Privacy Policy

Who we are

ReadersGuide is operated by Softy Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. For any privacy-related questions or requests, contact us at privacy@softyltd.co.uk.

What data we collect and why

• Email address — collected when you sign in. Used solely to authenticate you via a magic link. Legal basis: contract (necessary to provide the service).
• Goodreads user ID — provided by you during setup. Used to identify your Goodreads read shelf so we can import your books. Legal basis: contract.
• Read books list — imported from your Goodreads read shelf (visible to at least Goodreads members). Used to filter out books you have already read from your recommendations. Legal basis: contract.
• Hidden books — books you have manually hidden within the app. Stored so your preferences persist across sessions. Legal basis: contract.
• Display preferences — sort order and filter settings. Stored locally on your device only (localStorage); never sent to our servers.

Who we share data with

We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes. We use the following sub-processors to operate the service:

• Vercel — hosting and infrastructure (EU/US data centres)
• Upstash — Redis database used to store your profile and book data
• ISBNdb — book metadata lookup by ISBN; only ISBNs from your read shelf are sent
• Goodreads — your read shelf is fetched from Goodreads when you initiate an import

How long we keep your data

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. If you request deletion, we will remove your email address, Goodreads user ID, read books list, and hidden books from our systems within 30 days.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate data
• Request erasure of your data
• Object to or restrict processing
• Lodge a complaint with the ICO (ico.org.uk)

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@softyltd.co.uk.

Cookies and local storage

We use a single session cookie to keep you signed in. No third-party tracking or advertising cookies are used. Display preferences are stored in your browser's localStorage and never leave your device.