Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 November 2026

This policy explains what personal data KinNovel collects when you use kinnovel.com and the KinNovel apps, what we do with it, who else sees it, how long we keep it, and the choices you have. In this policy, "KinNovel", "we" and "us" mean the people who run kinnovel.com and the KinNovel apps.

We collect only what we need to run the site, and we do not sell your personal data.

What we collect

Your account

  • When you sign up we ask for a username, an email address and a password. We store the password only as a one-way hash, so nobody at KinNovel can read it.
  • If you sign in to one of our apps with Apple or Google, we receive and store the account identifier and the email address that service shares with us. For Apple, we also store a token, which we use only to cancel the link to your Apple ID when you delete your account.

Your profile

Your profile can hold your name, an avatar, a short bio, a signature, your gender and your preferred language. All of these are optional, and only what you choose to fill in is stored.

Your reading

  • We keep your library, your reading progress, the chapters you pin and the notifications we send you.
  • In the apps, we also keep your last 20 searches and the records that keep your devices in sync. This is so your reading follows you from one device to another.

What you post

  • Comments, ratings, reviews and likes are stored with your account.
  • Reports you file are stored as well. A report sent from the website also includes your browser's user-agent string and your reader display settings (font, text size, theme), to help us find display problems.
  • We also store the list of readers you have blocked.

Coins, purchases and membership

  • We keep your coin balance, every coin you earn or spend, the chapters you unlock, your daily check-ins and any VIP membership.
  • When you buy coins or a membership, you pay through a payment provider (for example PayPal or AppotaPay), or through the App Store or Google Play in the apps. You enter your card or bank details with that provider, never with us, and we never receive them.
  • From each payment we keep a record of the amount, the currency, the provider, the provider's reference for the transaction and any refund.
  • For purchases made in the apps, we give the store an anonymous identifier, so the purchase can be matched to your account without telling the store who you are.

Messages you send us

When you use the contact form, we keep the name, email address, subject and message you enter, so we can read your message and reply to it.

Your devices (apps)

The apps register your device with us. For this we store a device identifier, the platform, the app and system versions, the device model, the language and the time zone. If you allow notifications, we also store a push token so we can send them to you. Each signed-in device has its own sign-in token.

Technical data

  • When you upload a file, such as an avatar, we record the IP address it came from.
  • To protect sign-in and other actions from abuse, and to count chapter reads fairly, we use IP addresses for short periods. These counters are held for no more than two days and are not linked to your account.
  • Like most websites, our web server logs each request: your IP address, the time, the page you asked for and your browser's user-agent string. These logs are kept for about two weeks.

How we use your data

  • To run the service: your account, the reading features, syncing between your devices, and your coins, purchases and membership.
  • To email you about your account: password resets and similar messages. We send emails about new chapters only if you turn them on in your account settings. Every such email has a link to stop them.
  • To keep the community and the service safe: handling reports, filtering banned words, enforcing blocks, limiting abuse, and dealing with refund and payment problems.
  • To understand what readers enjoy: view, like and rating counts that feed the rankings. These are counted per novel and chapter, not per person.

We do not use your data to build advertising profiles. If we ever add advertising or analytics services that use cookies, we will update this policy first.

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we rely on these legal bases:

  • performing our contract with you, for running your account, reading and purchases;
  • our legitimate interests, for safety, preventing abuse and improving the service;
  • your consent, for emails about new chapters, which you can withdraw at any time;
  • legal obligations, for keeping payment records.

What other people can see

Everyone can see your username or display name, your avatar, and the comments, reviews and ratings you post. Everything else on this page is private to you and to the staff who run KinNovel.

Cookies and storage on your device

The website uses only the cookies it needs to work:

  • PHPSESSID keeps your session while you browse.
  • _csrf protects the site's forms against forgery.
  • _identity keeps you signed in for up to 30 days, if "Remember me" is ticked when you sign in.

Cloudflare may also set its own short-lived security cookie (such as __cf_bm) to tell people from bots.

The chapter reader also saves your display settings (font, text size, theme and similar) in your browser's local storage. This data stays on your device unless you file a report from the reader.

Our pages load the Archivo font from Google Fonts. Your browser therefore connects to Google's servers, which receive your IP address as part of that request.

Who else receives data

  • Cloudflare sits in front of kinnovel.com to deliver it quickly and protect it from attacks. Every request to the site passes through Cloudflare.
  • OVHcloud provides the servers the site and its database run on.
  • Payment providers (such as PayPal and AppotaPay) receive the order reference, the amount and a description of what you are buying. We do not send them your name or email address; anything you give them directly is covered by their own privacy policies.
  • Apple and Google handle purchases made through the App Store and Google Play, and handle Sign in with Apple and Google sign-in.
  • The email service we use delivers the emails we send you.
  • Authorities receive data only when we are required to share it by law, or when we need to protect the rights and safety of our readers or of KinNovel.

Some of these companies process data outside your country.

How long we keep it

  • Account data is kept for as long as your account exists.
  • Search history in the apps is limited to your last 20 searches.
  • Payment and coin records are kept even after an account is deleted, because we need them for accounting, for refunds and disputes, and to meet legal requirements.
  • Contact messages are kept until we have dealt with them, and are deleted when we no longer need them.
  • Server logs and backups are kept for about two weeks and then replaced.

Deleting your account

You can delete your account yourself. On the website, open Profile settings, enter your password under Delete account and confirm. In the KinNovel app, use Delete account in your account settings. Both do the same thing, and you are signed out everywhere. If you can no longer sign in, send us a request through the contact form from the email address on your account, and we will delete it for you.

What is erased when an account is deleted:

  • your username, email address and password;
  • your profile and avatar;
  • your library, reading progress, pins and search history;
  • your notifications and blocks;
  • your devices and sign-in tokens;
  • any link to Apple or Google, including cancelling the Sign in with Apple link.

What stays:

  • Your comments and reviews stay so that conversations still make sense, but they are shown as written by "Deleted reader".
  • Likes, reports and check-ins stay, as do your coin, purchase and membership records. All of these remain attached to the emptied account, which no longer has a name or email address. Coins left in it, unlocked chapters and membership time can no longer be used.

Copies in our backups disappear within about two weeks.

Your choices and rights

  • You can see and change your profile and your email and notification settings on your account page at any time.
  • You can ask us for a copy of the personal data we hold about you, or ask us to correct it, delete it or stop using it for a particular purpose. Send these requests through the contact form. We may ask you to confirm that the account is yours, and we will answer within one month.
  • If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can complain to the data protection authority where you live.

Children

KinNovel is not meant for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

Security

We protect your data in these ways:

  • the site is served only over HTTPS;
  • passwords are stored only as hashes;
  • only the staff who run KinNovel can open the admin area, and only administrators can see contact messages and the list of accounts.

No service can promise perfect security, but we work to keep your data safe and will tell you if a breach puts it at risk.

Changes to this policy

When we change this policy, we will update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we will also tell you on the site or by email before it takes effect.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data are welcome through our contact form.