Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains what information Authentic Japanese (“the site”) collects, how it is used, and the third-party services it relies on. The site is run by an individual operator (“the operator”). By using the site, you agree to the practices described here.

Account information.If you create an account, authentication is handled by Clerk, a third-party service. Your email address, password, and login credentials are managed by Clerk and are never stored directly by the site. The site's own database stores only the profile information shown on the site: a username, display name, optional profile photo, optional bio, and optional social media links.

Content you post.Topics, comments, and any images you upload are stored and displayed publicly. You can post topics and comments without an account; in that case the post is shown as “Guest” and is not linked to any account.

Inquiries. If you use the contact form, the name, email address, subject, and message you submit are stored so the operator can respond.

Topics, comments, and public profile pages are visible to anyone and may be indexed by search engines. Please do not post anything you do not want to be public, and do not share private information about yourself or others.

The site uses cookies that are necessary for login and to keep you signed in. These are set by Clerk as part of the authentication process. The site does not currently use advertising or analytics cookies. If analytics or advertising is introduced in the future, this policy will be updated beforehand.

Account creation, login, and session management are handled by Clerk, a third-party authentication provider, under its own privacy policy. The site also relies on third-party hosting and infrastructure providers to run the site and store images.

These providers may store data on servers located outside your country, including in the United States.

Your information is used only to:

• operate the site and display your posts and profile;
• review reports and moderate content;
• respond to inquiries you send.

Your personal information is not sold.

When you delete a topic or comment, it is removed from view but the underlying record may be retained for moderation and abuse-prevention purposes. If you would like your account or profile information removed, please contact the operator through the contact form.

The site is not directed to children under 13, and does not knowingly collect information from them.

This policy may be updated from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the date at the top of this page.