Privacy
Last updated 21 October 2026.
Cliffhanger English is made by Damien Herlihy, trading as Language Layouts, in Queensland, Australia. This page says what we collect, why, and what you can ask us to do. If anything is unclear, write to support@cliffhangerenglish.com and we will explain it in plain words.
If you join the waiting list: your email address. It goes to ConvertKit, the service that sends our emails, and we use it to tell you about Cliffhanger English. ConvertKit keeps a small ID in your browser so the signup works; it is not used to follow you around the web. Every email has a link to stop them.
On this website: to see which pages get read, we use Framer’s built-in analytics and PostHog (on EU servers). Both work without cookies, with no session recording and no tracking across websites. PostHog keeps a random browser ID in local storage so a return visit counts as one journey. These events never include names, email addresses, form contents or payment details. In the reader app we also use PostHog (on EU servers) to see which pages and steps people use. It works without cookies, with no session recording and no tracking across websites. It sends only the page address and the name of the site you came from, with a random ID that ends when you close the tab. It is never linked to your email or your pass.
When you read: your place in the story, your saved words and your settings are kept in your own browser, on your device. If you have a pass, we also save your progress online so it follows you to a new device (see “Your reading progress and sign-in” below). Without a pass, nothing is sent to us, and clearing your browser data removes it.
When you practise speaking: your recording stays on your device so you can play it back. It is not sent to us.
To keep your pass working: we put one small cookie in your browser that proves you have a pass. It holds a random code; we only keep a scrambled copy of it. It is needed for the product to work, so there is no setting to turn it off.
If you get a free alpha pass, or use Restore: we email you a link and a code through Resend. They expire after 15 minutes and can be used once. For a free alpha pass, your email address is all we ask for. We keep it to find your pass, and we may email you to ask what you think of the app. You can ask us to stop at any time.
Your reading progress and sign-in
Saved progress. If you have a pass, we save your learning online so it follows you to a new phone or computer. This includes the page you are on, your level, the endings you have found, your saved words, your reading minutes and your practice results (for example, how many words you wrote or how fast you read). We save the numbers only. We do not save the words you write or anything you say out loud, unless you are in a class (see “Classes and the community” below). Your saved progress is linked to the email address you used to get your pass.
Signing in with Google. You can sign in with Google instead of an email code. If you do, Google tells us only your email address. We use it to find your pass. We do not get your name, your photo or anything else from your Google account.
Anonymous usage counts. The app counts things like pages read, endings reached and practice activities finished. These counts have no name or email attached, and they include nothing you write or say. They help us see which parts of the app are useful.
Deleting your saved progress. Email support@cliffhangerenglish.com and ask us to delete your saved progress. We will delete it, and your pass will still work. Anonymous counts have no name or email attached, so we cannot link them to you.
What we don’t do. We don’t sell your data. We don’t share it for advertising. We don’t use advertising trackers. Our logs hold short scrambled tags, not your email address.
Who else handles it. We use other companies to run the product, and they only get what they need: Framer (this website and its page counts), ConvertKit (the waiting list and our emails), PostHog (website and reader app page counts, EU servers), Vercel (runs the reader, in Singapore), Supabase (stores passes and saved progress), Resend (sign-in and restore emails), Google (optional sign-in, shares only your email address) and Anthropic (Blot’s replies and writing feedback, United States). Some of them store data outside Australia, including in Singapore, the European Union and the United States.
Chatting with Blot. When you chat with Blot or send him a piece of writing, what you type is sent to Anthropic (the company that makes Claude) so it can write Blot’s reply and your feedback. We don’t save what you type, and Anthropic doesn’t use it to train its AI. Please don’t type your real name, school or contact details.
Blot remembers you. Blot remembers a name you choose for him to use, and the kinds of mistakes and new words from your feedback cards, so he can help you next time. If you have a pass, this is saved with your reading progress. Blot never keeps your chats.
Talking to Blot. When you talk to Blot out loud, your own browser turns your voice into text (Google on Chrome, Apple on Safari). That text is then treated like a typed message to Blot. Cliffhanger English never records or keeps your voice.
Classes and the community
Classes. If you join a class, your teacher sees the nickname you pick, your level, how far you have read, how many endings you have found, how many words you saved, how long you read and your practice scores. Your teacher can also read your newest 10 QuickWrite pieces. Your teacher never sees your email or your chats with Blot. You can leave a class at any time from “My class”, and your QuickWrite pieces are deleted when you leave.
Reactions. When you tap a face under a chapter, other readers see how many people picked each face. They never see who picked it.
Comments at the endings. Other readers who reach that ending can read what you write there, with the nickname you choose. A computer check (Anthropic’s Claude) reads each comment before it appears, to keep out unkind words and contact details. If someone reports your comment, we read it and may remove it. You can delete your own comments at any time.
Deleting. If you ask us to delete your history, we also delete your class membership, your QuickWrite pieces, reactions and comments.
What you can ask us to do. You can ask to see the data we hold about you, correct it, or delete it. Write to support@cliffhangerenglish.com. If you ask us to delete your pass, it stops working.
Age. Cliffhanger English is for readers aged 15 and over. If you think someone younger has given us their details, tell us and we will delete them.
Changes. If we change this page, the date at the top changes, and if the change matters we will email the people it affects.