Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 14, 2026

ParetoThesis ("we", "us", "Service") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights.

1. Data We Collect

ParetoThesis is designed to be privacy-first. We do not require user accounts, and we minimize data collection.

Data Type	Collected?	Stored?	Purpose
Research topics & text input	Yes (in transit)	No	Sent to AI model for generation, then discarded
Uploaded manuscripts (review mode)	Yes (in transit)	No	Processed in memory, never written to disk permanently
Generated content (drafts, reviews)	Yes (in transit)	No	Returned to your browser, not stored server-side
Payment information	By PayPal/Paddle	By PayPal/Paddle	Payment processing (we never see card details)
Email address	By PayPal/Paddle	By PayPal/Paddle	Transaction receipt (provided to payment processor at checkout)
IP address	Transient (logs)	No (auto-rotated)	Railway server logs for abuse prevention
Cookies	No	No	We do not use cookies
Analytics / Tracking	No	No	We do not use any analytics or tracking scripts

2. How We Process Your Data

AI Processing: Your research topic, keywords, and references are sent to AI model providers via the OpenRouter API for generation. We enable Zero Data Retention (ZDR) headers, which instruct providers not to store or train on your data.
Reference Search: Keywords are sent to OpenAlex (open academic database) to find scholarly papers. DOI lookups are sent to CrossRef. These are public, free APIs.
Session Data: Your wizard progress (topic, keywords, draft text) is stored in your browser's SessionStorage. This data never leaves your device and is cleared when you close the tab.
Payment: All payment processing is handled by PayPal as our primary payment processor, or Paddle as an alternative Merchant of Record. We never collect, see, or store your credit card details, billing address, or other financial information.

3. Third-Party Services

The following third-party services may receive data during your use of ParetoThesis:

OpenRouter (AI model routing) — Privacy Policy
PayPal (payment processing) — Privacy Policy
Paddle (alternative payment processing) — Privacy Policy
OpenAlex (academic search) — open, non-commercial scholarly database
CrossRef (DOI metadata) — public metadata API
Railway (hosting) — Privacy Policy

4. Data Retention

We do not maintain a database. Generated content exists only during your active browser session. Server-side, request data is processed in memory and immediately discarded after the response is sent. Railway server logs (containing IP addresses and request paths) are automatically rotated and deleted.

5. Your Rights

Since we do not store personal data, most data subject rights (access, rectification, erasure) are satisfied by default. However:

Right to information: This policy provides full transparency about data processing.
Right to erasure: Close your browser tab to delete all session data. We have nothing to erase server-side.
Payment records: For access to or deletion of payment records, contact PayPal or Paddle directly, as they are the data controllers for payment data.

6. Children's Privacy

ParetoThesis is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect data from minors.

7. International Data Transfers

Your input data may be processed by AI model providers located in the United States, Europe, or other jurisdictions. By using the Service, you consent to such transfers. ZDR headers are used to minimize data retention by providers.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

9. Contact

For privacy-related questions or concerns, contact us at [email protected].