Privacy

Version 2026-10-16

Book Chronicles is a private reading journal that Sam Morris runs as a free, non-commercial service for invited adults (18 or older). I am the controller of your data. Contact: privacy@shelfmemo.com.

What I store and why

Your email address, a one-way hash of your password, your account status and dates, to run your account (GDPR art. 6(1)(b)). The books, reading details, ratings, tags, notes and chosen covers you enter, only to show them back to you. Notes or book lists can reveal things like your health or beliefs; you give explicit consent to storing them when you sign up (art. 9(2)(a)), and you can withdraw it by deleting them or your account. Security records (sign-ins, failed attempts, abuse counters) use an opaque account number, not your address, to keep the service safe (art. 6(1)(f)). If someone invited you, I stored your address to send that invitation; it stays after you delete your account, so you can sign up again, until you ask me to remove it.

Who else processes it

Google Cloud hosts the service and its database in the EU. Mailgun sends account emails from its EU region; it receives your address and the message. Cloudflare runs the domain and forwards mail sent to privacy@shelfmemo.com. Their contracts include the EU standard contractual clauses for any access from outside the EU. When you use Open Library (Internet Archive, USA), the server sends only your search text, an author name you open, or an ISBN, never your account or IP address; don't type personal details there. Nothing is sold, shared for advertising or analysed.

How long

Your account and journal stay until you delete them. Unconfirmed sign-ups are deleted after 7 days, security logs after 30 days. The seven most recent daily backups are kept; if backups are skipped, they can span more than a week. If I ever restore one, accounts deleted since are deleted again before the service reopens.

Your rights

You can download your data at any time, correct or delete your books and notes, and delete your account. Write to privacy@shelfmemo.com to access the other records I hold, or to ask for correction, erasure, restriction or portability, or to object. I reply within one month. You can complain to the Polish supervisory authority, Prezes UODO (uodo.gov.pl).

Cookies

One cookie keeps you signed in. There are no analytics, advertising or third-party trackers.

The service

It is provided free, as is, by one person; please keep your own export of anything important. If this notice changes materially, I'll email you first.