Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Bookwise ("we," "our," or "us") operates the Bookwise platform, a book-tracking service available at bookwiseapp.com. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our service.

By using Bookwise, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect information through our authentication provider, Clerk. This may include:

• Name and display name
• Email address
• Profile picture
• Authentication credentials (managed securely by Clerk; we do not store your password directly)

2.2 Reading Activity Data

As you use Bookwise, we collect data about your reading activity, including:

• Books you add to shelves (Currently Reading, Read, Want to Read, Did Not Finish)
• Ratings (quarter-star precision, 0–5 scale)
• Reviews and notes you write, including spoiler-tagged content
• Reading sessions (start/end times, page progress, reading duration)
• Reading goals and progress
• Wishlist entries

2.3 Social and Community Data

• Book club memberships, messages, and nominations
• Reader follow relationships
• Public profile information (username, bio, favorite genres)
• Reader badges and achievements

2.4 AI Conversation Data

When you use our AI Book Companion feature, we collect and store:

• Your messages and prompts sent to the AI companion
• AI-generated responses
• Conversation context, including your reading progress (used to provide spoiler-aware responses)

2.5 Subscription and Billing Data

If you subscribe to Bookwise Plus, we collect and store:

• Subscription plan and status (free, trialing, active, canceled)
• Billing cycle (monthly or annual) and renewal dates
• Payment method details (last four digits of card, card type, and expiration — full card details are stored by Stripe, not Bookwise)
• Transaction history and invoice records
• Cancellation reasons (if voluntarily provided during cancellation)

2.6 Imported Data

If you import data from other platforms, we process:

• Goodreads CSV exports (book titles, authors, ratings, shelves, dates read)
• Kindle highlights and bookmarks (via our bookmarklet tool)

2.7 Automatically Collected Information

• Device and browser information (user agent, screen resolution)
• IP address
• Pages visited and features used within Bookwise
• Referral source
• Advertising identifiers and browsing activity collected by our ad partners (see Section 4.5)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and maintain the Bookwise platform
• Track your reading activity and generate personalized statistics (reading pace, streaks, genre breakdowns, mood/pacing analysis)
• Power AI features including book summaries, discussion prompts, reading insights, and the AI Book Companion chat
• Generate personalized book recommendations
• Enable social features (book clubs, follows, public profiles, discussions)
• Process data imports from Goodreads and Kindle
• Award reader badges based on reading milestones
• Send service-related communications (account verification, security alerts)
• Process subscription payments and manage billing through Stripe
• Improve and optimize our service
• Display relevant advertisements

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate Bookwise. Each has its own privacy policy governing the data they process:

4.1 Clerk (Authentication)

We use Clerk to handle user authentication, account management, and session security. Clerk processes your login credentials, email, and profile information. See Clerk's Privacy Policy.

4.2 Convex (Database & Backend)

Your reading data, reviews, social interactions, and other application data are stored in Convex, our real-time database provider. See Convex's Privacy Policy.

4.3 Anthropic (AI Features)

Our AI Book Companion and AI-powered features (summaries, quotes, insights, recommendations) are powered by Anthropic's Claude API. When you use AI features, relevant context (such as your reading progress and conversation history) is sent to Anthropic for processing. See Anthropic's Privacy Policy.

4.4 Open Library (Book Metadata)

We retrieve book metadata (titles, authors, descriptions, cover images) from the Open Library API. Searches you perform may be sent to Open Library's servers. See Open Library's Privacy Policy.

4.5 Stripe (Payment Processing)

If you subscribe to Bookwise Plus, your payment is processed by Stripe. Stripe collects and processes your payment card details, billing address, and transaction information. Bookwise does not store your full credit card number or payment credentials — this information is handled entirely by Stripe in compliance with PCI DSS standards. We receive only a token, the last four digits of your card, and transaction confirmations. See Stripe's Privacy Policy.

4.6 Advertising Partners

We display advertisements through third-party ad networks. These partners may use cookies, pixel tags, and similar technologies to collect information about your browsing activity — including pages visited, ads viewed or clicked, and device identifiers — to serve you relevant ads and measure ad performance. This data may be used to build interest-based profiles across websites and apps.

You can opt out of personalized advertising through our cookie consent banner, your browser settings, or industry opt-out mechanisms such as the Digital Advertising Alliance or the Network Advertising Initiative.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored securely using Convex's infrastructure. We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS)
• Secure authentication via Clerk with JWT tokens
• Role-based access controls for community features (book clubs)
• Regular security reviews

While we strive to protect your data, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services.

When you request account deletion, we initiate a 30-day grace period during which you can cancel the deletion. After 30 days, your account and associated data are permanently purged from our systems, including:

• Account and profile information
• Reading history, reviews, and notes
• AI conversation history
• Book club memberships and messages
• Social connections and follow relationships
• Badges and achievements

You can request account deletion from your account settings page.

7. Cookies and Tracking

Bookwise uses cookies and similar technologies for:

• Essential cookies: Authentication session management (required for the service to function)
• Preference cookies: Theme preferences (light/dark mode) and UI settings
• Analytics cookies: Understanding how users interact with our platform to improve the experience
• Advertising cookies: Serving relevant advertisements and measuring ad performance

You can manage your cookie preferences through our cookie consent banner, which appears on your first visit, or through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may prevent you from using certain features.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Object to or restrict processing of your data
• Data portability (export your data)
• Withdraw consent for data processing
• Opt out of personalized advertising

Bookwise provides a built-in data export feature that lets you download your reading data. You can also delete your account from the settings page.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the address below.

9. Children's Privacy

Bookwise is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will promptly delete it. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

10. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We may share data in the following circumstances:

• With service providers: As described in Section 4, we share data with third-party services necessary to operate Bookwise
• Public content: Reviews, ratings, and profile information you choose to make public are visible to other users
• Book clubs: Content you share in book clubs is visible to club members
• Legal requirements: When required by law, regulation, or legal process
• Safety: To protect the rights, safety, or property of Bookwise, our users, or the public
• With advertising partners: We share browsing and usage data with ad networks to display relevant advertisements. Under some privacy laws (e.g., the California Consumer Privacy Act), this may be considered "sharing" of personal information. You may opt out via our cookie consent banner or browser settings.

11. 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 updated policy on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Your continued use of Bookwise after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at:

Email: privacy@bookwiseapp.com

You can also reach us through our contact page.