Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 1, 2026
WebToTell is operated by MyEssentialsOutlet in Alberta, Canada. This policy explains how we handle personal information when you browse the site, create an account, contribute content, or request publishing authority.
Information we handle
We may handle account identity and contact details, authentication and security records, preferences, community contributions, moderation and audit history, book and publishing submissions, technical request and anti-abuse data, and messages you send us.
When you submit an author, publisher, or book claim, supporting evidence is private and is used only to review authority, disputes, appeals, and related security concerns. Do not provide more information than necessary.
Why we use it
We use information to provide and secure accounts, publish and moderate eligible content, review claims and submissions, prevent abuse, communicate about the service, meet legal obligations, and maintain reliable audit and operational records.
Cookies and sign-in
WebToTell uses essential session, persistent sign-in, trusted-browser, security, and preference technologies. These are used to operate the service and protect accounts, not to sell personal information.
Optional website analytics
With your permission, public WebToTell pages use Google Analytics to help us understand aggregate visits and improve the website. Analytics remains disabled unless you accept it. Google may receive technical information such as page activity, browser or device details, and an abbreviated or otherwise processed network address, and may process this information outside Canada. You can decline analytics without losing access to WebToTell. Your choice is stored in your browser and can be cleared through your browser's site-data controls.
Optional WebToTell Bulletin
If you choose to join the WebToTell Bulletin, we use the email address and language you provide to confirm your consent and send occasional curated updates about books, articles, discussions, and WebToTell. Subscription and delivery records are kept for consent, suppression, security, and operational purposes. Every bulletin includes an unsubscribe link, and unsubscribed addresses are excluded from future delivery.
Optional SMS authentication
If you voluntarily enable text-message authentication, we collect the phone number you provide, normalize it, encrypt it at rest, and show only a masked version in WebToTell. We retain a minimized consent record containing keyed hashes rather than a readable phone number or network address. Authentication codes are short-lived, purpose-bound, and not stored in plaintext.
WebToTell uses Twilio Verify to deliver authentication messages. Twilio and participating telecommunications providers receive the destination number, authentication message, and delivery or usage metadata needed to provide and protect the service. Processing may occur outside Canada. Twilio documents a 30-day minimum retention period for the verification destination; its contractual, legal, security, backup, and carrier records may follow other applicable retention periods. SMS is not end-to-end encrypted and may be affected by carrier interception, SIM swapping, or number recycling.
SMS is optional and is not used for marketing. You may remove it from account security, choose authenticator-app verification instead, or contact Account Support. Removing SMS from WebToTell does not erase records that a provider or carrier must retain under its own legal or operational obligations.
Sharing and service providers
We disclose information only as needed to operate the service, use contracted infrastructure or communications providers, comply with law, protect people and the service, or complete a business transfer subject to appropriate safeguards. Public contributions and profile information are visible according to their publication status.
Retention and security
Retention depends on the record and its purpose. Security, moderation, claim, dispute, audit, and deletion records may be retained after public content or access is withdrawn when needed for integrity, safety, legal obligations, or dispute handling. We use access controls, encryption for protected claim evidence, credential revocation, and other safeguards, but no system is risk-free.
Your choices
You may update available account details, withdraw eligible contributions, and contact us to request access, correction, or deletion. Some records must be retained for security, legal, fraud-prevention, moderation, or audit purposes. We may need to verify your identity before acting.
Contact
Privacy or general questions: [email protected]. Security concerns: [email protected]. Account assistance: [email protected].
This is WebToTell’s pre-launch policy draft and remains subject to operator and legal review before public launch.