Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated: 4 July 2026Version: 1.0
This policy explains what information Good Society Readings collects from you, why, and what you can do about it. We've written it plainly, because most of the people using this are teenagers, and because you deserve to actually understand it.
If you're a parent or guardian reading this because your child signed up, the sections on guardian consent, what we collect, and your rights are the ones most relevant to you.
Who we are
Good Society Readings ("GSR", "we", "us") is a free reading experience, operated by Talenpac PLT (trading as Ethos), a limited liability partnership registered in Malaysia. We are the data controller responsible for the personal data described in this policy.
Good Society Readings is available at goodsocietyreadings.org and is used by people around the world. We are based in Malaysia, but this policy applies to all users wherever you live, and — depending on where you are — you may also have additional rights under your local law (see Your rights).
You can reach us about anything in this policy at: hello@schoolofethos.com
Who Good Society Readings is for
GSR is for people aged 14 and over.
- If you are under 14, you can't create an account.
- If you are 14 to 17, you're welcome, but we need a parent or guardian's approval before you can save reflections, join a circle, or write a manifesto. (See Guardian consent below.)
- If you are 18 or over, you can use everything yourself.
You can read all four readings without an account at all — no sign-in, and we don't collect the personal information listed below. You only need an account (and, if you're under 18, guardian approval) when you want to save your own work or take part in a circle.
What we collect, and why
If you're just reading: you don't need to sign in, and we don't collect the account information listed below. We do use an analytics service that collects limited, aggregate information about how the app is used — such as which readings are opened most — to help us improve it. This may involve cookies or similar technologies (see Cookies and analytics).
If you create an account, we collect:
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Your name | To set up and run your account |
| Your email address | To sign you in and send you account emails |
| Your date of birth | To confirm your age and, if you're under 18, to ask for guardian approval |
| Your written reflections | So you can save them and use them to write your manifesto — these are private to you by default |
| Your manifesto | The personal piece you write at the end, drawn from your reflections |
| Circle membership | If you join a circle, we record that you're a member so the circle works |
If you're under 18, we also collect:
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Your parent or guardian's email address | To send them the approval request and, if needed, updates about consent |
| A record of consent | To show that approval was given, when, and for what |
We collect the minimum we need to run the service. We don't ask for anything we don't use.
How your manifesto is created (the AI part)
When you choose to generate your manifesto, we send your own reflections to our AI provider — Anthropic, the company behind Claude — so it can help draft your manifesto from what you wrote. We do this only to create your manifesto, for no other purpose. Your reflections are not used to advertise to you, and are not sold.
As part of keeping the service safe, this process also includes an automated check for signs that a user may be at risk of harming themselves. If something is flagged, it may be reviewed by a member of our team so we can respond responsibly. (See Keeping you safe.)
Guardian consent (for users aged 14–17)
If you're under 18, here's how approval works:
- When you sign up, we ask for a parent or guardian's email.
- We send them an email explaining what we collect and linking to this policy, with an Approve button.
- Until they approve, you can still read the readings, but saving reflections, joining circles, and writing a manifesto stay locked.
- Once they approve, those features unlock, and we'll let you know.
A parent or guardian can withdraw their approval at any time. If they do, we stop using the account and delete the associated personal data (see How long we keep your data). To withdraw, they can use the link in the approval email or contact us at hello@schoolofethos.com.
Publishing, and the public Library
Your reflections and manifesto are private by default. Nothing you write is ever made public automatically.
If you choose to publish your manifesto to our public Library:
- You opt in deliberately — it never happens by default.
- If you're under 18, we ask your parent or guardian for separate approval specifically for publishing. General account approval is not enough on its own.
- You can publish under a pseudonym if you'd rather not use your real name.
- Everything is reviewed by us before it appears, so nothing goes public the instant you click.
- You can ask us to unpublish it later.
Who we share your data with
We don't sell your data, and we don't share it for advertising. We do use a small number of trusted service providers to run GSR, who process data on our behalf:
- Lovable / Supabase (Lovable Cloud) — hosts the app and stores your account data securely.
- Google — if you choose to sign in with Google, it handles that sign-in.
- Anthropic (Claude) — helps generate your manifesto from your reflections, as described above.
- Google Analytics — helps us understand how the app is used.
Some of these providers process data on servers outside your country, including outside Malaysia. Where that happens, we rely on providers that offer a level of protection comparable to what's required under applicable law. By using GSR, you understand your data may be processed in other countries for these purposes.
We may also disclose data if we're legally required to, or where necessary to protect someone's safety.
Keeping you safe
Because GSR is used by teenagers and deals with honest personal reflection, we take safeguarding seriously. Our system includes an automated check for signs that someone may be at risk of harming themselves, and flagged cases may be reviewed by a member of our team so we can respond appropriately.
If you're struggling, you're not alone — and help is available right now, wherever you are.
- Find a helpline in your country: findahelpline.com — free, confidential support lines in over 175 countries.
- Malaysia — Befrienders KL: 03-7627 2929 (24 hours)
- Singapore — Samaritans of Singapore (SOS): 1767 (24-hour hotline), or CareText 9151 1767 on WhatsApp
- United States — 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
- United Kingdom & Ireland — Samaritans: 116 123
If you are in immediate danger, please contact your local emergency services.
How long we keep your data
We keep your personal data for as long as your account is active.
If you delete your account, or a guardian withdraws consent, we delete your personal data — including your reflections and manifesto — within 30 days, except anything we're legally required to keep.
If an account stays inactive for 24 months, we may delete it, after letting you know first.
Published Library entries stay public until you or your guardian ask us to remove them.
Your rights
Wherever you live, you can ask us to:
- See the personal data we hold about you.
- Correct anything that's wrong.
- Withdraw consent and stop us from continuing to process your data.
- Delete your data.
- Limit how we use it, including for any updates or communications.
If you're under 18, your parent or guardian can exercise these rights on your behalf.
Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under local law — for example, users in the UK and European Union have rights under the GDPR (including data portability and the right to object to certain processing), and users in Malaysia have rights under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010. Whatever your location, you're welcome to make any of these requests and we'll honour what applies to you.
To exercise any of these, email us at hello@schoolofethos.com. We aim to respond within 21 days.
Security
We protect your data with measures including encrypted connections, access controls so users can only see their own private reflections, and secure, passwordless sign-in. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to keep your information safe, and we'll notify you and the relevant authority if a serious data breach occurs, as the law requires.
Cookies and analytics
We keep this simple. To read the four texts, you don't need to sign in or create an account. For signed-in users, we use only what's necessary to keep you logged in and run the service.
We also use a third-party analytics service to understand how the app is used — for example, which readings are most read — so we can improve it. This may use cookies or similar technologies to collect aggregate usage information. We do not use advertising trackers, and we don't sell your data. You can control or clear cookies through your browser settings.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. If the change is significant — especially anything affecting how we handle minors' data — we'll let account holders (and, for minors, their guardians) know.
Contact
Questions, requests, or concerns about your data:
Talenpac PLT (trading as Ethos)
Email: hello@schoolofethos.com
See also our Terms of Service.