What we collect, and what we do with it.

Version 1.0, effective October 14, 2026. This policy explains what Ninth Candle collects when you use ninthcandle.com, the Academy, the Wick dashboards, the Ninth Signals, and our Discord and Telegram community (together, "the Services"), and what we do with it. The Terms of Service (ninthcandle.com/terms) refer to this policy. The plain-language risk summary lives at /legal.

1. What we collect

Account. The email address and name you give us, your password (stored only as a hash) or passkey, your sign-in history, and the terms version you accepted and when.
Purchases. Which packages you bought, the amounts and dates, and whether a subscription is active. Card details go to Stripe, our payment processor; we never see or store your full card number.
Learning. Which lessons you opened, your progress, certificates you earned, and anything you submit through a feedback or support form.
Community. When you connect Discord, your Discord user id and username. When you join the Telegram signals group, your Telegram id and username. Support tickets and their transcripts.
Technical. Your IP address, browser and device type, pages visited, and timestamps, from server logs and from a privacy-respecting analytics tool that counts visits and usage.

We do not knowingly collect anything from anyone under 18, and the Services are not for them.

2. How we use it

To run the Services: sign you in, show you what you bought, deliver signals, keep community roles in step with purchases, issue certificates, answer support.
To bill you and keep records of sales, refunds and disputes.
To keep the Services secure: fraud checks, abuse prevention, access logs.
To email you about your account, your purchases, renewals and changes to our terms. Marketing email only if you opt in, with an unsubscribe link in every message.
To improve the Services, using usage counts and feedback.
To meet legal obligations and to protect our rights.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers.

3. Who we share it with

Service providers that process data for us, under their own privacy terms: Stripe (payments), Discord and Telegram (community delivery), our email provider (transactional email), Cloudflare (traffic and security), and our hosting provider. Authorities when the law requires it. A successor if the business is sold, under this policy.

4. Cookies

We use cookies and similar storage for signing in, remembering your preferences, and counting visits. We do not use advertising cookies. You can clear or block cookies in your browser; signing in will not work without the session cookie.

5. How long we keep it

Account and purchase records for as long as your account exists and afterwards as long as tax, accounting and dispute rules require. Support tickets until the case is closed and for a period after, for the record. Server logs for a short rolling period. Community links until you disconnect your Discord or Telegram account or your account is deleted.

6. Your choices

Email us to see the personal information we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete your account. Some records must be kept by law after deletion. You can disconnect Discord from Settings at any time, leave the Telegram group at any time, and unsubscribe from marketing email with one click. Residents of states with privacy laws, such as California, may have additional rights; email us and we will honor them.

7. Security

Data moves over encrypted connections. Accounts support multi-factor sign-in and passkeys. Access to systems is limited to the people who need it. No system is perfectly secure, and we will tell you if a breach affects you.

8. Changes

We may update this policy. Material changes are announced by email or in the product with an effective date.

Contact: team@ninthcandle.com, or legal@ninthcandle.com for legal notices.