What we use
You can browse the public catalog without an account. When you sign in, Firebase handles authentication and stores your account identifier, email address, display name, profile image when provided, and sign-in timestamps.
Covers, summaries and original PDFs are public. DotDock asks you to sign in before opening its embedded Google Drive reader, but a copied Drive link works without DotDock authentication. Google receives viewer requests when you open a PDF. Signing out clears the embedded reader but cannot close separately opened Drive tabs or recall downloaded copies. You may download a copy to upload into external tools such as NotebookLM.
Your reading list, reading status, tags, private notes and email preferences are stored in account-restricted Firestore records. Unsynchronized drafts may remain in this browser, separated by account. Use a trusted device for private notes.
Public activity and AI
Comments and like counts are visible to other visitors. Comments may show your account display name. Do not include confidential information in comments or AI questions. Questions sent to AI features are processed through Google’s Gemini service to produce answers.
Email and contact requests
Publication digests are opt-in and require a verified email address. Delivery queues use account IDs and publication IDs; the current account email is looked up when sending. Turning notifications off stops pending deliveries that have not started.
Contact, correction, removal and deletion requests are visible to the owner for handling. They may include the reply email and message you provide. Do not submit passwords, payment details or sensitive documents.
Service providers and local storage
Cloudflare hosts the site and API. Google Firebase, Drive, Apps Script and Gemini provide authentication, private data storage, publication hosting, scheduled processing, email and AI. These providers may process technical request data under their own terms. Turnstile checks contact submissions for abuse.
The browser stores operational preferences, cached catalog information, sign-in state and drafts. These support the requested features. DotDock does not add advertising trackers.
Retention and deletion
Account data is retained while your account is active. You can download your profile and library records from your account and submit a deletion request. The owner reviews requests and removes associated operational data where possible, retaining only records needed to prevent abuse or resolve outstanding requests.
When configured, restricted backup exports remain in the active backup set for 30 days. Deleted data can remain in those backups until retirement; the storage provider’s trash and recovery retention may extend that period. The owner dashboard shows the last completed backup. Restore rehearsals are a separate owner procedure.
Questions and corrections
Use the private contact form for privacy questions, corrections or deletion requests. Public publication files and their distribution rights are separate from your account information.