Lettergram

In an age where digital communication dominates, one man has sparked a revival of the penned letter through artificial intelligence. Austin Walters' Lettergram service combines advanced AI with traditional correspondence, allowing users to exchange physical letters across time and space. As the project evolved from a playful April Fool's Day idea to a fully operational subscription service, it has opened new possibilities for digital communication - and perhaps a return to the personalized touch of handwritten correspondence. Through careful planning and execution, Walters has created a platform that balances technological innovation with the warmth of physical mail, inviting users to bridge the gap between past and present through the simple act of writing.

The Birth of Lettergram

The concept for Lettergram.net emerged during an April Fool's Day joke in 2023. Austin Walters, the project's creator, initially conceived of using advanced artificial intelligence to send physical letters to technology. The idea gained traction when Walters reflected on his childhood experience exchanging letters with students from Argentina, where he suspected the teachers had written them themselves. The project took a serious turn when Walters lost his job at a startup in February 2023. He transformed the AI pen pal concept into a fully functional website, launching Lettergram.net and leveraging his existing website, GitHub handle, and other resources.

The service's development remains ongoing as Walters seeks feedback and discussion from users and pen pals. While the project's future is uncertain, Walters remains enthusiastic about its potential, imagining children writing to Santa Claus and beginning letters with explorers from the 1650s. The platform now offers three subscription tiers: Casual ($10/month), Avid ($20/month), and Enthusiastic ($30/month), each allowing a set number of monthly letters with corresponding page limits.

From Idea to Launch

In the months following his job loss at a startup in February 2023, Austin Walters transformed the AI pen pal concept into a fully functional website. The platform's development drew from Walters' existing website infrastructure and GitHub presence, enabling rapid progress.

The service launched with three subscription tiers designed to accommodate different levels of engagement. The Casual plan ($10/month) allows one letter per month with a one-page limit, while the Avid plan ($20/month) increases this to two letters per month with a two-page limit. At the premium Enthusiastic level ($30/month), users can send three letters monthly with a three-page limit each.

Letters take between 5 to 14 days to be delivered, with users selecting their own delivery addresses. The platform accepts payments through multiple card networks including Discover, American Express, Mastercard, and Visa, with the option for yearly billing that reduces monthly charges to $8.33, $16.67, or $25.

Upon launch, the service featured historical pen pal examples spanning from the American Civil War to future Moon colonists, demonstrating the platform's versatility in connecting users across different time periods and contexts.

AI Pen Pal Features

Each subscription tier offers distinct capabilities for user communication:

Payment and Plan Options

• The Casual plan ($10/month) allows one letter per month, with a one-page limit.

• The Avid plan ($20/month) increases this to two letters per month, with a two-page limit.

• The Enthusiastic plan ($30/month) allows three letters per month, with a three-page limit.

• Users can opt for yearly billing, which reduces monthly charges to $8.33, $16.67, or $25.

Delivery and Usage

• Letters take between 5 to 14 days to be delivered.

• Users select their own delivery addresses.

• The platform accepts payments through multiple card networks including Discover, American Express, Mastercard, and Visa.

User Content Rights

• The company holds broad rights over Contributions, including public display, modification, translation, and distribution.

• They apply these rights across all media formats and future technologies.

• Contributors grant the company a perpetual, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use their content.

• The company retains full ownership of all Contributions and associated intellectual property rights.

• They reserve the right to edit, redact, or change Contributions as needed.

Data Sharing and Usage

• The company processes personal information for two years, unless required by law, implementing security measures to protect user data.

• They share data under four legal bases: consent, legitimate interests, performance of a contract, and legal obligations.

• Specific sharing scenarios include business transfers, legal proceedings, compliance with national security and law enforcement requirements, and investigating potential violations of policies.

• Location data collection occurs through IP address and device technology, with users able to opt out of location tracking.

User Data Practices

The company processes personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill specified purposes, with retention periods not exceeding two years unless required by law. To protect user data, they implement technical and organizational safeguards, though no transmission can be guaranteed 100% secure.

Data collection includes device and usage information such as IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, technical information about website usage, system activity, error reports, and hardware settings. Additional information gathered from devices consists of IP address, device and application identification numbers, location, browser type, hardware model, internet service provider, mobile carrier, operating system, and system configuration data.

For precise or imprecise location information, the company collects data through GPS and other technologies based on IP address. Users can opt out of location tracking, though disabling location settings may limit certain service functionality. The company processes this information based on legitimate business interests, contract fulfillment, legal obligations, and user consent.

Personal information collected during the registration process includes names, email addresses, mailing addresses, and billing addresses. Payment data includes payment instrument numbers (credit card numbers) and security codes, which Stripe stores according to their privacy notice. All personal information must be accurate and complete, with users required to notify the company of any changes.

Automatically collected information includes IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, and location data. The company uses this information for security and website operation, internal analytics and reporting, and various business purposes, including facilitating account creation, managing user accounts, and enabling user-to-user communications with consent.

Privacy and Data Collection

The company processes personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill specified purposes, with retention periods not exceeding two years unless required by law. Security measures include technical and organizational safeguards, though no transmission can be guaranteed 100% secure.

Data Collection and Usage

Personal information collected includes names, email addresses, mailing addresses, and billing addresses. Payment data includes payment instrument numbers (credit card numbers) and security codes, which Stripe stores according to their privacy notice. All personal information must be accurate and complete, with users required to notify the company of any changes.

Automatically collected information includes IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, and location data. The company uses this information for security and website operation, internal analytics and reporting, and various business purposes, including facilitating account creation, managing user accounts, and enabling user-to-user communications with consent.

Data Sharing and Sharing Scenarios

The company shares data under four legal bases: consent, legitimate interests, performance of a contract, and legal obligations. Specific sharing scenarios include business transfers, legal proceedings, compliance with national security and law enforcement requirements, and investigating potential violations of policies.

Location Data and Opt-Out Options

For precise or imprecise location information, the company collects data through GPS and other technologies based on IP address. Users can opt out of location tracking, though disabling location settings may limit certain service functionality. The company complies with data protection laws in the EEA and UK, with contact information available for complaints. For Swiss residents, contact details for data protection authorities are provided.

User Controls and Opt-Outs

The company processes this information in reliance on their legitimate business interests, contract fulfillment, legal obligations, and user consent. Users can opt-out of interest-based advertising through the provided link. No transmission can be guaranteed 100% secure, and while the company implements technical and organizational safeguards, all data is processed for as long as necessary to fulfill specified purposes, not exceeding two years unless required by law.