Privacy Policy
BookBurglar ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website located at bookburglar.com (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights with respect to it.
We designed this Service with privacy as a default. We do not require you to create an account. We do not collect your name, email address, or any personally identifiable information to use the search features of this site.
1. Information We Collect
Information you provide directly: None required. BookBurglar has no account registration, no login, and no forms that collect personal information.
Search queries: When you search for a book, your search query is transmitted to our servers and then forwarded to third-party book data providers (Open Library and Google Books) to retrieve results. We do not permanently store your search queries.
Automatically collected information: Like all websites, our hosting infrastructure (Vercel) and network provider (Cloudflare) automatically receive and may log standard server-side information when you visit, including:
- IP address
- Browser type and version
- Pages visited and time of visit
- Referring URL
- Device type and operating system
This information is processed by Vercel and Cloudflare under their respective privacy policies, linked below. We use aggregated, anonymized traffic data solely to understand how the Service is used and to improve it. We do not use this data to identify individual users.
Local storage: We store your dark/light theme preference in your browser's local storage. This data never leaves your device and is not accessible to us.
2. How We Use Information
We use the information described above to:
- Provide and operate the Service (returning book search results)
- Monitor and improve the performance and reliability of the Service
- Diagnose technical problems
- Comply with legal obligations
We do not sell, rent, or trade any information to third parties for marketing purposes. We do not use your search queries to build profiles or to serve targeted advertising.
3. Affiliate Links and FTC Disclosure
We disclose this relationship in the price comparison panel on each book detail view, in compliance with the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) guidelines on endorsements and testimonials (16 C.F.R. § 255).
Our editorial decisions, including which sellers we display and in what order, are based on seller quality and relevance to users, not on commission rates. We do not accept payment to feature or promote specific sellers.
4. Third-Party Services
The Service relies on the following third-party services, each with their own privacy practices:
- Open Library (Internet Archive): Provides book metadata. Your search queries are forwarded to their API. Privacy Policy
- Google Books API: Supplementary book data source. Search queries may be transmitted to Google's servers. Google Privacy Policy
- Cloudflare, Inc.: Provides DNS, DDoS protection, and network-level security. All traffic to this site passes through Cloudflare. Privacy Policy
- Vercel, Inc.: Hosts and operates the website and its serverless functions. Privacy Policy
- Affiliate seller sites: When you click a "Find →" link, you leave BookBurglar and are subject to the privacy policy of the destination seller (AbeBooks, Biblio, ThriftBooks, BetterWorldBooks, Amazon.com, Powell's Books). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites.
We do not control the data practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before submitting personal information to them.
5. Cookies
BookBurglar does not set cookies. We use browser local storage solely to remember your theme preference (dark or light mode). Local storage is not transmitted to our servers and is not accessible by third parties.
Third-party services we use (Cloudflare, Google) may set their own cookies as part of their service operation. Please refer to their respective privacy policies for details.
6. Children's Privacy
The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
7. Data Retention
Because we do not collect personal information, there is no personal data for us to retain or delete. Server logs retained by Vercel and Cloudflare are subject to their respective data retention policies.
8. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding personal information. Because we collect virtually no personal information, most of these rights have limited practical application to our Service. Nonetheless:
- Right to know: You have the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use it. This policy fulfills that requirement.
- Right to delete: If you believe we hold any personal information about you (for example, in server logs), you may contact us to request deletion.
- Right to opt out of sale: We do not sell personal information.
- California residents (CCPA): We do not sell personal information as defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act. California residents may contact us with any privacy requests.
9. Data Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect data transmitted to and from the Service, including:
- HTTPS encryption for all connections (enforced via HSTS)
- Cloudflare DDoS protection and Web Application Firewall
- Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent injection attacks
- No storage of sensitive user data on our servers
However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. International Users
This Service is operated in the United States. If you are accessing the Service from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
BookBurglar
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.bookburglar.com