Privacy Policy - IQReader

1. What We Collect

When you use IQReader, we collect the following information:

Account information: email address, username, password (stored hashed, never in plain text), first name, last name
Profile information: bio, profile photo, favorite book, timezone
Reading activity: books you add to shelves, reviews you write, your reading streak, answers to Thought Provoker questions
Social activity: who you follow, likes, comments
Notification preferences: which email notifications you have turned on or off

2. How We Use Your Data

To provide the service: displaying your shelves, feed, profile, and reviews
To send you emails: verification, password resets, streak reminders, and notifications about follows, likes, and comments (you control these in Settings)
To show popular books and readers based on community activity
To improve the platform
We do not sell your data to anyone

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to run IQReader:

Google Books API: to search for and display book information (titles, authors, covers, descriptions)
Google Analytics: to understand how the platform is used (only if you accept cookies; you can decline)

We also use third-party services to host the application, store profile photos, and send emails (verification, notifications, password resets). These services process your data only as needed to provide their function.

4. Cookies and Local Storage

IQReader uses:

Authentication tokens: stored in your browser's local storage to keep you signed in. These are not cookies.
Cookie consent preference: stored locally to remember your analytics choice.
Analytics cookies: used to understand how the platform is used.

If you are in the EU/EEA or UK, we ask for your consent before enabling analytics via a cookie banner. You can accept or decline, and change your preference at any time by clearing your browser data. Outside of these regions, analytics are enabled by default.

5. Public and Private Content

Your profile and shelves are private by default and only visible to signed-in users. You can choose to make your profile or shelves public, in which case they may be visible to anyone on the internet and may be indexed by search engines. Activity in the feed (such as adding a book or writing a review) is publicly visible.

6. Data Security

Passwords are hashed using bcrypt before storage. Authentication tokens and password reset links are cryptographically generated and hashed. All connections to IQReader use HTTPS.

While we take reasonable measures to protect your data, no system is perfectly secure. If you discover a security issue, please contact us at support@iqreader.com.

7. Data Retention

We keep your data for as long as your account is active. Email verification tokens expire after 24 hours and password reset tokens expire after 1 hour. If you would like your account and data deleted, contact us at support@iqreader.com.

8. Your Rights

You can:

Update your profile information at any time
Delete your reviews, comments, and answers
Control which email notifications you receive (in Settings)
Decline analytics cookies (where applicable)
Request deletion of your account by contacting us

9. Children

IQReader is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will remove it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as IQReader evolves. If we make significant changes, we will notify you by email or through the platform.

11. Contact

Questions about your privacy? Reach us at support@iqreader.com.