Rohingya Books is a free digital library of books in and about the Rohingya language, Arakan and Burma. This policy covers the app on iPhone, iPad and Mac (App Store). It explains, feature by feature, what information the app uses, why, who can see it, how long it is kept, and how you can have it deleted. It replaces the policy dated 3 July 2024.
In short
- You don't need an account, and the app never asks for your name, phone number or email to read books.
- The app creates a random, anonymous ID so it can count reads, saves and downloads fairly. This ID is not linked to who you are.
- If you choose to contribute a book or report a problem, the app sends what you enter. Your name and email are optional and are never shown in the app.
- Your saved books, reading progress, downloads and settings stay on your device.
- There are no ads, no advertising ID, no analytics or tracking tools, and we never sell or share your information for advertising.
What the app collects, feature by feature
When you read, save or download a book
- What: the first time, a random anonymous app ID (an anonymous Firebase Authentication account). Then the book's total counts go up by one, and a record linked to your anonymous ID notes the time you last opened the book and whether you saved or downloaded it.
- Why: to show how popular each book is (for example "120 reads") without counting the same device twice.
- Who can see it: everyone sees only the totals for each book. The per-device records are not public, and administrators see only the random ID.
When you contribute a book (optional)
- What: the PDF and cover image you choose; the title, author, description, language and collection you enter; the file size; your name and email if you enter them; your confirmation that you may share the book; the date; your anonymous ID.
- Why: to review your book and, if approved, publish it in the library. Your name and email are used only to contact you about your submission.
- Who can see it: you and the app's administrators. If your book is published, its title, author, description and cover become public; your name and email never do.
When you check My submissions
- What: nothing new. The app reads the submissions linked to your anonymous ID.
- Why: to show you each submission's review status.
- Who can see it: only you and the administrators.
When you report a problem with a book (optional)
- What: the book, the reason you choose, any message you write, the date and your anonymous ID.
- Why: to fix wrong information, broken files or other problems with a book.
- Who can see it: only the administrators.
What happens when you read or download a book
Books are stored on Google Drive, and book covers on Google's image servers (Google Drive and Blogger). When the app loads a cover or a book, your device connects directly to those Google servers. Like any website, they receive your device's IP address and basic technical details such as the device type, as part of the request. We do not receive these details. The app's typefaces are built into the app, so no fonts are downloaded.
Information that stays on your device
The following is stored only on your device and is not sent to us:
- the books you save
- your reading progress (the page you reached in each book)
- books you download, and the thumbnails made for them
- your settings: light or dark mode, and the reader's scrolling direction and day or night mode
- a copy of the library catalog and cover images, so the app opens quickly and works offline
- small records the app uses to count each book only once per device
You can remove saved books in the app (Saved โบ remove all) and downloads in Library. Deleting the app deletes all of it.
Permissions
- iPhone and iPad: the app opens your photo library only if you choose a cover image while contributing a book. It receives only the image you pick. It does not use your location, contacts, camera, microphone or tracking.
- Mac: the app uses the internet, and keeps the books you download in its own Documents folder.
- Files: when you contribute a book, the system file picker gives the app only the files you select.
How we use information
We use the information above only to:
- run the library and show how popular each book is
- review, publish and manage books contributed by readers
- reply to contributors and handle problem reports
- keep the app secure and prevent abuse, such as inflating counts
We do not use it for advertising, profiling or marketing, and we do not make automated decisions about you.
Who receives information
We never sell your information. It is shared only with:
- Google Firebase (Authentication and Cloud Firestore, by Google LLC), which stores the anonymous ID, counts, submissions and reports. Firebase privacy: https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy
- Google Drive and Google Apps Script, which store the books and the files you contribute. Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
- Google's image servers, which deliver book covers, as described above.
- The public, but only in two ways: the totals of reads, saves and downloads for each book, and the details of contributed books that are approved for publishing. Contributors' names and emails are never published.
- Authorities, if the law requires it.
These Google services process data on our behalf under Google's terms, on servers that may be outside your country.
How information is protected
- All communication between the app and our services is encrypted (HTTPS).
- Google encrypts the stored data.
- Security rules control access to it: your submissions can be read only by you and the administrators; problem reports only by the administrators; and only administrators can change the library.
- Your anonymous ID is not linked to your name, email or phone number. Even if you add a name or email to a submission, it is stored only with that submission.
No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information and limit who can access it.
How long information is kept
- Anonymous ID and per-device records: kept while you use the app. Deleting and reinstalling the app usually creates a new ID.
- Book totals: kept while the book is in the library.
- Submissions: kept while they are reviewed. If your book is published, its details are kept while it stays in the library. If it is rejected or removed, its files are made private and moved to the Google Drive trash, which deletes them permanently after 30 days.
- Problem reports: kept only as long as needed to resolve them.
- On your device: kept until you remove it or delete the app.
Deleting your information and your other choices
- On your device: delete the app. This deletes everything the app stored on the device.
- Submissions, contact details and reports: email [email protected] with the subject "Delete my data". Include the title of your submission or a description of your report. Because your app ID is anonymous, we can find your data only from those details. We will delete it within 30 days and confirm by email.
- You can also email us to see or correct the information you sent, or to withdraw a book you contributed.
Children
Rohingya Books includes learning books that children may read with their families. Reading and downloading books does not ask for any personal information. The Contribute and Report a problem features are meant for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information, such as a name or email, from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, email us and we will delete it.
Links to other services
The app links to our website, our social media pages and the app stores. These are run by others under their own privacy policies, which we encourage you to read.
Changes to this policy
If the app starts using information differently, we will update this policy, change the effective date above, and post it at the same address.
Contact
Akhter Husin Zafor Husin โ [email protected]