bookStackOne — Sign In / Register

(the human-friendly version, we want you to read this)

1. What we collect (and why) — the honest version (aka Privacy Policy)
   We only keep a tiny set of details so your library works and you can sign in next week:
   • Account identifier: your ISNI/ORCID number (if enabled in the app), if you choose to use it; otherwise we create a non‑reversible hash ID so the app can function without tying you to external registries.
   • Username and hashed password (never stored in plain text) for authentication.
   • E‑mail (local part obfuscated) used only for things like password reset.
   • UI preferences and small settings (theme, language, pagination, collections visibility) so the interface remembers your choices.
   • A few timestamps (e.g., registration date) to help with account security and maintenance.
   • Your private inputs: the note and tags you add to books are stored encrypted and transparently decrypted for display in the app.
   What we use it for: to sign you in, keep your books tied to your account, remember your UI preferences, send essential messages (like password reset), and secure/maintain the service. That’s it.
   
   What we don’t collect or do: no IP logs, no analytics trackers, no cookies for profiling, no ads, no selling or sharing your personal data with marketers. Public book metadata you see from sources like OpenLibrary, Harvard, or DNB is shown to you, but we don’t store Google Books data in your records or exports.
   
   Where it lives: your account data is stored as small JSON files on the server’s filesystem. If you don’t use ISNI/ORCID, your account is keyed by a generated hash ID (non‑reversible).
   
   Little cookie note: we set a tiny, strictly‑necessary session cookie so you can log in and stay logged in. That cookie is not used for profiling, analytics, or advertising, and it disappears when you end your session/browser. No other cookies are used.
   
   Backups: the hosting provider may keep periodic server backups (e.g., daily/weekly). That helps disaster recovery, but also means deletion isn’t always instant everywhere. We don’t control third‑party backup retention policies.
2. Your book data is yours
   At any moment you can go to the “Account” page and download your books/catalogues in a clean JSON file. One click, everything is on your computer.
A quick disclaimer (and hopefully the last one): Some public book APIs play hardball with their super-strict Terms of Service (we get it, data's precious!), so info fetched from those is only shown in the app – it doesn't sneak into your exported JSON files. Keeps everyone rich, happy and lawsuit-free! 😊
3. Seriously, please do download and help us back up your book data
   We really, really recommend you use that download link regularly as your personal backup. That’s the golden ticket.
   
   Servers can catch fire, hard drives can go to silicon heaven, or gremlins can strike (knock on wood three times). If the worst happens and we can’t restore everything on our end, having your own up-to-date JSON backups means we can get your library back online faster than the incredible Apollo 13 crew made it home. You’d be our oxygen tank.
   
   So please — don’t make us live through our own Okay, Houston ... we've had a problem here moment. Hit that export link every now and then and spare us all the three-day space nightmare. We’ll love you forever. 💙
We sincerely hope this never happens — with more than a couple of users, it could become a real-life stress mission for us (medical-grade caffeine recommended).
4. Helping make the book search better for the next generations
   Whenever you add a book, we fetch the metadata from public sources. We may use that exact same public metadata to build a shared, completely anonymous “book stem” so future searches are faster for everybody. Absolutely no personal data related to you, no notes, no reading progress, nothing that can identify you is ever stored in these book stems.
5. If you decide to go public… that’s on you
   By default we try hard to keep everything private. If you flip the switches to “visible to other logged-in users” or “publicly visible”, you’re deliberately sharing your shelves with the world.
   
   That’s perfectly fine, but please understand you’re the one choosing to make that data available on the open internet. We’re not responsible if someone screenshots your “Embarrassing Romance Novels” collection. 😄
6. Play nice – basic rules
   Don’t use bookStackOne to do illegal stuff, don’t try to break it, don’t overload the server on purpose, and please don’t enter (or upload) hateful, offensive or straight-up illegal content anywhere in the app (notes, tags…). We’re a tiny posse and we’ll just delete/ban accounts that misbehave.
7. We might tweak these terms later
   Life happens, laws change, features get added. We reserve the right to update these Terms & Conditions without sending you a personal postcard. The newest version will always be available in the app (this popup or the footer link). By continuing to use bookStackOne after changes, you accept the new version.
8. Want to say goodbye? Just write us
   If you ever want to leave, send us a quick e-mail. We’ll delete your entire user object from the part of the server store we have access to. That means your account and all your library data will be gone – no recovery possible – but you’ll already have your JSON exports from points 2 and 3, so nothing is truly lost.
   
   We don’t want to get too technical, but yes — there’s probably also the backup(s) maintained by the hosting provider, so deletion may not be instantaneous.
9. Questions? Coffee? Complaints? Random 3 a.m. thoughts?
   We’re real humans (carbon-based, slightly sleepy, definitely not AI overlords… yet).
   
   bookStackOne is proudly beta (still experimental): some things sparkle, some things take their sweet time. Support is 100 % artisanal — midnight oil, coffee, and roughly 1,400 grams of grey matter doing its very best. No FAANG fairy dust here, just passion and a little insomnia.
   
   If anything is unclear, you hate/love/miss something, or you just want to chat about books, the meaning of life, Functional Sentence Perspective, or the very human fight for survival in the AI era — write anytime!
   
   
10. Who is this mysterious “we” anyway?
    You’ve probably noticed the suspiciously omnipresent ‘we’. Truth is, right now it’s just one guy — Martin — thinking, coding (sort of), herding bugs, paying for server bills, and answering your messages at midnight.
    
    But if bookStackOne keeps growing and more of you lovely book-hoarding humans fall in love with it, I’ll have to happily bring more dedicated hands on board so the app stays fast, safe, and full of cool new features. Until then, “we” is basically me + a swarm of caffeinated AI squirrels + melodic progressive house mixes.
How to reach me: For now the easiest way is to send an email to bookstack1 (at) proton.me.

That’s the whole deal – no ads, no BS, no tracking, no SEO, no nonsense.
Thank you for using bookStackOne! 📚❤️

(And yes — if you ever feel extra grateful, a real paper postcard would make this solo developer grin for weeks 📮. By sending it, you agree it could be shared with anyone in the Hubble volume.)

(The Formal Version)

1. Personal Data Collection and Storage (Privacy Policy)
   Categories of data we collect (minimal and purpose‑limited):
   • Account identifier: an ISNI/ORCID number (if enabled in the app) you choose to use; otherwise a non‑reversible, system‑generated hash identifier used solely to key your account.
   • Authentication data: username and password (stored as a secure hash).
   • Contact data: email address (local part obfuscated) used for essential account communications (e.g., password reset).
   • Preference data: user interface and minor settings (theme, language, pagination, collections visibility).
   • Operational timestamps: e.g., registration date and similar events for account security and service operation.
   • User-provided content: the note and tags fields on books; these are stored encrypted and decrypted only within the application for your use.
   Purposes of processing: to register and authenticate users; provide and personalize the service; maintain security; communicate essential service messages; operate, support, and improve core functionality (e.g., consistent preferences across sessions); and comply with applicable obligations.
   
   Sourcing: personal data is provided directly by you during registration/use. Book metadata is fetched from public sources to display within the app; Google Books data is not persisted in your saved records or exports.
   
   Disclosures: we do not sell personal data. We may disclose limited data to service providers acting as processors (e.g., hosting and backup providers, email delivery) under confidentiality and data‑protection obligations, or as required by law.
   
   What we do not collect: we do not log IP addresses for analytics, do not run tracking analytics, and do not use cookies for profiling/advertising.
   
   Cookies: bookStackOne uses only a strictly‑necessary session cookie to provide authentication and maintain your logged‑in session. It is not used for profiling, analytics, or advertising, and typically expires at the end of the browsing session. No non‑essential cookies are set.
   
   Storage and retention: account data is stored in small JSON files on the server filesystem. Backups may be performed periodically by the hosting provider (e.g., daily/weekly) and are subject to that provider’s retention practices. Complete erasure from all backups may not be immediate.
   
   Legal bases: processing is necessary for performance of a contract (to provide the service you requested) and for legitimate interests (security, service operation). Where consent is the basis (e.g., optional fields), you may withdraw it at any time to the extent applicable under your jurisdiction.
2. Ownership and Access to Your Book Data
   All book data, including catalogs and associated metadata entered or generated by you, remains your property. At any time, you may access the "Account" page to export your data in a structured JSON format for personal use or backup purposes.
   
   Disclaimer: Due to restrictive Terms of Service enforced by certain public-access book APIs, metadata obtained from such sources is displayed solely within the application and is neither stored in bookStackOne's databases nor included in any exported JSON files.
3. Backup Recommendations and Service Reliability
   Users are strongly encouraged to regularly export and maintain their own backups of book data via the provided JSON export functionality. bookStackOne does not guarantee uninterrupted service, data availability, or recovery in the event of hardware failure, data corruption, cyber incidents, force majeure events, or other disruptions.
   
   In no event shall bookStackOne, its operator(s), or affiliates be liable for any loss of data, including but not limited to indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages arising from such events. Users assume full responsibility for maintaining independent backups to mitigate potential data loss.
4. Use of Metadata for Service Improvement
   When you add a book, metadata is retrieved from publicly available sources. bookStackOne may aggregate and anonymize such public metadata to create shared, non-personalized "book stems" for the purpose of enhancing search functionality for all users. No personally identifiable information, user-specific notes, reading progress, or other private data is included in these aggregates. All such use is strictly limited to improving the service and complies with applicable data protection laws.
5. Public Sharing of Data
   By default, all user data is maintained as private. If you elect to enable visibility options such as "visible to other logged-in users" or "publicly visible," you are expressly consenting to the disclosure of your selected data to third parties or the general public. bookStackOne shall not be responsible or liable for any consequences arising from such voluntary disclosure, including but not limited to unauthorized use, reproduction, or dissemination of your content by others.
6. User Conduct and Prohibited Activities
   Users agree not to use bookStackOne for any illegal, unlawful, or prohibited purposes, including but not limited to: engaging in or facilitating criminal activities; attempting to hack, reverse-engineer, or otherwise compromise the service; intentionally overloading or disrupting servers; or uploading, entering, or distributing hateful, offensive, discriminatory, defamatory, or illegal content (e.g., via notes, tags, or other inputs).
   
   bookStackOne reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to suspend, terminate, or delete accounts violating these terms without notice or liability. Users indemnify and hold harmless bookStackOne from any claims arising from their misuse of the service.
7. Amendments to Terms
   bookStackOne reserves the right to modify these Terms and Conditions at any time due to changes in law, service features, or other circumstances. Updated terms will be posted within the application (e.g., via this popup or footer link). Continued use of the service following any modifications constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms. It is your responsibility to review the terms periodically.
8. Account Deletion and Data Erasure
   Upon request via email, bookStackOne will delete your account and associated data from accessible server storage. This process is irreversible, and no data recovery will be possible post-deletion. However, residual data may persist in third-party backups maintained by hosting providers, and complete erasure from such backups cannot be guaranteed. Users are advised to export their data prior to requesting deletion.
9. Contact and Support
   For inquiries, feedback, complaints, or other communications, please contact the operator via the email address bookstack1 (at) proton.me. Support is provided on a best-effort basis, as bookStackOne is currently in beta and operated by a limited team. No guarantees are made regarding response times or resolution of issues.
10. Operator Identity and Service Operation
    bookStackOne is currently operated by a single individual, Martin Drápela. References to "we" or "us" encompass the operator and any future affiliates or team members. The service may evolve, including the addition of personnel, without prior notice.
    
    Limitation of Liability: The service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. bookStackOne shall not be liable for any damages, including direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential, arising from use or inability to use the service.
    
    Governing Law: These terms shall be governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the operator resides, without regard to conflict of laws principles. Any disputes shall be resolved exclusively in the courts of that jurisdiction.
    
    Severability: If any provision is held invalid, the remainder shall remain in full effect.

Last updated: 2025-12-01