BookJournal BookJournal

Privacy

In case of discrepancies between the German and English versions, the German version shall prevail.

1. Data Controller

The party responsible for data processing on this website and in the BookJournal app under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:
Garip Köylüce, Auf dem Kamp 34A, 21217 Seevetal, Germany, email: app.bookjournal@gmail.com

2. General Information on Data Processing

We process personal data only to the extent necessary to provide this website and the BookJournal app, or where you have given your consent. Depending on the case, the legal basis is Art. 6(1)(a) (consent), (b) (performance of a contract), or (f) (legitimate interest) GDPR.

3. Hosting & Server Log Files (Website)

This website is hosted by Hostinger (Hostinger International Ltd.). When you visit the website, the hosting provider automatically collects server log files, including IP address, date and time of access, page accessed, and browser type. This serves the secure and stable operation of the website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Log files are automatically deleted after a short period.

4. Contact Form

If you contact us via the contact form, we process the data you provide (name, email address, message) solely to handle your request (Art. 6(1)(a) or (b) GDPR). Your message is sent by email to app.bookjournal@gmail.com. We delete this data once it is no longer needed to process your request.

5. Data Processing in the BookJournal App

To make the BookJournal app work, we use the following services, which may process personal data:

5.1 Account & Sign-In (Firebase Authentication)

We use Firebase Authentication by Google Ireland Limited ("Google") for user account sign-in. Depending on your chosen sign-in method, this processes your email address or data from "Sign in with Apple" (see 5.3). Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. More: firebase.google.com/support/privacy.

5.2 User Profile, Library & Cloud Storage (Firebase Firestore and Firebase Storage)

Your data belongs to your BookJournal account and is stored on Firebase servers (Google Ireland Limited) so that you can use it independently of any particular device. This includes: your user profile (e.g. name, email address, settings), your books with all details (e.g. title, author, reading status, rating, notes, reading sessions), shelves, wishlist, journal and diary entries, reading goals and achievements, and the images you add (book covers, photos in journal entries, profile picture).

Where and how: The database (Firebase Firestore) is located in the EU (multi-region “eur3”), the images (Firebase Storage) in Frankfurt am Main. Transmission is encrypted. Each account can only access its own data; this is enforced on the server through access rules. Technically, as the operator we have access to the Firebase administration; we use it only for maintenance, troubleshooting and to handle your requests, and we do not read your content.

One device per account: An account can only be signed in on one device at a time. For this we store on the server a random identifier of the device that signed in most recently, together with the time of sign-in.

Offline use: The app works with a local copy on your device and syncs changes with the server in the background.

Deletion: When you delete your account in the app, your profile, all of the data listed above and all images are deleted from the server. Individual books, entries and images that you delete in the app are also removed from the server together with their content (only a contentless deletion marker remains, which contains no information about the book or entry and also disappears when you delete the account). Technical backup copies of the database are automatically deleted after 7 days at the latest. Local copies stored on your device are not affected; you can remove them by deleting the app.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. More: firebase.google.com/support/privacy.

5.3 Sign in with Apple

Alternatively, you can sign in with your Apple ID. Depending on your choice, Apple transmits your name and/or an email address (possibly anonymized by Apple) to us. Apple Distribution International Ltd. is responsible for this processing on Apple's side. More: apple.com/legal/privacy.

5.4 iCloud Sync (CloudKit)

In addition to storage in your BookJournal account (see 5.2), in this app version your books, journal entries, and statistics are still stored via Apple's CloudKit service in your private iCloud account and synced between your devices. As the app provider, we have no access to this data – it resides solely in your personal iCloud storage. Apple is responsible for processing within iCloud. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

5.5 Advertising (Google AdMob)

The app displays ads via Google AdMob (Google Ireland Limited), partly mediated through Unity mediation partners. This may process advertising identifiers (e.g. your device's advertising ID, if you have consented) and usage data to serve or personalize ads. On first launch, you are asked for your consent via a consent dialog (Google User Messaging Platform); you can withdraw or change this at any time in the app's settings. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. More: policies.google.com/technologies/ads.

5.6 Push Notifications

If you opt in, the app sends you push notifications (e.g. reminders) via the Apple Push Notification Service (APNs). This transmits a device token to Apple and to our server. You can disable notifications at any time in your iOS settings. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.

5.7 Book Search

When you search for a book in the app, scan a barcode (ISBN), or import a list, the app sends your search text (title, author, or ISBN) and your device language (e.g. “de”) to our book search at bookjournal.io (hosted by Hostinger, see section 3). There, our server determines the matching books by querying providers of book databases. We only pass the search text on to them – no personal data such as your IP address, your account, or any other information about you.

What we store: We do not keep a search history and do not link search requests to your account. For technical reasons, our hosting provider records server log files when our server is accessed (see section 3). To protect against abuse, our server counts requests per minute; the IP address is stored for this purpose only as a pseudonymised value for a few minutes. Result lists are cached, without reference to any person, for up to 30 days so that repeated searches are faster.

Two exceptions where your device contacts a provider itself: (1) The app loads the cover images of the results directly from the servers of the book database providers; for technical reasons, these providers receive your IP address. (2) If our book search is unavailable, the app queries a public book database (Google Books) directly instead; in this case, your search text and IP address are sent from your device to that provider. The same applies to the browse function with genre selection under “Trends”.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (providing the search function you use) and Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (secure and stable operation, protection against abuse).

5.8 Trends (Bestseller Lists)

For the bestseller lists under “Trends”, the app retrieves the lists directly from The New York Times (The New York Times Company, USA); for technical reasons, The New York Times receives your IP address. The “Popular Books” list is loaded by the app as a ready-made file from bookjournal.io (see section 3). Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

5.9 Purchase Links (Amazon Associates Program)

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The buy buttons in the app (e.g. in the wishlist and in Trends) are affiliate links to Amazon. If you buy from Amazon through them, I receive a small commission; the purchase does not cost you more. Tapping the button opens Amazon in your browser; only then does Amazon technically receive your IP address and the information that you came via BookJournal. The app itself does not transmit any data from your library to Amazon – only the title, author or ISBN of the chosen book as a search term. Amazon's privacy notice applies. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

6. Recipients in Third Countries

Some of the providers named above (Google, Apple, providers of book databases, The New York Times) may also process data in the United States. To the extent this applies, these providers rely, to our knowledge, on EU standard contractual clauses or an EU Commission adequacy decision to ensure an adequate level of data protection.

7. Your Rights

Under the GDPR, you have the right to access (Art. 15), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18), data portability (Art. 20), and objection (Art. 21) regarding your personal data, as well as the right to withdraw any consent given, with effect for the future (Art. 7(3)). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. Please feel free to contact app.bookjournal@gmail.com.

8. Retention Period

We store personal data only for as long as necessary for the respective purpose or as required by statutory retention periods. We keep the data of your BookJournal account (see 5.1 and 5.2) until you delete your account in the app.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We update this privacy policy whenever the legal situation or our data processing changes. The version published on this page at any given time applies. Last updated: October 2026.