Beehive Books is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, with whom we share it, and your rights in relation to it. It applies to all users of beehive-books.app and related services.
We collect the following categories of personal data:
Account Information
Email address, username, profile picture, bio, and password (stored as a cryptographic hash). If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email, and profile picture from Google.
Content You Create
Books, chapters, comments, reading lists, writing prompt entries, club discussions, and any other content you publish on the platform.
Usage Data
Information about how you interact with the Service, including pages visited, features used, reading progress, and activity timestamps.
Technical Data
IP address, browser type, device information, and session identifiers collected automatically when you use the Service.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not use your data for advertising purposes.
We use the following third-party services to operate Beehive Books:
Neon (PostgreSQL)
Our primary database provider. All user data and content is stored in Neon's managed PostgreSQL service. Data is stored in the EU or US depending on your region.
Cloudinary
Used for storing and serving images, including book cover artwork and profile pictures. Images you upload are stored on Cloudinary's CDN.
Stripe
Used for processing payments for premium subscriptions. Stripe handles all payment card data directly — we never see or store your card details.
Google OAuth
If you choose to sign in with Google, your basic profile information (name, email, picture) is shared with us by Google as part of the authentication flow.
We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it by law (for example, financial records related to payments may be retained for up to 7 years).
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at legal@beehive-books.app. We will respond within 30 days.
If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area, the following additional provisions apply under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Lawful Basis for Processing
We process your data on the following lawful bases: (a) contract — to provide the Service you have signed up for; (b) legitimate interests — to improve and secure the Service; (c) legal obligation — to comply with applicable law; and (d) consent — where you have explicitly opted in, such as for marketing communications.
Data Subject Rights
EU/EEA residents have the right to lodge a complaint with their local supervisory authority if they believe their data has been processed unlawfully. You may also contact us directly at legal@beehive-books.app.
International Transfers
Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the EEA, including the United States. Where such transfers occur, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses.
EU Representative
At present, Beehive Books does not have a designated EU representative. If you have GDPR-related enquiries, please contact us at legal@beehive-books.app.
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Passwords are stored using strong cryptographic hashing. All data in transit is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.
We use cookies and similar technologies to maintain your session and remember your preferences. For full details, see our Cookie Policy.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting a notice on the Service or by email. The "last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.
For privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights, contact us at legal@beehive-books.app.