Privacy Policy

In The Book Club (“BookClub,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is operated by Leporati Holdings, LLC. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use the In The Book Club mobile app and website (the “Service”), how we use and share it, and the choices you have. By using the Service, you agree to this policy.

Information we collect

Information you give us. When you create an account we collect your email address and a password (stored only as a secure hash), along with the display name and handle you choose. As you use BookClub you create content - book reviews, ratings, comments, reading notes, lists, profile details, and messages - and we store it so the Service works. If you use the “add books by photo” feature, the photo you take is sent to our recognition provider to identify the books in it.

Your reading activity. The books on your shelves, your reading progress, goals, streaks, and the social actions you take (follows, likes, club and buddy-read activity) are stored to power your library and the social features.

Usage and device information. Like most apps, we automatically collect information about how you use the Service and the device you use it on - app interactions, general device identifiers, approximate diagnostics, and similar analytics data - to keep the Service running and to improve it.

Advertising information. If you use the free tier, our advertising partner may collect a device advertising identifier and information about the ads you see and interact with. BookClub Pro removes ads, and with them this collection.

Purchase information. When you subscribe to BookClub Pro, our subscription provider and Apple process the transaction and share your subscription status with us. We never receive or store your full payment card details - Apple handles payment.

How we use your information

• To provide, maintain, and improve the Service and its features.
• To power your library, reading stats, insights, and personalized recommendations.
• To enable the social features - feeds, follows, clubs, buddy reads, and messages.
• To show and measure ads for free-tier users, and to manage Pro subscriptions.
• To keep the Service safe: preventing abuse, enforcing our Terms, and reviewing reported content.
• To communicate with you about your account, security, and important changes.

How we share your information

With other users. Some of what you do is social by design: your profile, reviews, ratings, and public activity are visible to other members. Direct messages are private and encrypted at rest, and are not read by us except in the narrow moderation case described below.

With service providers. We share information with the vendors that run the Service on our behalf, only as needed to provide it:

• Cloudflare - hosting, database, and storage.
• Google Firebase - product analytics.
• Google AdMob - advertising for free-tier users.
• RevenueCat and Apple - subscription processing and status.
• Anthropic - recognizing the books in a photo you choose to scan.
• An email delivery provider for account and security emails.

For legal and safety reasons. We may disclose information if required by law, or if we believe in good faith that it is necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of our users, the public, or BookClub.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising beyond the advertising described above.

Advertising and tracking

Free-tier ads are provided by Google AdMob. On iOS, before any tracking takes place we ask for your permission through Apple’s App Tracking Transparency prompt. If you decline, you still see ads, but they are not personalized using a tracking identifier. You can change this anytime in your device’s Settings under Privacy & Security → Tracking. Subscribing to BookClub Pro removes ads entirely.

Your choices and rights

• Access and edit. You can view and update your profile and content directly in the app.
• Delete your account. You can permanently delete your account and its data at any time from Settings → Delete Account in the app.
• Privacy settings. You control who can find and message you, and you can block other members.
• Tracking and marketing. Manage tracking through your device settings, and opt out of non-essential emails via the links they contain.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights over your personal information, such as the right to access, correct, or delete it. Contact us at the address below to make a request.

Data retention

We keep your information for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, we delete or de-identify your personal information, except where we need to retain limited records to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.

Security

We protect your information with industry-standard measures. Passwords are stored as secure hashes, direct messages are encrypted at rest, and access to member data is limited. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information and to promptly address any issues.

Children

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

International users

We operate in the United States, and your information is processed there and in the locations where our service providers operate. By using the Service you understand your information may be transferred to and processed in countries with different data protection laws than your own.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app. Your continued use of the Service after a change means you accept the updated policy.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or your information? Email us at support@inthebookclub.com.