Lysensy Inc., operating STORY (bookshelves.me) ("we," "our," or "us"), is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and website (collectively, the "Service").
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Information You Provide
We collect information you voluntarily provide when using our Service:
- Account Information: Email address, username, display name, profile picture, and password
- Reading Data: Books you add, reading progress, status updates, ratings, and reviews
- User Content: Notes, highlights, journal entries, quotes, and reading goals
- Social Data: Followers, following lists, and shared content
- Payment Information: When you subscribe, payment is processed by third-party providers (Apple, Polar.sh). We do not store your full payment card details
- Communications: Messages you send to us for support or feedback
1.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you use our Service, we automatically collect:
- Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers
- Usage Data: Features used, time spent, pages viewed, and interaction patterns
- Log Data: IP address, browser type, access times, and referring URLs
- Analytics: Aggregated statistics about app usage and performance
1.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information from:
- Book APIs: Google Books, Open Library, and Hardcover for book metadata and covers
- Authentication Providers: If you sign in with a third-party service
- Payment Processors: Subscription status from Apple App Store or Polar.sh
2. How We Use Your Information
We use collected information for the following purposes:
- Provide and Maintain Service: Operate the app, track your reading, and sync across devices
- Personalization: Customize your experience, provide book recommendations, and enable book matching
- Social Features: Connect you with other readers, enable following, and share updates
- Analytics and Improvements: Understand how users interact with our Service to make improvements
- Communications: Send you updates, respond to inquiries, and provide customer support
- Subscription Management: Process payments and manage your subscription status
- Security: Detect, prevent, and address technical issues and fraudulent activity
- Legal Compliance: Comply with applicable laws and legal requests
3. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:
3.1 With Your Consent
When you choose to make your profile, reading activity, or notes public, this information is visible to other users.
3.2 Service Providers
We work with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in:
- Cloud hosting and data storage (Convex)
- Payment processing (Apple, Polar.sh)
- Email delivery (Resend)
- Analytics and monitoring
3.3 Legal Requirements
We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government request, or to protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property.
3.4 Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity.
4. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. You may request deletion of your account and data at any time. After deletion:
- Your profile and personal data will be permanently deleted
- Your reading history and notes will be removed
- Some anonymized, aggregated data may be retained for analytics
- Backup copies may persist for up to 30 days
5. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information:
- Data is encrypted in transit using TLS/SSL
- Data is encrypted at rest in our databases
- Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel
- We regularly review and update our security practices
- We use secure, enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure
However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:
- Access: Request a copy of your personal data
- Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information
- Deletion: Request deletion of your account and data
- Export: Download your reading data in a portable format
- Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing emails
- Restrict Processing: Limit how we use your data
- Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@bookshelves.me or use the settings within the app.
7. Children's Privacy
Our Service is not intended for children under 13 years of age (or 16 in the EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately at privacy@bookshelves.me.
8. International Data Transfers
Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have different data protection laws. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international transfers.
9. Third-Party Services
Our Service integrates with third-party services. These services have their own privacy policies:
- Google Books API - For book search and metadata
- Open Library - For additional book information
- Apple App Store - For iOS app distribution and payments
- Polar.sh - For subscription management
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these services.
10. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)
California residents have additional rights under the CCPA:
- Right to know what personal information is collected
- Right to know whether personal information is sold or disclosed
- Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell your data)
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights
11. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)
If you are in the European Economic Area, you have rights under GDPR including:
- Right to access, rectify, or erase your data
- Right to data portability
- Right to restrict or object to processing
- Right to withdraw consent
- Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy in the app and updating the effective date. Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
Lysensy Inc.
STORY (bookshelves.me)
Location: Canada