Privacy Policy

1. Why we process personal information

We process personal information only for the purposes below. If a purpose changes, we take the steps the Personal Information Protection Act requires, such as asking for your consent again.

1. Accounts: confirming that you want to join, signing in and verifying it is you, managing your account, resetting passwords, preventing misuse and sending notices
2. Running the service: the community (posts, comments, votes, handling reports), game scores and leaderboards, continuing where you left off in a book, launch notifications
3. Enquiries: reading and answering development requests, collaboration proposals and other messages sent through the Studio page
4. Protecting the service: stopping spam, hacking and other misuse, and keeping the service stable

We do not use member information or usage records for advertising, marketing or profiling. However, on pages that carry ads, ad networks may collect behavioural information directly through cookies and similar tools. Section 10 explains this and how to opt out.

2. What we process

Your username, bio, posts and comments, karma, and the username and best score shown on leaderboards are public. Please do not post anything you do not want others to see.

3. How long we keep it

1. Account information and what you create on the service: kept until you delete your account, then deleted without delay, including sign-in records. The content of your posts and comments is erased and only their place remains, without author information.
2. Enquiries: kept for one year and seven days from receipt (a year plus time to reply), then deleted automatically once a day.
3. Access records: sign-in records and IP addresses kept by our sign-in service are retained for three months to respond to security incidents, then deleted automatically once a day. Records kept by our hosting provider while delivering the website follow that provider's retention policy.
4. Information that the law requires us to keep is kept for the required period. For example, the Protection of Communications Secrets Act requires access records such as sign-in logs to be kept for three months.

4. How we delete it

1. We delete personal information without delay once the retention period ends or the purpose is fulfilled.
2. Electronic files are permanently deleted so they cannot be recovered. We do not keep personal information on paper.
3. Information left in database backups is removed as the backups rotate.

5. Sharing with third parties

We do not give your personal information to third parties, except where you have agreed in advance, where a law specifically requires it, or where investigators request it following the procedures set by law.

On pages with ads, the ad networks we allow (Google and Kakao) may collect behavioural information directly from your browser. This is not us handing over information we hold. What each network collects and how to opt out is in section 10.

6. Service providers

We use the following providers to run the service.

We supervise these providers to make sure they handle information safely, and we will update this policy if they change.

7. Transfers abroad

While these providers do their work, personal information may be transferred to or processed in other countries, over the network, each time you use the service.

Behavioural information collected directly by ad networks may be processed abroad (for Google LLC, in the United States and elsewhere) under those networks' own policies. Because we do not transfer it, it is not listed above. How to opt out is in section 10.

If you do not want your information transferred abroad, you can choose not to sign up, or delete your account. Because the transfer is necessary to provide the service, you cannot use the service without it.

8. Your rights

1. You can ask at any time to see, correct or delete your personal information, or to stop us processing it.
2. Members can change their username and bio, check or cancel their activity and launch notifications, and delete their account in My page (/me/).
3. For anything else, write to [email protected]. We will act within 10 days and let you know.
4. You may also exercise these rights through a representative, such as a legal guardian or someone you authorise. Please include a letter of authorisation.
5. Requests may be limited where they could harm someone else's life, body, property or interests, or where a law requires us to keep the information.

9. Security

• Passwords are stored with one-way hashing, so they cannot be turned back into the original.
• All traffic between your browser, the site and the database is encrypted (HTTPS).
• Row-level security is on for every database table. You can only change your own information, and private information such as launch notifications and reading positions is visible only to you. Enquiries are visible only to the administrator.
• Administrator access is given only to the operator.
• Too many posts, comments or enquiries in a short time are blocked automatically to reduce spam and abuse.

10. Cookies, browser storage, ads and behavioural information

A. Browser storage used by the site

1. To keep you signed in, we store sign-in information (a token) in your browser's storage (localStorage). We also store convenience settings such as reading preferences. These stay on your device.
2. We do not use cookies or analytics tools to track visits ourselves.
3. Clearing site data in your browser signs you out, and blocking storage may stop you staying signed in.
4. On the AI page (/ai/), Ether and Xync run the AI model inside your browser. Your conversations, inputs and usage are not sent to or stored on our servers. Conversation history and the ratings you give answers (“Helpful”, “Not quite”) stay only in your browser's storage (localStorage), and you can delete the history with “Clear conversation”. The book index used to ground answers is downloaded from this site, and your questions are not sent with it. Model files are downloaded from Hugging Face (huggingface.co) and GitHub and cached in your browser; we do not pass on anything that identifies you in the process. This feature is not a substitute for medical, psychological or legal advice.

B. Ads and behavioural information

1. Where ads appear: only in set places on the home page, the blog, the library shelf and book pages, at the end of chapters on reading pages (below the text), under the leaderboards on the games list and game pages, the quiz list and the community list. Never in book text, during play, in AI conversations, on sign-in and sign-up, My page, Studio enquiries, the terms and this policy, the About page or error pages. Ad spaces are labelled “Ad”.
2. Our own promotions: when there is no ad from an ad network, the space shows our own books, blog posts, games or apps, labelled “Recommended by EtherXync”. These use no cookies and collect no behavioural information.
3. In-game billboards and sponsor pages in books: billboards inside games (marked “AD” or “EtherXync”) and sponsor pages at the end of chapters only show images hosted on this site. They load no ad network scripts and collect no cookies or behavioural information. How many times a billboard was shown is counted per day only in your browser's storage and is not sent to us. Downloaded EPUB and PDF files with sponsor pages contain nothing that collects information.
4. Current status: as of October 22, 2026, when this policy was announced, we do not run ads from outside ad networks; ad spaces show only our own promotions. Outside ads will start only after this policy takes effect and the ad network approves us, and we will announce it.
5. What ad networks collect: once outside ads run, third-party ad networks including Google and Kakao may use cookies to show ads based on your visits to this and other sites. They may store or read cookies in your browser and collect information through web beacons, IP addresses and similar.

We do not receive or store behavioural information collected by ad networks, and we do not combine it with member information. If ad networks change or are added, we will update this table and let you know.

C. How to turn off personalised ads and cookies

If you opt out of personalised ads you may still see ads, but fewer based on your browsing. Blocking cookies does not stop you reading books or playing games here, but blocking all site data may stop you staying signed in.

• Google personalised ads: turn them off in Google Ad Settings. You can opt out of other networks' personalised ad cookies at aboutads.info.
• Kakao personalised ads: follow the opt-out steps in the Kakao Privacy Policy, or block browser cookies and your device's ad identifier as below.
• Chrome: Settings › Privacy and security › Third-party cookies › “Block third-party cookies”
• Microsoft Edge: Settings › Cookies and site permissions › Manage and delete cookies and site data › “Block third-party cookies”
• Safari (iPhone, iPad): Settings › Apps › Safari › turn on “Prevent Cross-Site Tracking”. To block all cookies, use “Block All Cookies” on the same screen.
• Safari (Mac): Safari › Settings › Privacy › turn on “Prevent cross-site tracking”
• Samsung Internet: Settings › Privacy and security › turn on “Smart anti-tracking”, or turn off third-party cookies under “Accept cookies”
• Firefox: Settings › Privacy & Security › Enhanced Tracking Protection › “Strict”
• Your phone's ad identifier: on Android, Settings › Security and privacy (or Google) › Ads › “Delete advertising ID”; on iPhone, Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking › turn off “Allow Apps to Request to Track”

Menu names and locations may differ slightly by browser and system version. If you get stuck, ask us at [email protected].

D. Visitors from the EEA, the UK and Switzerland

Before showing outside ads to visitors from these regions, we will ask for consent to cookies and personalised ads through a Google-certified consent management tool. If you do not consent, you will see only non-personalised ads or no ads.

11. Children under 14

Children under 14 cannot sign up. If we learn that someone under 14 has an account, we delete the account and its information without delay. This service is not aimed mainly at children under 14.

12. Privacy officer

For questions, complaints or remedies about how we handle personal information, contact us below. We will answer and act without delay.

Privacy officer

EtherXync operator

Email

[email protected]

13. Where to get help

If your privacy has been violated, you can ask these Korean public bodies for mediation or advice.

Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee

1833-6972 (in Korea), www.kopico.go.kr

Privacy Infringement Report Center (KISA)

118 (in Korea), privacy.kisa.or.kr

Supreme Prosecutors' Office

1301 (in Korea), www.spo.go.kr

Korean National Police Agency

182 (in Korea), ecrm.police.go.kr

14. Changes to this policy

This policy applies from November 21, 2026. When it changes, we announce it on the notice board at least 7 days before it takes effect, or at least 30 days before for changes that significantly affect your rights.