Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

SciReel is an AI-powered tool that turns academic research papers into journal-ready video abstracts or public explainer videos. We are currently operated as an independent project. If you have any questions about this policy, contact us at hello@scireel.io.

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Account Information

When you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address, and Google profile ID through Google OAuth 2.0. We do not receive or store your Google password.

2.2 Uploaded Files

PDF files you upload are stored in a private, access-controlled cloud storage bucket (Cloudflare R2). They are never made publicly accessible, are used solely to generate your video abstract, and are retained for up to 30 days unless earlier deletion is required by law or support handling.

2.3 Generated Output Files

MP4 video files, SRT subtitle files, and text transcripts generated from your paper are stored in the same private bucket and accessible only to you via time-limited signed URLs. Intermediate assets (slide images, audio segments) are stored in a separate CDN bucket during processing. These job-specific files are also retained for up to 30 days.

2.4 Usage Data

We store metadata about each generation job (status, timestamps, paper filename) in our database. We may collect basic server logs (IP address, request timestamps) for operational purposes.

2.5 Cookies

We use essential session cookies to maintain your login state. We also use analytics and tag-management technologies that may rely on cookies or similar identifiers depending on region, browser behavior, and consent state.

3. How We Use Your Data

• To authenticate you and associate jobs with your account.
• To process your PDF and generate the video abstract using third-party AI services (see Section 4).
• To deliver the output files back to you.
• To communicate with you about your account or service updates (email only, no marketing without explicit consent).
• To maintain and improve the service.

We do not sell your personal data or your paper content to any third party.

4. Third-Party Services

To provide the service, we share data with the following sub-processors:

Each sub-processor is bound by their own privacy policy and data processing agreements. Your paper content is sent to Google Gemini for processing; please review Google's AI services privacy policy if you have concerns about submitting sensitive content.

4.1 Microsoft Clarity

We use Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors interact with public pages on scireel.io, including page visits, clicks, scrolls, navigation patterns, and device or browser metadata. We do not intentionally send PDF content, paper text, user email addresses, signed URLs, download links, or payment details to Clarity.

4.2 Google Tag Manager

We use Google Tag Manager ("GTM") to load and manage website tags, including analytics and product tooling. GTM may result in standard technical request data such as page URL, referrer, browser or device metadata, and IP-derived region being sent to Google or the relevant tag provider. We do not intentionally place PDF content, paper text, user email addresses, signed URLs, or download links into the GTM dataLayer.

4.3 Regional consent handling

SciReel does not currently present a standalone cookie preference banner or implement a custom Google Consent Mode integration on scireel.io. Microsoft Clarity may apply vendor-side consent-mode behavior or limited/no-cookie operation for certain regions, including the EEA, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, when a valid consent signal is not available. GTM-loaded tag behavior may also vary by region, browser, and vendor configuration.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account data (name, email) for as long as your account is active. Job files — including uploaded PDFs, generated MP4 videos, SRT subtitle files, and transcripts — are automatically and permanently deleted up to 30 days after the job is created, regardless of whether you have downloaded them. Intermediate processing files (slide images, audio segments) are deleted on the same retention schedule.

Public sample or demo assets that we publish as example cases under our own `samples/` storage paths are not treated as customer job files and may be retained for a longer period, including permanently, until we decide to replace or remove them.

You may request earlier deletion of your account and all associated data at any time by emailing hello@scireel.io. We will process deletion requests within 7 business days.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights under GDPR, CCPA, or other applicable law:

• Access. Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Deletion. Request that we delete your account and associated data.
• Correction. Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
• Portability. Request an export of your data in a machine-readable format.
• Opt-out. California residents may opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell data).

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@scireel.io. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Security

All data is transmitted over HTTPS. PDF files and output videos are stored in private cloud storage and accessed only through short-lived signed URLs. We do not store payment information. No security measure is 100% effective; if you discover a vulnerability, please contact us immediately at hello@scireel.io.

8. Children's Privacy

SciReel is intended for academic researchers and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of SciReel after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact

Questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy? Email us at hello@scireel.io.