Privacy Policy

Effective date: 07/29/2026 · Last updated: 07/29/2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Akoz Studio (“Akoz,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information when you visit [www.akoz.co] (the “Site”), purchase our products, commission original or custom work, sign up for our emails, or otherwise interact with us (collectively, the “Services”).

Akoz is a small, independent studio based in Culver City, California. We create handmade stationery (greeting cards and notebooks), offer original artwork and custom/commissioned stationery, and plan to offer creative workshops in the future. This Policy applies to all of these activities. By using our Services, you agree to the practices described here.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This Policy applies to visitors, customers, and prospective customers in the United States, and is written to align with U.S. federal law and the laws of the State of California, including the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (“CCPA/CPRA”) and the California Online Privacy Protection Act (“CalOPPA”). Our Services are intended for users located in the United States and are not directed to individuals in the European Union or other regions with separate data-protection regimes.

2. Information We Collect

A. Information you provide to us

Order & contact information: your name, email address, shipping and billing address, and phone number when you place an order or contact us.
Payment information: we do not process or store payments on the Site. When you pay, your payment is handled directly by our third-party payment provider, Square, under its own privacy policy. Square collects your payment-card details; we do not receive or store your full card number and instead receive only the confirmation and order details needed to fulfill your purchase.
Custom & commission details: for original artwork and made-to-order stationery, the information you share to complete your project — such as names, dates, event details, personalization text, and any reference images or photos you upload.
Workshop registration (planned service): if and when we offer workshops, we may collect registration details such as your name, contact information, attendee count, and any preferences or accessibility needs you share. This service is not yet active.
Communications: the content of messages you send us by email, contact form, or social media.

B. Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, we and our service providers may automatically collect limited technical information through cookies and similar technologies, including your IP address, device and browser type, pages viewed, referring page, and general (approximate) location derived from your IP address. See Section 7 (Cookies & Tracking).

C. Information from third parties

Our payment processor and shipping carriers (e.g., USPS) provide us with information needed to process and deliver your order.
If you interact with us on third-party platforms (e.g., Etsy, Instagram), we may receive information you have made available there, subject to those platforms’ own policies.

3. Categories of Personal Information (CCPA)

Under the CCPA, personal information is grouped into statutory categories. The table below summarizes the categories we may collect. “Collected” reflects typical operation of our Services; confirm and adjust it to match your actual setup.

Category (CCPA)	Examples	Collected	Purpose
Identifiers	Name, email, postal address, phone, IP address.	Yes	Orders, delivery, support, marketing.
Customer records	Billing/shipping details (payments handled by Square).	Yes	Process and fulfill purchases.
Commercial information	Products purchased, commissions, order history.	Yes	Fulfillment, records, recommendations.
Internet / network activity	Pages viewed, interactions, cookie data.	Yes	Site functionality and analytics.
Geolocation data	Approximate location from IP address.	Yes	Security, analytics, tax/shipping.
Visual information	Reference images/photos you upload for custom work.	Yes	Complete your commissioned project.
Sensitive personal info	We do not seek sensitive PI (e.g., SSN, precise geolocation, health).	No	—
Biometric information	Not collected.	No	—
Inferences	We do not build behavioral profiles about you.	No	—

4. How We Use Your Information

Process, fulfill, and deliver your orders, commissions, and (in future) workshop registrations.
Communicate with you about orders, projects, questions, and customer support.
Operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Site and our Services.
Detect and prevent fraud, and comply with legal, tax, and accounting obligations.

5. How We Share Your Information

We share personal information only as needed to run our business, and we require our providers to protect it. We may disclose personal information to:

Service providers: website hosting and platform (WordPress/WooCommerce and related providers), shipping carriers (e.g., USPS), and website analytics ([analytics provider]).
Payment provider: payments are processed directly by Square, an independent company that collects and handles your payment information under its own privacy policy (available at squareup.com). We do not receive or store your full payment-card details.
Legal and safety: when required by law, subpoena, or to protect our rights, customers, or the public.
Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to this Policy.

We do not sell your personal information for money. We also do not knowingly “share” your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as those terms are defined under California law. If you enable advertising or social-media pixels in the future, update this section and add a “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link.

6. Your California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights, subject to certain exceptions:

Right to know / access: request the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources, the purposes, and the categories of recipients.
Right to delete: request deletion of personal information we collected from you.
Right to correct: request correction of inaccurate personal information.
Right to opt out of sale/sharing: direct us not to sell or share your personal information. As noted above, we do not sell or share it.
Right to limit sensitive personal information: we do not use or disclose sensitive personal information beyond what is permitted, so no separate limitation is needed.
Right to non-discrimination: we will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

How to submit a request

You may submit a request by emailing us at akoz.atelier@gmail.com with the subject line “California Privacy Request.” We will verify your request by confirming information we already hold about you. You may use an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf with proper authorization. We will respond within 45 days (extendable by an additional 45 days where permitted), and we will not charge a fee for a verifiable request in most cases.

“Shine the Light” (Cal. Civil Code § 1798.83)

California residents may request information about our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct-marketing purposes. We do not share personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing.

7. Cookies, Tracking & Your Choices

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep the Site working (e.g., shopping cart), remember preferences, and understand how the Site is used. You can control cookies through your browser settings; disabling some cookies may affect Site functionality.

Do Not Track & Global Privacy Control

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal. Because there is no common industry standard for DNT, our Site does not currently respond to DNT signals. We do, however, aim to honor recognized opt-out preference signals such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC) where applicable. Third parties (such as our analytics provider) may collect information about your online activities over time and across different websites when you use our Site.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy — for example, to fulfill your order, maintain business and tax records, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements — after which we delete or de-identify it.

9. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information, including secure payment processing through Square. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our Services are intended for adults and are not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, and we do not sell or share the personal information of consumers under 16. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

11. Third-Party Links

Our Site and communications may link to third-party sites and platforms (such as Etsy and Instagram). We are not responsible for their privacy practices; please review their policies before providing information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date above and, for material changes, provide a more prominent notice on the Site. Your continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

13. CONtact Us

If you have questions about this Policy or your personal information, contact us:

Akoz — Akoz Studio

Email: akoz.atelier@gmail.com · hello.akoz.co@gmail.com

Mailing address: 10866 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232