including the report, the page being viewed, and any optional name or reply email.
- Future payment and royalty records only after paid features are separately opened. Lantern does not currently accept payments.
Information collected automatically
Hosting, security, and authentication providers may record ordinary technical information such as IP address, browser or device type, timestamps, requested pages, authentication events, and error logs. Lantern also keeps aggregate story-read counts for the Hot Now shelf. A browser is counted no more than once per episode within six hours; the public shelf does not display who read a story. Lantern uses this information to operate, secure, debug, and improve the alpha—not to build advertising profiles.
How information is used
- Provide accounts, submissions, reading, comments, moderation, and support.
- Keep pending stories and private canon material out of public view.
- Send requested Lantern emails and founding-circle updates.
- Investigate bugs, abuse, plagiarism, security problems, and policy violations.
- Understand whether alpha features work and improve them.
- Maintain legal, tax, accounting, or safety records when required.
Services that handle information
Lantern currently relies on Netlify for hosting, Supabase for account authentication, private alpha records, and uploaded media, and MailerLite for founding-circle email subscriptions and messages. Public story videos may use YouTube or Vimeo embeds, which can receive technical data when loaded. Stripe is planned for a later paid phase but is not active for alpha checkout.
When information is shared
Lantern does not sell personal information and does not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. Information may be shared with service providers that operate Lantern, authorized moderators who need it for review, professional advisers, or authorities when reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect safety, investigate fraud or infringement, or defend legal rights. A business reorganization may transfer records subject to this policy or a successor notice.
Public and private material
Published pen names, author profiles, approved stories, approved World material, and approved comments are public. Email addresses, legal/contact names, pending submissions, private canon notes, moderation records, and unpublished media are not intended for public display. Authors should not submit private information inside reader-facing story fields.
Retention and deletion
Lantern keeps information only while it serves the alpha, the author-reader relationship, security, dispute, legal, backup, or recordkeeping needs. Rejected or withdrawn submission material may remain temporarily in backups or moderation records before deletion. To request access, correction, export, account closure, or deletion, email katesegerauthor@gmail.com. Lantern may retain limited records when legally required or necessary to prevent abuse and protect rights.
Age and international use
The private alpha is intended only for adults age 18 or older and is not directed to children. Do not create an account or submit personal information if you are under 18. If Lantern learns that it collected a child’s personal information, it will take reasonable steps to delete it. Users outside the United States understand that information may be processed in the United States and other locations where service providers operate.
Security and changes
Lantern uses established providers, access controls, private moderation routes, and encrypted connections, but no online service can promise absolute security. Report suspected exposure through the Alpha Feedback button or by email. Material privacy changes will receive a new effective date and, when appropriate, direct notice.