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Privacy Policy
Book Xchange ("we", "us") is a neighborhood book-lending app. This policy explains what information we collect, why, and how you can control it. We built Book Xchange to run on as little data as it needs — we don't sell your data, and we don't use it for advertising.
Information we collect
| Data | Why we collect it |
|---|---|
| Name and email | Account creation and sign-in, via Supabase Authentication |
| Password | Stored as a salted hash by our authentication provider — we never see or store it in plain text |
| Neighborhood (optional) | Shown on your public profile so neighbors know roughly where you are |
| Profile photo (optional) | Shown on your profile and in chats |
| Device location | To show distance to nearby books and place pins on the map. Your exact coordinates are never shown to other users — only an approximate distance (e.g. "0.4 mi") |
| Book listings and photos | The books you post to lend to neighbors |
| Messages | Chat between you and another user coordinating a book pickup or return |
| Ratings and reviews | Left after a completed loan, shown on public profiles |
| Reports you file | Details you submit when reporting a listing or user, used for moderation |
| Wishlist searches | Titles/authors you ask us to watch for, so we can notify you of a match |
| Crash and diagnostic data | Device model, operating system, app version, performance timings, and error reports (stack traces), linked to your account ID and email, so we can find and fix bugs. Collected automatically while you use the app |
| Push notification token | A device- or browser-issued identifier used only to deliver notifications to your device |
How we use it
- To operate core features: browsing books, requesting to borrow, chatting, rating, and the map.
- To send notifications you've opted into (borrow requests, messages, wishlist matches) and, if you opt in, a weekly digest email of new nearby listings.
- To review reports and enforce our Terms of Service.
We do not use your data for advertising, and we do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.
Who we share it with
We use a small number of service providers to run the app. Each only receives the data it needs to do its job:
- Supabase — database, authentication, file storage, and realtime messaging (all app data lives here)
- Vercel — web hosting for the app itself
- Mapbox — map tiles; receives your approximate location only while the Map tab is open
- Resend — delivery of transactional and weekly digest emails
- Sentry — crash reporting and performance monitoring; receives the diagnostic data described above
- Apple — delivery of push notifications to iOS devices, via Apple's push notification service
Other users of the app can see your name, profile photo, neighborhood, ratings, and the books you've listed. They never see your email, exact location, or password.
Your controls
- Edit or correct your info anytime from your profile.
- Turn off notifications or the email digest from Profile → Notifications.
- Delete your account at any time from Profile → Delete Account. This permanently removes your profile, listings, messages, ratings, and reports from our systems. This action can't be undone.
You can also reach us directly at lendandborrowapp@gmail.com with any privacy question or request.
Data retention
We keep your data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, your data is removed immediately and permanently, with the exception of records we're legally required to retain (such as for fraud prevention or dispute resolution), which are kept only as long as necessary.
Children's privacy
Book Xchange is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we'll remove it.
Security
All data is transmitted over HTTPS. Access to the database is governed by row-level security policies so users can only read or modify data they're authorized to see.
Changes to this policy
If we make material changes to this policy, we'll update the date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you in the app.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your data: lendandborrowapp@gmail.com