Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account Registration: When you create an account, we collect your email address and display name. If you register with a password, we store a securely hashed version (never the plaintext). If you sign in via Google or Facebook, we receive your name and email from the provider.
• Recipes and Skill Posts: When you submit a recipe or skill post, we collect the title, description, ingredients, instructions, images, and any other details you provide.
• Cookbooks: When you create a cookbook, we collect the title, subtitle, cover text, cover image, and the recipes you include.
• Ratings and Preferences: We collect recipe ratings, favorites, bookmarks, followed users, and pantry ingredient lists associated with your account.
• Orders: When you purchase a printed cookbook, we collect your name, email, and shipping address. Payment card details are collected and processed directly by Stripe — we do not receive or store your full card number.
• Contact Form: When you submit a message through our contact form, we collect your name, email, and message.
• Newsletter: When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address and optionally your name.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Cookies and Session Data: We use essential cookies to maintain your login session. These are strictly necessary for the Site to function and cannot be disabled.
• Log Data: Our servers may automatically record information such as your IP address, browser type, referring URL, pages visited, and the date and time of your visit. This information is used for security (e.g., rate limiting) and to diagnose technical issues.

1.3 Information from Third Parties

If you sign in with Google or Facebook, we receive your basic profile information (name and email address) from that provider in accordance with the permissions you grant.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account.
• Publish and display your submitted recipes, skill posts, and cookbooks.
• Process and fulfill your print orders, including sharing shipping details with our print partner.
• Send transactional emails, such as email verification, password resets, and order confirmations.
• Send our newsletter if you have opted in (you may unsubscribe at any time).
• Respond to your contact form inquiries.
• Personalize your experience with favorites, bookmarks, and pantry features.
• Power AI-assisted features, such as ingredient classification, nutritional estimation, recipe improvement suggestions, and image moderation.
• Maintain the security of the Site, including rate limiting and fraud prevention.
• Improve the Site's functionality and user experience.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in the following circumstances:

3.1 Service Providers

We use trusted third-party services to operate the Site. These providers only receive the data necessary to perform their function:

• Stripe — processes payments for cookbook orders. Stripe receives your payment details, email, and shipping address. See Stripe's Privacy Policy.
• Lulu.com — fulfills printed cookbook orders. Lulu receives your shipping name, address, phone number, and email. See Lulu's Privacy Policy.
• Brevo — sends transactional and newsletter emails on our behalf. Brevo receives your email address and name. See Brevo's Privacy Policy.
• Cloudflare — hosts uploaded images and generated PDF files. Cloudflare receives file data only (not personal information).
• OpenAI and Anthropic — power AI-assisted features such as ingredient classification, recipe analysis, and image moderation. Only recipe content (titles, ingredients, instructions) is sent to these services — no personal information (name, email, or account data) is shared. These providers may use data submitted through their APIs to improve and train their models, in accordance with their own terms and privacy policies.
• MongoDB Atlas — hosts our database infrastructure. All data is stored in MongoDB's cloud infrastructure.

3.2 Public Information

Certain information is visible to other users and the public, including: your display name, published recipes, skill posts, public cookbooks, and ratings. Do not include personal information in content you submit for publication.

3.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental request, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

4. Advertisements

The Site displays advertisements from third-party brands and partners. These ads are managed directly by CookJunkie and served from our own servers — we do not use third-party ad networks (such as Google AdSense) that place tracking cookies or pixels on your device.

No personal information is shared with advertisers. Advertisers do not receive data about who views or clicks their ads.

5. Cookies

We use only essential cookies that are strictly necessary for the Site to function:

We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or analytics cookies. We do not participate in cross-site tracking or retargeting.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information, including:

• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt before storage — we never store plaintext passwords.
• Verification and password reset tokens are time-limited and expire after use.
• All data transmitted between your browser and the Site is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS.
• Payment processing is handled entirely by Stripe, which is PCI DSS Level 1 certified.
• API endpoints are rate-limited to prevent abuse.

While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Retention

• Account data: Retained for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will delete your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal or business purposes.
• Published content: Recipes, skill posts, and cookbooks you have published may be retained even after account deletion, as ownership of submitted content transfers to CookJunkie per our Terms of Service.
• Order data: Retained for at least 3 years after the order date to comply with tax, legal, and dispute resolution obligations.
• Contact submissions: Retained for up to 1 year, then deleted.
• Newsletter subscriptions: Retained until you unsubscribe. After unsubscribing, your email is retained in an unsubscribed state to prevent accidental re-enrollment.

8. Your Choices and Rights

8.1 Account Information

You may update your display name or password through your account settings at any time. To request deletion of your account, please contact us at [email protected].

8.2 Newsletter

You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any newsletter email or by visiting our unsubscribe page.

8.3 Do Not Track

We do not currently use tracking technologies that respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals. Since we do not track users across third-party websites, this setting does not affect how the Site operates.

9. Children's Privacy

The Site is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete that information promptly. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected].

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Effective Date" at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at [email protected] or visit our Contact page.

Mailing Address:
CookJunkie
39170 Balmoral Dr
Prairieville, LA 70769