Privacy Policy: LibMate

Privacy policy for LibMate

LibMate (“we”, “our”, or “the app”) provides a sovereign cataloguing, location tracking, and speed reading environment for your book collections. We believe what you read and how you manage your library is deeply personal, and our architecture reflects that conviction.

1. Local-first library data

LibMate is built on a local-first foundation. All your book entries, reading progress, custom tags, personal reviews, shelf locations, and loan histories are stored directly in a private SQLite database on your device. We do not maintain centralised user databases tracking your reading habits.

2. Book cataloguing and public metadata lookup

• Barcode scanning & ISBN lookup: When you scan an ISBN barcode, LibMate queries public, privacy-respecting bibliographic sources (such as Open Library and Google Books API) over encrypted HTTPS to retrieve book metadata (title, author, publisher, cover image, synopsis). These queries transmit only the numeric ISBN and do not transmit any personal identifiers or device telemetry.
• Custom entries: Manual entries and custom library categories remain strictly on your local device.

3. Physical location records

Notes and tags regarding where your physical books are stored (such as room designations, bookcase names, shelf tiers, or storage boxes) are stored exclusively in your local database. This physical layout data is never uploaded to any remote server.

4. Peer book lending and contact safeguards

LibMate provides an optional loan ledger to help you track books shared with friends and colleagues:

• Contact information: Names, loan dates, and return deadlines associated with loaned books are stored locally. LibMate does not access your address book or share your contacts with third parties.
• Peer-to-peer sharing: If you opt into peer library discovery, only the titles and covers you explicitly mark as “Available to loan” are shared with authorised peers over encrypted channels. Your personal reading notes and unshared collections remain completely hidden.

5. E-book files and speed reader cache

Digital e-books (such as EPUB or PDF files) imported into LibMate are processed and stored locally on your device storage:

• Speed reader caching: The RSVP speed reading engine parses texts locally to construct rapid display tokens. No portions of your e-book files or reading speed metrics are ever uploaded to external servers.
• Reading speed telemetry: Your words-per-minute (WPM) benchmarks, session durations, and comprehension notes are private to you.

6. Telemetry and third-party disclosures

We do not embed third-party advertising SDKs, behavioural trackers, or analytics scripts. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data under any circumstances.

7. Data retention, export, and user erasure rights

• Complete portability: You can export your entire book catalogue, loan history, and reading statistics at any time as JSON or CSV files via Settings > Import & Export.
• Erasure: You can erase your entire library and cached books instantly by clearing app storage in your device settings or by uninstalling the app.

8. Contact information

For inquiries regarding LibMate data privacy and user rights, contact:

4DC Services
Email: alex@4dc.services
Website: https://4dc.services