Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September, 2025

TERMS OF SERVICE

1. AGREEMENT TO TERMS

By accessing or using WordSea ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you disagree with any part of these terms, you may not access the Service.

2. SERVICE DESCRIPTION & FEATURES

WordSea provides a comprehensive social reading platform including:

• Book discovery and tracking services
• Social features (clubs, group reads, discussions)
• Content creation tools (reviews, quotes, lists)
• Premium features (ad-free experience, advanced analytics)
• Third-party integrations (bookstores, audiobooks)
• Personalized recommendations powered by AI

3. USER ACCOUNTS

Account Creation: You must provide accurate, complete, and current information. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.

Single Sign-On: If you sign up using Google or other authentication providers, we collect your basic profile information (name, email, profile picture) from these services. Your use of these providers is subject to their terms and privacy policies.

Age Requirement: You must be at least 13 years old to use WordSea. Users under 18 require parental consent.

Account Responsibility: You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account.

4. USER CONTENT & LICENSING

Your Content: You retain ownership of your content. By posting, you grant WordSea a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, modify, publicly perform, display, reproduce, and distribute your content on and through the Service. This includes the right to create derivative works and sublicense to partners for Service operation.

Content Standards: You agree not to post content that:

• Violates any laws or regulations
• Infringes on intellectual property rights
• Contains hate speech or harassment
• Is misleading or fraudulent
• Contains malware or harmful code
• Violates others' privacy

5. COMMERCIAL TERMS

Purchases: All purchases (premium subscriptions, in-app items) are final. Refunds are provided only as required by law.

Subscriptions: Premium subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled 24 hours before the billing period ends. We may change prices with 30 days notice.

Advertising: Free accounts may see advertisements. We may use your activity data for ad targeting and personalization.

Affiliate Programs: We earn commissions from book purchases through our affiliate links. This doesn't affect the prices you pay.

6. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Our Rights: WordSea owns all Service intellectual property including algorithms, designs, and features.

Your Rights: You own your original content but grant us broad usage rights as described above.

Third-Party Content: Book data, covers, and metadata remain property of respective owners.

7. DATA USAGE & ANALYTICS

We collect and analyze usage data linked to your account to improve our Service:

• Reading habits and preferences for recommendations
• Social interactions for community features
• Device and usage data for performance optimization
• App usage patterns associated with your user ID
• Location data for local book events (optional)

Analytics data is linked to your account for personalization. We may share aggregated data with partners after removing personal identifiers. You can opt out of analytics collection in your account settings.

8. COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

WordSea is built on respect and inclusivity. Users must:

• Treat others with respect and kindness
• Engage in constructive discussions
• Respect diverse opinions about books
• Not spam or engage in self-promotion
• Report inappropriate content or behavior

9. PROHIBITED USES

You may not:

• Use the Service for illegal purposes
• Scrape or harvest user data
• Interfere with the Service's operation
• Impersonate others or create fake accounts
• Use automated systems without permission
• Circumvent any security measures

10. THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

WordSea integrates with third-party services (book databases, authentication providers, audiobook services). Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms and policies.

11. ACCOUNT TERMINATION

We may suspend or terminate accounts for any reason, including:

• Violation of these Terms or Community Guidelines
• Prolonged inactivity (12+ months)
• Suspicious or fraudulent activity
• Legal requirements or law enforcement requests

Upon termination, we may retain certain data as required by law or legitimate business purposes.

12. DISCLAIMERS

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE CONTINUOUS, UNINTERRUPTED, OR SECURE ACCESS TO THE SERVICE.

13. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WORDSEA SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS.

14. INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to indemnify and hold WordSea harmless from any claims arising from your use of the Service, violation of these Terms, or infringement of any rights of another party.

15. CHANGES TO TERMS

We may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be notified through the app or email. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

16. DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Arbitration: Most disputes must be resolved through binding arbitration rather than in court. No class actions are permitted.

Governing Law: These Terms are governed by the laws of Norway. Any disputes not subject to arbitration shall be resolved in the courts of Trondheim, Norway.

17. CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions about these Terms, please contact us:

PRIVACY POLICY

1. YOUR PRIVACY MATTERS

WordSea knows that you care how information about you is used and shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and sensibly. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

2. USER CONTENT & MESSAGES

Content you post (reviews, quotes, booklists) may be publicly available unless you set it to private. By default, most content is private. We take reasonable measures to keep private messages secure. Even if you delete content, copies may remain in cached pages or if others have saved it.

3. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

To provide our services, we collect:

• Information you provide (profile, reading activity)
• Single sign-on data from Google (name, email, profile picture)
• Content you create and share
• Technical information for app functionality
• Communication preferences

We minimize data collection to what's necessary for providing you a great reading experience. If you use Google sign-in, we only access basic profile information needed to create your account.

4. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We use your information to:

• Provide and improve WordSea services
• Personalize your reading recommendations
• Connect you with other readers
• Send service updates and notifications
• Ensure platform safety and security

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

5. EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS

By providing your email, you consent to receive service-related notices. We may also send newsletters and updates about new features. You can opt out of promotional emails in your account settings, but you cannot opt out of important service emails.

6. PRIVACY SETTINGS

You control your privacy. In your account settings, you can:

• Choose what appears in your activity feed
• Control who can see your reading activity
• Manage notification preferences
• Set content visibility (public/private)
• Control social features and connections
• Opt out of usage analytics collection

7. YOUR CHOICES ABOUT YOUR INFORMATION

You may access or change your information at any time in your account settings. You have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Correct inaccurate information
• Export your reading data
• Delete your account
• Opt out of promotional communications

To exercise these rights, visit your settings or contact us at privacy@wordsea.io

8. ANALYTICS AND TRACKING

We collect usage data linked to your account to understand how you use WordSea and improve your experience. This includes page views, feature usage, and performance metrics associated with your user ID. You can opt out of analytics collection in your account settings. Your actual reading content is never analyzed.

9. DATA SECURITY

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including encryption, secure servers, and regular security audits. While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.

10. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY

WordSea does not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you are under 13, please do not use WordSea. If we learn we have collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly.

11. INTERNATIONAL USERS

WordSea operates globally. Your information may be stored and processed in any country where we have facilities or service providers. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information.

12. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of WordSea after changes constitutes acceptance.