Privacy Policy

1) Scope and Summary

2) Information We Collect

We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information such as precise geolocation, health data, or government IDs. Under the CPRA, account log-in credentials may be considered "sensitive"; we use them only to operate your account and do not use them to infer characteristics about you.

3) How We Use Information (Purposes)

• Provide the Service: create and secure your account; generate and display book slips and lists; enable rating, saving, sorting, archiving, and other features.
• Personalize & improve: remember settings; measure performance; debug; develop new features; maintain availability and security.
• Communications: send transactional emails (e.g., sign-in, receipts, important updates). With your consent where required, send newsletters or product updates (you can opt out at any time).
• Payments & subscriptions: process purchases, prevent fraud, and manage plan entitlements.
• Affiliate attribution: measure referrals from outbound purchase links so affiliate partners can credit qualifying purchases.
• Compliance & enforcement: comply with legal obligations; protect our rights, our users, and the Service; and prevent abuse.

4) How We Disclose Information

We share personal information only as described below:

• Service providers (processors): for example, our hosting/infrastructure provider, authentication provider, payment processor (Stripe), analytics provider (Google Analytics), and email/newsletter provider (MailerLite). They may access personal information only to perform services for us, under contracts that require confidentiality and appropriate safeguards.
• Affiliate/commerce partners: we may share pseudonymous identifiers or click events needed to attribute referrals and commissions (e.g., Amazon Associates).
• Legal & safety: to comply with law, enforce our Terms, or protect the rights, property, and safety of Spicebound, our users, or others.
• Business changes: if we explore or complete a merger, financing, or sale of assets, information may be transferred subject to continued protection consistent with this Policy.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising or other targeted advertising. We use analytics only to understand and improve the Service.

5) Cookies & Similar Technologies

• Strictly necessary: sign-in, security, and core features.
• Functional: remember your preferences (e.g., light/dark mode).
• Analytics: Google Analytics cookies (set in a first-party context, e.g. _ga) to understand feature usage and performance, with all advertising features disabled.

We do not use cookies or similar technologies for third-party or targeted advertising. You can manage cookies through your browser settings; blocking some cookies may limit core functionality.

6) Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide the Service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements, then delete or de-identify it.

7) Security

We implement administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the nature of the data (e.g., encryption in transit, salted password hashing, and least-privilege access). No system is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we discover a breach affecting your information, we will notify you and/or authorities as required by law.

8) Your Privacy Rights & Choices

A. All users

• Access/Export: request a copy of your personal information.
• Correction: ask us to correct inaccurate information.
• Deletion: request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal and operational exceptions).
• Objection/Restriction (where applicable): object to or restrict certain processing.
• Marketing controls: opt out of non-transactional emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in our emails or your account settings.

To exercise these rights, email hello@readspicebound.com (or use in-product controls where available). We may need to verify your request before acting on it.

B. U.S. state privacy laws (e.g., CA, CO, CT, UT, VA, and others)

Residents of certain states have additional rights, including:

• Right to know the categories and specific pieces of personal information we collected, the sources, the purposes, and the categories of recipients.
• Right to delete and correct personal information.
• Right to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information and of targeted advertising.
• Right to limit use and disclosure of sensitive personal information (we use it only to provide the Service).
• Non-discrimination for exercising your rights.

C. EEA/UK

Where the GDPR/UK GDPR applies, you also have the right to data portability and to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

9) Children's Privacy

The Service is intended for adults and is not directed to, or intended for, anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18. If you believe someone under 18 has provided us personal information, contact hello@readspicebound.com and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10) International Transfers

We process and store information in the United States and may transfer it to service providers in other countries. Where applicable law requires, we use approved safeguards (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses) for transfers from the EEA/UK.

11) Third-Party Sites & Services

Links to third-party sites (e.g., retailers and book data sources) are provided for convenience. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies, and we are not responsible for them. Please review those policies before sharing information.

12) California "Notice at Collection"

Categories collected (past 12 months):

• Identifiers: first name (optional), email, IP address, account IDs.
• Protected classifications: Not collected.
• Commercial information: subscription plan, purchase/referral events.
• Internet/Network activity: device info, usage data, cookies, interactions.
• Geolocation: coarse (derived from IP); no precise tracking.
• Sensory/Biometric: Not collected.
• Employment/Education: Not collected.
• Inferences: limited preference inferences (e.g., saved lists/spice preferences); no sensitive profiling.

13) Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect changes to our practices, technologies, or legal requirements. We will post the updated Policy with a new effective date and, where required, notify you or seek consent. Your continued use of the Service after an update signifies acceptance.

14) Contact Us

Questions or requests about this Policy or your information:
Email: hello@readspicebound.com

15) Additional Disclosures for Transparency

• Passwords & authentication: We never store plain-text passwords. If you use social sign-in, your identity and email may be confirmed by that provider per their policies.
• Affiliate transparency: If you click through to buy a book, we may earn a commission. Affiliate partners may set cookies/identifiers to attribute sales; see their policies.
• No automated decisions with legal effects: We do not make decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects about you solely by automated means. (Book classifications are generated by AI but do not produce legal or similarly significant effects on you.)
• De-identification: Where we de-identify data, we commit not to re-identify it except as needed to verify de-identification or for security/compliance.