Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 23, 2026 · Effective immediately

This policy explains what personal data PubAurora collects, how it is used, and the rights available to you. We are committed to handling your data responsibly and transparently.

1. Who We Are

PubAurora ("we", "us", "our") is operated by PubAurora LLC, a company registered in the State of Florida, USA. We provide a manuscript preparation and journal submission assistance platform available at pubaurora.com, together with a companion browser extension ("PubAurora Assistant").

For any privacy-related enquiries, please contact us at support@pubaurora.com.

2. Data We Collect

Account information

Your full name, email address, institution (optional), and a securely hashed password. We never store plaintext passwords.

Manuscript files

Documents you upload are stored on our secure servers solely to perform formatting and AI-assisted analysis. You may delete them at any time from your account.

Journal requirements

When you use the browser extension to extract guidelines from a journal website, we store the extracted requirements (word limits, formatting rules, field requirements) linked to your account.

Browser localStorage

The web application stores manuscript analysis results, your selected journal, and workflow progress in your browser's localStorage so you can resume work across sessions. This data never leaves your device and is cleared when you clear browser storage.

Extension authentication token

The browser extension stores your login session token in Chrome's local storage to keep you signed in. This token is never transmitted to third parties.

AI Processing — Important Disclosure

Your manuscript files are never uploaded to Anthropic.

When you request AI analysis, PubAurora extracts the text content of your manuscript from our secure servers and transmits only that text to the Anthropic API (Claude) for analysis. The original document file remains on PubAurora's servers and is never forwarded to Anthropic.

Anthropic processes text transiently — it is not retained beyond the duration of the API call.
Anthropic does not use API-submitted content to train its models by default.
If your institution restricts AI processing of unpublished research, please review Anthropic's data processing terms before uploading.

Full AI processing terms are set out in our Terms of Service §3. Anthropic's privacy policy is available at anthropic.com/privacy.

3. Data We Do Not Collect

We do not collect health information, financial data, payment card numbers, personal communications, precise geolocation, or web browsing history.

The browser extension reads journal guideline pages only when you explicitly click "Collect Journal Requirements". It does not monitor your browsing activity, inject scripts into pages you have not interacted with, or transmit page content to our servers beyond the extracted journal fields you have requested.

4. How We Use Your Data

We use your data exclusively to deliver, maintain, and improve the PubAurora service:

Authenticating your account across sessions
Storing and retrieving your uploaded manuscripts and journal requirements
Performing manuscript formatting, AI analysis, and submission document generation
Responding to support and account enquiries

We do not use your manuscript content to train our own AI models, sell data to third parties, or engage in profiling or targeted advertising.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. Data is shared only with the following parties and only to the extent necessary to provide the service:

Anthropic API

Extracted manuscript text is transmitted for AI analysis under Anthropic's API data processing terms. Document files are not shared.

Railway (cloud hosting)

Our backend infrastructure provider hosts PubAurora's servers and database under a data processing agreement.

Law enforcement / legal authorities

We will disclose data if required to do so by applicable law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of our users.

6. Browser Extension — Specific Disclosures

The PubAurora Assistant Chrome extension:

Reads journal guideline page content only when you explicitly click "Collect"
Stores your authentication token in chrome.storage.local — never in cookies or on external servers
Does not use remote code execution — all JavaScript is bundled within the extension package
Does not track browsing history or inject scripts into pages you have not interacted with
Complies with the Chrome Web Store's user data policy

7. Data Retention and Deletion

Uploaded manuscripts are retained on our servers only for as long as your account is active, or until you delete them. You may delete individual manuscripts from your dashboard at any time.

To request full account deletion and permanent erasure of all associated data, contact us at support@pubaurora.com. We will process deletion requests within 30 days.

8. Security

We use industry-standard safeguards to protect your data:

All data in transit is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS
Passwords are stored using a secure one-way hashing algorithm
Access to production databases is restricted to authorised personnel only
No plaintext credentials or secrets are stored in our codebase or logs

While we take reasonable precautions, no system is completely immune to security risks. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password and to notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Correction — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Erasure — request deletion of your personal data
Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
Objection — object to certain processing activities

To exercise any of these rights, please contact support@pubaurora.com. We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users by email at least 14 days before any material changes take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page always reflects the current version.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of PubAurora after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.