Privacy Policy

Last Updated: April 6, 2025

David Ellis ("Bookshift," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and services (the "Service").

1. Information We Collect

We may collect information about you in a variety of ways. The information we may collect via the Service includes:

Personal Data: Information you provide when you register or submit a job, such as your name, email address (whether you sign up with Google or with an email and password), book title, author name, genre, and manuscript file. If you create a password-protected account we store a salted password hash, never the plaintext password.
Manuscript Data: The content of the manuscript files you upload for translation.
Payment Data: We use Stripe for payment processing. We do not directly collect or store your full credit card details. Stripe handles this information securely. We may receive transaction details from Stripe (like payment status, amount, transaction ID) linked to your job.
Derivative Data: Information our servers automatically collect when you access the Service, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, access times, and the pages you have viewed directly before and after accessing the Service.
Authentication Information: When you log in using Google, we receive your email address, name (if available), and unique Google ID as permitted by your Google account settings. For email/password accounts we store verification tokens, login history, and security flags needed to protect your account.

2. How We Use Your Information

Having accurate information permits us to provide you with a smooth, efficient, and customized experience. Specifically, we may use information collected about you via the Service to:

Create and manage your account.
Process your translation job submissions.
Generate cost estimates and process payments through Stripe.
Deliver the translated manuscript files to you (via our automated system, stored securely).
Communicate with you regarding your account, jobs, payments, or support requests.
Monitor and analyze usage and trends to improve your experience with the Service.
Perform internal administrative tasks, such as tracking job status and finances.
Prevent fraudulent transactions, monitor against theft, and protect against criminal activity.
Comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

3. Data Usage Restrictions - VERY IMPORTANT

We understand the sensitive nature of your manuscripts. We make the following commitments regarding your data:

NO AI Training (Beyond Your Job): Your submitted manuscript files and the resulting translations will NOT be used to train or improve any general-purpose AI models by Bookshift or any unrelated third party. The data is processed solely by the specific translation tools required to fulfill your requested service. Our tools are requested not to use your data for training, and our tools claim they do not use your data for training.
NO Selling of Data: We will NEVER sell your personal information or manuscript content to third parties.
Limited Sharing: We do not share your personal information or manuscript content with third parties, except as necessary to provide the Service (e.g., Google for login, Stripe for payment, Google Cloud Storage for file storage, our email provider for notifications) or as required by law. These service providers are obligated to protect your data and are prohibited from using it for other purposes.

4. Data Storage and Security

We use Google Cloud Storage (GCS) to store your uploaded manuscript files and the resulting translations. We implement administrative, technical, and physical security measures designed to protect your information. While we have taken reasonable steps to secure the information you provide to us, please be aware that despite our efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and no method of data transmission can be guaranteed against interception or misuse.

Your manuscript files are stored in paths associated with your user ID to ensure proper access control.

5. International Data Transfers

As a platform operating globally, we may transfer, process, and store your personal information outside of your country of residence, including to the United States. We ensure that international data transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards in compliance with applicable data protection laws (including the GDPR).

Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs): We rely on the European Commission's approved Standard Contractual Clauses for the transfer of personal data to processors outside the EEA.
Data Privacy Framework (DPF): Where applicable, we and our partners adhere to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF) Principles for the transfer of personal data.

6. US-Based Data Processors

To provide the Service, we utilize several US-based third-party processors. These include, but are not limited to:

Google Cloud: Used for infrastructure, hosting, and secure file storage (Google Cloud Storage).
Stripe: Used for secure payment processing and financial transaction management.
AI Providers (e.g., Google, Anthropic, OpenAI): Used strictly for the automated translation of your manuscripts via APIs, with zero data retention for model training.

7. Data Retention

We will retain your personal information and job data (including manuscript files on GCS) for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. You may request deletion of your account and associated data (see Your Rights below).

8. Your Rights (Data Protection)

Depending on your location (such as under the GDPR), you may have certain rights regarding your personal data, including the Right to Access (Art. 15) and Right to Erasure (Art. 17).

The right to access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data. We will provide a summary of the personal data we process about you.
The right to rectification – You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or complete any information you believe is incomplete.
The right to erasure (Right to be Forgotten) – You have the right to request that we permanently delete your personal data. This includes your account, billing history, and manuscript files, unless we are legally required to retain certain records. Contact us to exercise this right.
The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the contact information below. We will respond to your request within the legally required timeframe.

9. Third-Party Services

The Service uses third-party services:

Google Login (OAuth): Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
Stripe (Payment Processing): Governed by Stripe's Privacy Policy.
Google Cloud Storage (File Storage): Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
Email Notifications: Sent via our configured SMTP provider.
Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI LLM API services for the purposes of translation.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third-party services.

10. Cookies

We may use cookies, web beacons, tracking pixels, and other tracking technologies on the Service to help customize and improve your experience. Primarily, we use essential cookies for session management and authentication after you log in.

11. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for use by children under the age of 16 (or the relevant age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete such information.

12. SMS Privacy Policy

SMS Privacy Policy Bookshift, Inc. may disclose Personal Data and other information as follows:

Third Parties that Help Provide the Messaging Service: We will not share your data with any third party for purposes unrelated to supporting and communicating with you. We will only share your Personal Data with third parties that help us provide messaging and telephone services for communicating directly with you and this will not be used for any other purposes.

Additional Disclosures: Your information and data will not be shared with any outside organizations or businesses for any other purposes than the above.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If there is a significant change, we will alert you at your contact address. Privacy policies will NOT be changed unless legally required, or to become more stringent in favor of the user.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

David Ellis
Commercial Center Olympia
Pl. del Charco, 15, 1st floor, office 29
38400 Puerto de la Cruz
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Email: [email protected]

Bookshift