This Privacy Policy explains how Books'n'Bytes (booksnbytes.com, “we,” “us,” or “the site”) collects, uses, and protects information when you visit the site. We aim to be specific about what we actually do, in plain language.
What we collect
Information you give us directly
We collect information you choose to give us. That includes:
- Email addresses you submit through forms (newsletter signup, recommendation tool email-capture, contact form).
- The questions, preferences, and mood inputs you provide to our AI recommendation tool at /get-recommendations.
- Any message content you send through our contact form at /contact.
We do not require accounts to read the site.
Information collected automatically
When you visit the site, certain information is collected automatically by our hosting and analytics infrastructure:
- Standard web log data (IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, time on page).
- Device characteristics (screen size, language preference, time zone).
- Cookies and similar technologies (see Cookies section below).
How we use your information
We use information for the following purposes only:
- To operate and improve the site.
- To generate book recommendations through our AI tool.
- To respond to your messages and questions.
- To send you the newsletter you signed up for (if you opted in).
- To understand which content is most useful (aggregated analytics, no individual tracking).
- To detect and prevent abuse, fraud, and security incidents.
We do not sell your personal information.
Cookies and similar technologies
The site uses cookies and similar technologies for three purposes:
- Strictly necessary cookies: required for the site to work (session management, security, form submission). These cannot be disabled.
- Analytics cookies: help us understand which pages are useful. These are aggregated and do not identify individual users.
- Advertising cookies: when we display ads (currently planned via Google AdSense), advertising partners may use cookies to display ads relevant to your interests. You can manage advertising cookies through our cookie banner (when active) or through your browser settings.
You can disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling strictly-necessary cookies may break parts of the site.
Third-party services we use
The site relies on these third-party services to function:
- Vercel for hosting. Vercel Privacy Policy.
- Sanity for content management. Sanity Privacy Policy.
- Supabase for storing email captures and AI recommendation sessions. Supabase Privacy Policy.
- Google Generative AI (Gemini) for our AI recommendation tool. Google Privacy Policy.
- Google AdSense for advertising (planned). How Google uses information.
- Google Books API for book metadata. Google Privacy Policy.
- Open Library for book cover images. Open Library Privacy Policy.
Advertising (Google AdSense)
We may use Google AdSense to display advertisements. Google AdSense uses cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings. You can also opt out of third-party vendor use of cookies for personalized ads by visiting www.aboutads.info.
When you visit a page where AdSense ads are displayed, the DoubleClick (Google) DART cookie may be used. The DART cookie enables Google to serve ads based on your visits to this site and other sites on the internet. You may opt out by visiting the Google ads and content network privacy policy.
Affiliate links
The site participates in the Amazon Associates Program, Bookshop.org affiliate program, and other affiliate programs noted on individual pages. When you click an affiliate link and purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate clicks set cookies controlled by Amazon, Bookshop, or the respective affiliate partner. We disclose affiliate relationships clearly throughout the site.
Email and newsletter
If you sign up for our newsletter, we use your email address only to send the newsletter you opted in to. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter email. We do not share newsletter email addresses with third parties.
AI recommendation tool
The AI recommendation tool at /get-recommendations uses Google Generative AI (Gemini Flash) to generate book suggestions based on your responses. Your inputs are processed in real time and stored in our Supabase database for analytics and quality improvement. We do not associate AI sessions with personal information unless you also provide an email address through the email-capture step. If you provide an email, we use it only to email you your saved list and (if you opted in) to add you to our newsletter.
Children's privacy
The site is intended for general audiences. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 (or the equivalent in your jurisdiction). If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete the information.
Your rights and choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights:
- Access: request a copy of the information we hold about you.
- Correction: request correction of inaccurate information.
- Deletion: request deletion of your information (subject to legitimate business and legal exceptions).
- Portability: request a machine-readable copy of your information.
- Opt-out: opt out of marketing emails, personalized advertising, and analytics where applicable.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at /contact.
Data retention
We retain personal information only as long as needed to provide the service or to comply with legal obligations. AI session inputs are retained for up to 24 months for quality improvement. Newsletter email addresses are retained until you unsubscribe. Contact form messages are retained for up to 12 months after the conversation closes.
Security
We take reasonable steps to protect your information using industry-standard practices (HTTPS encryption in transit, encrypted database storage at rest, role-based access). No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
International users
The site is operated from the United States. If you visit from outside the U. S., your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in the United States. By using the site, you consent to this transfer.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page will be updated when we do. Material changes will be highlighted on the site for a reasonable period.
Contact us
Questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices? Reach us at /contact.