Privacy Policy

Updated 2 November 2026

This policy explains how Model Citizens ("we") handles your information when you use our website, the Passport, your business account and our products.

What we collect

When you buy: your name, email address and order details. Payment details are handled by Stripe or Gumroad and are never stored by us.
When you subscribe or get a free guide: your email address, the guide or topics you chose and when you signed up, so we can send the short welcome emails you asked for.
When you contact us: whatever you choose to send us.
When you make a portrait: the photo you upload, your pet's or child's name if you add it, the styles you chose and your email address. For a photo of a child, you confirm you're their parent or guardian before uploading.
When you make a storybook: the same photo, the names and dedication you add, and your email address.
When you order a printed product: your name and delivery address, which we share only with the partner who makes and posts it.
When you order on Etsy: Etsy shares your name, address, order details and the photo you send for a personalized item, so we can make and post your order.
When your business works with us: your account email, business name, plan, product links, brand details and the videos or files we deliver. Your billing is handled by Stripe.
When you use Picture Day: the player photos you upload, the player list (names, numbers and teams) and your studio details.
When you chat or message a creator: the messages you send in the chat on this site, as direct messages or comments on a creator's Instagram, Facebook or YouTube account, and the account ID the platform gives us so we can reply.
In your Passport: your progress, notes and access keys are saved on your own device, not on our servers.
When you browse: anonymous visit counts (which pages are viewed, the type of device, and the website you came from). This can't identify you, and we don't use advertising cookies.

Your photos

Photos are stored privately, never at a public web address, and used only to make what you ordered. We never sell them, share them for anything else or use them to train AI.

Pets, homes and families: your photo is deleted 30 days after you upload it. Portraits you haven't bought are deleted at the same time; portraits you buy are kept for a year so you can download them again or reorder.
Children (kids' sport portraits): only a parent or guardian may upload, and they confirm it first. The photo is deleted 30 days after upload, like every other photo.
Picture Day: photographers confirm they took the photos and have each parent or guardian's permission. The photos are never public, never posted and never used to train AI. Every photo and finished file is deleted 30 days after delivery (or 30 days after the job was created, if nothing was delivered).
Storybooks: the photo is deleted 30 days after it was uploaded. Creators Club members choose to let us keep their pet's photo while they're a member; it's deleted 30 days after the membership ends. Family members send a fresh photo each month, and each one is deleted 30 days after upload.
The Recently painted gallery: only if you tick the box, and only for pets and homes. If we choose your portrait, we keep a copy of it and the photo it came from (never your name) for the gallery. Ask us any time and it comes down, and both copies are deleted.

How we use it

To make and deliver your orders, provide support, send updates you've asked for, and improve the shop. We don't sell your information.

AI tools

Portraits, storybook pictures, Picture Day designs and UGC videos are made with Higgsfield's AI image and video tools. Your photo is sent to Higgsfield only to make your order.

The chat on this site and the creators' replies to messages are written with the help of AI (Anthropic's Claude). We also use Claude to check work before it reaches you, for example that a Picture Day design looks like the player's photo, and to write scripts for UGC videos. Your message or photo is sent to Anthropic only for that task, and is not used to train their models. We can read the conversations, and anything about orders, refunds or complaints is passed to our team.

Who we share it with

Only the services that help us run Model Citizens, and only what each one needs:

Stripe: payments for printed gifts, printed storybooks and business plans, and the business billing page.
Gumroad: payments and downloads for digital products.
Netlify: our website host, where your orders and files are stored.
Resend: our email provider, for receipts, your files and the emails you've asked for.
Printify, QPMN and Lulu: they make and post printed gifts, the holographic trading card and printed storybooks.
Higgsfield: makes the pictures and videos (see AI tools above).
Anthropic (Claude): AI replies and checks (see AI tools above).
Etsy: for orders placed on our Etsy shop.
Meta and YouTube: when you message or comment on a creator's Instagram, Facebook or YouTube account. To measure our ads, Meta also receives the pages you visit on our site (through its pixel) and, when you buy, the order value and a scrambled (hashed) copy of your email address, never the email itself.

They may only use your information to provide their service to us.

Cookies

We use Meta's pixel to measure our Facebook and Instagram ads. It sets a cookie that lets Meta see when a visit came from one of our ads and whether it led to a free preview, a checkout or a purchase, so we only pay for ads that work. It doesn't run if your browser sends Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control, and you can turn off ad personalization in your Facebook or Instagram settings. We don't use any other advertising cookies. Your browser may also store a small note during your visit to remember where you arrived from, which clears when you close the tab.

Your rights

You can ask to see, correct or delete the information we hold about you, including your photos and messages, and you can unsubscribe from emails at any time using the link in every email. Email hello@meetmodelcitizens.com for anything else.

How long we keep it

Photos are deleted on the schedule above. We keep order records for as long as the law requires, and subscriber details until you unsubscribe. After that we keep only a note that you unsubscribed, so we never email you again by mistake. Chat and message history is kept for up to 7 days to keep the conversation going, and messages passed to our team are kept until they're dealt with.

Changes

We'll update this page if anything changes. The date at the top shows the latest version.

Contact

hello@meetmodelcitizens.com. The Model Citizens team.