Privacy Policy

Who we are

Charlestock is a Charleston, South Carolina stock photography service operated as a division of Ellis Creek LLC. References to "we," "us," and "our" mean Charlestock and Ellis Creek LLC. Mailing address: 2 Live Oak Ave, Charleston, SC 29407.

Information we collect

Account information. When you create an account, we collect the name and email address you provide and store a one-way hash of your chosen password. We never see or store your password in plain text.

Order information. When you license an image or purchase a Community Pack, we record what you bought, the license tier, the order total, and the email associated with the order. Payment card details are entered directly with our payment processor (Stripe) and are not stored on Charlestock servers.

Communications. If you email us at library@charlestock.com or hello@charlestock.com, we retain your message and our reply so we can follow up and reference earlier context.

Technical information. Our server logs record the time of each request, the URL requested, the response status, the IP address of the request, and the user-agent string of your browser. We retain server logs for diagnostic and security purposes.

Cookies. We use cookies only for essential site functions: keeping you signed in, remembering the contents of your cart, and protecting forms against cross-site request forgery. We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies.

Analytics. We use Plausible Analytics, a cookieless and privacy-focused analytics provider, to count page views and understand which parts of the site are used. Plausible does not set cookies, does not collect personal data, and does not build cross-site profiles.

How we use information

• To fulfill orders, deliver licensed files, and issue license certificates.
• To respond to your questions and provide customer support.
• To send transactional emails such as receipts and download links.
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
• To comply with our legal and tax obligations.
• To improve the site — understanding which images, neighborhoods, and search terms are popular.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with advertisers. We do not use it to train AI models.

Service providers we use

We rely on a small number of trusted vendors to operate the site. Each only receives the information needed to provide its service.

• Stripe — processes payments. Card data is collected directly by Stripe and never transits Charlestock servers. Stripe privacy policy.
• Brevo — sends transactional email (receipts, password resets, download links).
• Amazon Web Services (S3) — stores image files and database backups.
• Sentry — collects error reports if something breaks on the site, which may include the URL you were visiting and your browser version. Error reports are retained for diagnosis and are not used for marketing.
• Plausible Analytics — cookieless page-view counting, as described above.
• ImprovMX — routes inbound email to addresses at charlestock.com to our mailbox.

How long we keep information

We keep account information for as long as your account is active. We keep order records for at least seven years after the order date because licensing transactions are part of our tax and business records. Server logs are typically retained for 90 days.

Your choices and rights

You can update or correct the information on your account at any time from your account page. To delete your account or request a copy of the information we hold about you, email library@charlestock.com. We will respond within thirty days. We may need to retain certain order records to comply with tax and legal obligations even after account deletion.

Transactional emails (receipts, download links, security notices) are sent in connection with orders or account activity and cannot be unsubscribed from while you have an active account.

Children

Charlestock is intended for adults and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.

Security

All connections to charlestock.com are encrypted with TLS. Passwords are stored using one-way Argon2 hashing. Image files and database backups in S3 are encrypted at rest. Access to administrative tools requires authentication and is logged.

No system is perfectly secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at library@charlestock.com.

International visitors

Charlestock is operated from the United States. If you access the site from elsewhere, your information is transferred to and processed in the United States. By using the site you consent to that transfer.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site evolves. Material changes will be reflected in the "Effective" date at the top, and significant changes will be announced to account holders by email.

Contact

Questions about this policy or how your information is handled:

Charlestock — a division of Ellis Creek LLC
2 Live Oak Ave, Charleston, SC 29407
library@charlestock.com