Privacy Policy

About this policy

BookLove is an app for running book clubs. It is operated by Matt Williams Developments, ABN 56 564 769 871 ("we", "us", "our"), based in Queensland, Australia.

This policy explains what personal information we collect through the BookLove app and website, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. We handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

By creating a BookLove account you acknowledge that you have read this policy.

Information we collect

Information you give us

• Account details: your display name, email address and password. Passwords are stored in encrypted (hashed) form, and we can't see them.
• Age confirmation: confirmation that you are 16 or older, and the date you accepted our Terms and this policy.
• Profile details (optional): a profile photo and your favourite genres.
• Book club content: clubs you create or join, genre and book nominations, the reasons you give for them, votes, ratings and notes.
• Imported club history: if you run a club, you can import past books, genres and scores. This can include the names of past members who don't have a BookLove account.
• Messages to us: anything you send when you contact support or report content.

Information collected automatically

• Device and app information: device type, operating system, app version, and a push notification token if you allow notifications.
• Diagnostics: if you've chosen to share analytics with app developers in your device settings, Apple or Google send us anonymous crash reports that help us fix problems. We also keep basic error logs on our servers. These don't include the content of your notes.
• Basic usage information: for example, which screens are used, so we can improve the app. This isn't used to track you across other companies' apps or websites.

What we don't collect

We don't collect your precise location, contacts, payment details, health information, or photos other than ones you choose to upload.

How we use your information

We use your information to:

• create and secure your account, including sending verification and password reset codes
• run your book clubs: invites, nominations, voting, ratings, notes and club insights
• search for books and suggest books you might like (see the next section)
• send notifications you've turned on, such as nomination due-date reminders
• respond to support requests and reports, and keep the community safe
• fix bugs, keep the service running and improve the app
• meet our legal obligations

We don't use your information for advertising, and we don't sell it or rent it to anyone.

Book search and recommendations

When you search for a book or ask for a recommendation, we send the search words or genre to a book information service (currently Google Books, and Open Library as a backup) to find titles, covers and descriptions. We don't send your name or email address with these searches.

We may offer AI-assisted recommendations in the future. If we do, we'll use an AI service provider (such as Anthropic) to suggest books based on your club's reading history, for example past titles, genres and scores. We won't send names or email addresses. We'll ask for your permission in the app before any of your club's information is sent to an AI provider, and you can turn it off at any time.

What other people can see

BookLove clubs are private. Only members of a club can see what's inside it. Within a club:

• members can see your display name, profile photo, nominations and the reasons you give for them
• members can see your ratings. Depending on the club's settings, they may only see ratings after rating the book themselves or after the book is finished.
• votes are hidden until voting closes
• notes are private unless you choose to share them. Shared notes can be seen by every member of that club.
• club owners and admins can see club insights, which include members' ratings and nomination history

Who we share information with

We use a small number of trusted service providers to run BookLove. They can only use your information to provide their service to us.

We may also share information if the law requires it, to protect people's safety, or as part of a sale or restructure of BookLove (in which case this policy would continue to apply).

Information sent overseas

Your account and club data is stored in Australia. Some of the providers listed above are based in, or may access information from, the United States and other countries. We choose providers that protect personal information to a standard comparable to the Australian Privacy Principles.

How we protect your information

Information is encrypted in transit and at rest. Access to club data is restricted so that only members of a club can read it, and only you can read your private notes. We limit who can access our systems and review our security as the app grows. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong, unique password.

Keeping and deleting your information

We keep your information while your account is open. You can delete your account at any time in the app under Profile → Account → Delete account, or by following the steps on our account deletion page.

When you delete your account:

• your profile, email address, private and shared notes, the reasons you gave for your nominations, and your device information are deleted
• your ratings stay in your clubs' history, but are shown as "Former member" and are no longer linked to you, so each club's records stay complete
• if you own a club, you'll be asked to hand it over to another member or delete it first
• deletion from our live systems happens within 30 days, and copies in backups are removed within a further 35 days

We may keep limited records if the law requires it, or to deal with a safety report.

Information about people who aren't members

Club owners can import past club history, which may include names of past members who don't use BookLove. Owners must only import information they have a right to share. If you believe BookLove holds information about you that was imported by a club owner, contact us and we'll help you correct or remove it.

Accessing and correcting your information

You can view and update most of your information in the app. You can also ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it, by emailing privacy@booklove.com.au. We'll respond within 30 days.

Your choices

• Notifications: turn each type on or off in the app, or in your device settings.
• Sharing notes: notes are private unless you share them, and you can un-share at any time.
• AI recommendations: if offered, these are off until you agree, and you can turn them off at any time.
• Leaving a club: you can leave any club at any time.

Age requirement

BookLove is for people aged 16 and over. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 16. If you believe someone under 16 has created an account, contact us and we'll remove it.

Questions and complaints

If you have a question or a concern about how we've handled your information, email privacy@booklove.com.au. We'll reply within 30 days.

If you're not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as BookLove changes. If we make a significant change, we'll let you know in the app or by email before it takes effect. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated.

Contact us