Privacy Policy

1. Our Privacy Commitment

This Privacy Policy describes how Dad Mode LLC, doing business as Shelf Checkout ("Dad Mode LLC," "we," "us," or "our"), a North Carolina limited liability company, collects, uses, and protects information when you use the Shelf Checkout mobile application (the "App").

We believe your family's reading habits are private. We designed the App with a deliberate privacy-first architecture: collect as little as possible, process on-device whenever feasible, store data securely, and never sell it.

2. What We DON'T Collect

Let's start with what we deliberately DON'T collect:

Personal Family Information (Stored Only On Your Device)

• Reader profiles: your children's names, ages, and birth dates
• Content preferences: what content filters you've set for each child
• Reading lists: which books you've scanned for which kids
• Personal notes: any notes you add to books
• Reading history: what books your family has read or is planning to read

All of this information stays on your device. We never transmit it to our servers, and we never have access to it. If you delete the app, this data is gone (unless you back up your device to iCloud, which is between you and Apple).

Information We Never Collect

• No user accounts: no email, no password, no login
• No personal identifiers: no name, address, phone number, or email (unless you voluntarily provide it for support or feedback)
• No tracking across apps or websites: we do not follow you around the internet
• No advertising identifiers: we do not use ad tracking or share data with ad networks

3. What We DO Collect

We collect a minimal amount of data to make the App work and improve it over time:

Book Scan Data

Device Tokens

The App generates a random, anonymous UUID (universally unique identifier) for API authentication. This token:

• Is randomly generated by the App and is not derived from your Apple device ID, IDFA, or any Apple identifier
• Cannot be used to identify you, your device, or your Apple account
• Is used solely to authenticate API requests and manage subscription status
• Is not shared with any third party

Subscription Status

Apple processes all payments for Shelf Checkout subscriptions. We never receive, collect, or store your credit card information, Apple ID, billing address, or any other financial details. The only subscription-related information we receive from Apple is your subscription status (for example, whether your subscription is active or expired), which we use solely to determine which features to make available to you.

Community Feedback Reports

When you submit feedback about a book's content analysis, we collect:

• ISBN of the book being reported
• Type of report (inaccurate rating, missed content, etc.)
• Meter corrections (if you adjust content ratings)
• Optional: Your notes explaining the issue
• Optional: Your email address (if you want a response)

Feedback is anonymous unless you provide your email. Email addresses are deleted after 30 days.

Anonymous Usage Analytics

What we track:

• Number of books scanned (aggregate counts, not linked to you)
• Which features are used most often
• Error rates and app crashes (to fix bugs)
• Basic device info (iOS version, device type) to ensure compatibility

What we DON'T track:

• Your identity or Apple device ID
• Which specific books you scanned
• Your location

You can disable analytics in the App settings.

4. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

Shelf Checkout is designed for and directed to parents and adult caregivers, not children.

Under the FTC's factors for determining whether an app is "directed to children," Shelf Checkout is not a children's app. The App's subject matter (parental content evaluation), visual design, marketing, and intended audience are all directed to adult parents making reading decisions for their families.

Here is how we address children's privacy under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA") and applicable state laws (including the California Consumer Privacy Act, which extends certain protections to minors under 16):

• Not directed to children. Shelf Checkout is designed for and marketed to adult parents and caregivers. While a child could download the App, the App's subject matter (parental content evaluation), visual design, and intended audience are all directed to adults. This is the key factor in COPPA applicability.
• No server-side collection of children's data. All information about children (names, ages, reading preferences) is stored exclusively on your device and is never transmitted to our servers. This on-device architecture is a deliberate design choice to protect children's privacy.
• No accounts for children. We do not offer user accounts, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in California).
• Information is collected from parents, not children. Consistent with FTC guidance (FAQ A.8), information in the App is entered by and under the control of the parent or guardian.
• Parental control. You (the parent) control all data on your device. You can view, edit, or delete reader profiles, change settings, or delete the App entirely at any time.
• Immediate deletion. If we ever learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 (or under 16 in California) without verified parental consent, we will take immediate steps to delete that information. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us at [email protected] and we will address it promptly.

5. How We Use Data

Book Content Analysis

When you scan a book:

1. We send the ISBN to our server to check if we have already analyzed it
2. If not, we fetch book metadata from Open Library
3. We send book metadata (ISBN, title, author, description) to Anthropic for AI analysis (see Section 6 for details)
4. We cache the analysis so the next parent who scans it gets instant results
5. We do not know who requested it: the analysis is stored by ISBN, not by user

Improving the AI

We use aggregated community feedback to identify books where the AI analysis was inaccurate, understand patterns in what parents find helpful, and refine prompts and logic to improve future analysis.

We never use your personal data for AI training. Only anonymized, aggregated feedback about content accuracy.

6. Third-Party Services

We use these external services to make Shelf Checkout work:

Anthropic (AI Analysis)

Anthropic provides the Claude AI model that analyzes book content. Here is exactly what we share with Anthropic and what we do not:

• What we send: Book ISBNs and metadata (title, author, description, genre information) needed for content analysis
• What we never send: Your name, family information, device identifiers, reader profiles, subscription status, or any data that could identify you or your children

Under Anthropic's commercial terms (Section B), we (as the customer) own the outputs generated by the AI analysis. Anthropic does not use our API inputs or outputs to train their models.

Anthropic Privacy Policy

Open Library (Metadata)

Provide book titles, authors, cover images, and descriptions. They receive ISBN numbers you scan (not linked to you). We do not control the accuracy or availability of metadata from these services. Book cover images are the property of their respective publishers.

Apple (Payments and Distribution)

Apple distributes the App through the App Store and processes all subscription payments. Apple may collect information from you in connection with your App Store account and purchases, which is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy. If you enable iCloud backup, your reader profiles and preferences may back up to iCloud (this is between you and Apple).

Apple App Analytics

Apple may collect anonymized analytics about App usage through App Store Connect. This data collection is performed by Apple, not by us, and is governed by Apple's privacy policy. If you have opted out of sharing analytics with developers in your device settings, Apple will not share this data with us.

Railway (Hosting)

Hosts our backend servers. Receives server logs (IP addresses, request times) as part of standard web hosting operations.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect the limited data we collect:

• Data in Transit: HTTPS/TLS encryption for all communication between the App and our servers. API authentication via device tokens to prevent unauthorized access.
• Data at Rest: Managed PostgreSQL database with encryption at rest. Limited access controls so that only authorized systems can access the database.

No system is 100% secure. While we take security seriously, we cannot guarantee absolute security. That is one reason we minimize data collection: if we do not have it, it cannot be breached.

8. Data Breach Notification

In the event we experience a data breach that affects personal information (such as email addresses voluntarily provided through feedback), we will:

• Notify affected users within 72 hours of discovering the breach, via the App and by email (if an email address was provided)
• Describe the nature of the breach and the types of data affected
• Describe the steps we are taking to address the breach and mitigate potential harm
• Provide guidance on steps you can take to protect yourself

Because we collect very little personal information and store family data only on your device, the scope of any potential breach on our servers is inherently limited.

9. Your Rights and Choices

Data on Your Device

Managed entirely by you. View, edit, or delete anytime in the App. Delete the App to remove all local data.

Data Portability

Because your family data (reader profiles, reading lists, preferences) is stored on your device, you already have your data. No export or data transfer request is needed.

Data on Our Servers

Request deletion of feedback you have submitted by emailing [email protected]. Note: We cannot delete cached book analyses because they are not linked to you and benefit all users.

Opt Out of Analytics

Disable anonymous usage analytics in the App settings. This stops collection of usage patterns (but not basic error logging needed to fix crashes).

10. Data Retention

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top. If changes are significant, we will notify you in the App. Continuing to use the App after changes means you accept the updated policy.

12. State Privacy Rights

Depending on your state of residence, you may have additional rights under applicable state privacy laws. As of this writing, at least 19 U.S. states have enacted comprehensive consumer privacy legislation, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia, among others.

California (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA):

• Right to know what personal information we collect and how we use it (described above)
• Right to delete personal information (contact us to request deletion)
• Right to opt out of sale or sharing of personal information (we do not sell or share your data, period)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

Other State Privacy Laws

If you reside in a state with a comprehensive consumer privacy law, you generally have similar rights, which may include:

• Right to access the personal data we hold about you
• Right to correct inaccurate personal data
• Right to delete personal data we have collected
• Right to opt out of the sale of personal data, targeted advertising, or profiling (we do none of these)
• Right to data portability in a readily usable format

Because Shelf Checkout collects very little personal data, stores family information only on your device, does not sell data, and does not engage in targeted advertising or profiling, many of these rights are already satisfied by our privacy-first design.

To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected]. We will respond within the timeframe required by your state's applicable law (typically 45 days).

13. International Users

Shelf Checkout is available in all countries and regions where the Apple App Store operates. However, Shelf Checkout is a US-based application operated by Dad Mode LLC from the United States.

Regardless of where you access the App, all data (including book ISBNs, device tokens, optional feedback, and subscription status) is transferred to and processed in the United States. Data protection laws in the US may differ from those in your country or region.

By using the App, you consent to the transfer and processing of your data in the United States as described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this transfer, please do not use the App.

14. Contact Us

Questions or concerns about privacy? We're here to help:

Email: [email protected]

Response time: We will do our best to respond within 5 business days.