Privacy Policy

Operator: Skylark Creations LLC
Service: Syntopica, including the web app at syntopica.ai and the "Syntopica Importer" Chrome extension
Contact: librarian@syntopica.ai
Mailing Address: 10717 Owen St, Westminster, CO 80021

This Privacy Policy explains how Skylark Creations LLC ("Skylark," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and otherwise processes personal information in connection with Syntopica and related services (collectively, the "Service").

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to information we collect when you use:

• the Syntopica website and web application;
• the Syntopica Importer browser extension;
• our AI-powered reading and synthesis features;
• communications with us, including support and feedback; and
• any other products or services that link to this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information.

2.1 Information you provide directly

This includes information you submit when you register, use the Service, or contact us, such as:

• email address;
• display name and avatar URL, if you choose to provide them or if received from a social login provider (see Section 2.7);
• account preferences and settings;
• notes, ratings, reading status, collections, feedback, and other content you create in the Service;
• questions, prompts, and messages you submit to AI features;
• audio you upload or record for transcription;
• images you upload for book identification; and
• communications you send to us.

Passwords are handled by our authentication provider and are not visible to us in plaintext.

2.2 Information imported through the browser extension

When you initiate an import, or when you have enabled automatic sync, the browser extension may access and import data from supported Amazon pages, including:

• your Amazon or Kindle library data, such as ASINs, titles, authors, cover image URLs, format, acquisition details, and series information; and
• your Kindle highlights and notes, such as highlight text, attached notes, color, location or page, chapter, and related book information.

To support reprocessing, sync, troubleshooting, and schema updates, we may also store source metadata and raw import payloads associated with imported books or highlights.

The extension is intended to activate only on the supported Amazon pages needed for these import functions.

2.3 Information collected automatically

When you use the Service, we and our service providers may automatically collect certain technical and usage information, such as:

• IP address;
• browser type, operating system, device information, and language settings;
• dates, times, and duration of use;
• pages viewed, features used, and actions taken in the Service;
• request and response metadata, status codes, and performance logs;
• extension sync state, timestamps, and local settings; and
• cookie, local storage, and similar browser data described below.

2.4 Analytics and diagnostic information

We use product analytics and error-monitoring tools that may collect:

• event names and event metadata related to feature usage;
• an internal account or device identifier;
• crash data, stack traces, and diagnostic information; and
• request context associated with errors.

We try not to send unnecessary personal information to analytics tools. However, diagnostic tools may incidentally capture user content if it appears in an error context.

2.5 Information from public metadata sources

We enrich book metadata using public or non-user-specific sources, such as Google Books, Open Library, and Wikidata. In those cases, we generally send book identifiers or book metadata such as ISBN, title, and author, and receive enriched metadata such as descriptions, categories, publisher information, covers, author information, or related bibliographic data.

2.7 Information from social login providers

If you sign in or register using a third-party account such as Google or Apple, we may receive certain profile information from that provider, including:

• your name or display name;
• your email address;
• your profile picture or avatar URL; and
• an account identifier used to link your social login to your Syntopica account.

We use this information to create or link your account and to personalize your experience. We do not receive your social login password. Each provider's own privacy policy governs how they handle your data: Google Privacy Policy; Apple Privacy Policy.

If you have an existing Syntopica account with the same email address, your social login will be linked to that account automatically.

2.8 Derived information

We may create derived data from the information above, including:

• embeddings for semantic search;
• relevance rankings, recommendations, and reading connections;
• AI-generated summaries, analyses, guides, and briefs; and
• operational records such as import status, token usage, and estimated costs.

3. How We Collect Information

We collect information:

• directly from you;
• from your browser or device when you use the Service;
• from the browser extension when you initiate import or enable auto-sync;
• from social login providers (such as Google and Apple) when you choose to sign in with those services;
• from our service providers and infrastructure vendors;
• from public metadata services used to enrich books; and
• from AI providers when they return outputs, embeddings, or transcriptions generated from your requests.

4. How We Use Information

We use information for the following purposes:

• to provide, operate, maintain, and improve the Service;
• to create and manage your account and authenticate you;
• to import, sync, organize, and display your library, highlights, notes, and collections;
• to power AI-assisted features such as chat, reading guides, book analyses, syntopical briefs, recommendations, transcription, photo-based identification, and semantic search;
• to enrich book records using public metadata sources;
• to personalize your experience and remember your settings;
• to monitor usage, understand feature adoption, and improve product design;
• to detect, investigate, prevent, and address security incidents, fraud, abuse, and technical problems;
• to communicate with you about the Service, updates, support, and administrative matters;
• to comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms, policies, and rights; and
• to create aggregated or de-identified information that does not reasonably identify you, which we may use for lawful business purposes.

5. AI Processing and OpenAI

Certain features of the Service use OpenAI and similar AI tools. Depending on the feature you use, we may send some combination of the following to OpenAI:

• your prompts, questions, and messages;
• book titles, authors, descriptions, or collection context;
• highlight text, notes, and related reading context;
• prior conversation history needed to answer your request;
• audio files you submit for transcription; and
• images you submit for book identification.

We use these tools to generate outputs, create embeddings for semantic search, transcribe audio, and identify books in images. Audio files may be processed to generate transcribed text, and images submitted for identification may be processed transiently and not retained by us after processing unless otherwise stated in the feature workflow.

As of the effective date of this Policy, OpenAI states that data sent through its business/API platform is not used to train OpenAI models by default, and that certain abuse-monitoring logs may be retained for up to 30 days unless a different retention arrangement applies. We do not opt in to OpenAI's data-sharing or model-training options for our API use. Once information is transmitted to an AI provider, that provider's terms and privacy practices apply to its processing.

If you do not want certain content processed by AI providers, do not submit that content to AI-powered features.

5.1 Legal bases for processing for EEA, UK, and similar jurisdictions

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction that requires a legal basis for processing, we generally rely on one or more of the following:

• performance of a contract with you, including providing the Service you request;
• legitimate interests, such as securing, maintaining, analyzing, and improving the Service;
• your consent, where we ask for it;
• compliance with legal obligations; and
• protection of vital interests or the exercise or defense of legal claims, where applicable.

6. Cookies, Local Storage, and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for authentication, security, settings, and analytics.

6.1 Cookies

We use functional authentication cookies, including session cookies managed by our authentication provider. These are used to keep you signed in and secure your session.

6.2 Local storage and browser storage

We may use browser local storage and extension storage to store:

• authentication handoff or session-related tokens;
• onboarding or interface preferences;
• extension settings and sync state;
• timestamps related to import or auto-sync; and
• other product settings needed for functionality.

6.3 Analytics technologies

We use analytics technologies to understand product usage and improve the Service. We do not use third-party advertising cookies, do not sell personal information, and do not use your information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

You can manage some browser storage through your browser or extension settings, but disabling certain storage may break Service functionality.

7. How We Disclose Information

We may disclose information in the following circumstances.

7.1 Service providers and processors

We disclose information to vendors and service providers that perform services on our behalf, such as:

• authentication and session management providers, including social login providers such as Google and Apple;
• cloud hosting, database, storage, and infrastructure providers;
• AI providers;
• analytics providers;
• error monitoring and logging providers; and
• support, security, or professional service providers.

These parties may process information only as needed to provide services to us or as otherwise permitted by law.

7.2 Public metadata providers

To enrich book records, we may send book identifiers or bibliographic information such as ISBN, title, and author to services like Google Books, Open Library, and Wikidata. We do not intend to send those services your email address or other direct account identifiers for enrichment purposes.

7.3 Legal, safety, and rights protection

We may disclose information if we believe doing so is reasonably necessary to:

• comply with a law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request;
• enforce our Terms of Service or other agreements;
• detect, investigate, or prevent fraud, abuse, security issues, or illegal activity; or
• protect the rights, property, safety, or security of Skylark, our users, or others.

7.4 Business transfers

We may disclose information in connection with an actual or proposed merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, bankruptcy, or similar transaction.

7.5 With your direction or consent

We may disclose information to other parties when you direct us to do so or consent to the disclosure.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including to provide the Service, maintain your account, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements.

In general:

• account and profile information are retained while your account remains active;
• imported library data, highlights, notes, collections, conversations, embeddings, and related records are retained until you delete them, request deletion, or close your account, subject to backup and legal retention needs;
• short-term logs and diagnostics may be retained for security and troubleshooting for limited periods;
• analytics and error-monitoring data may be retained according to our provider settings and business needs; and
• data processed by third-party providers may be retained according to their own policies and contractual commitments.

You can delete your account and all associated data from within the app. You may also request deletion by contacting us at librarian@syntopica.ai.

9. Your Choices and Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have legal rights regarding your personal information. We may need to verify your identity before completing certain requests.

9.1 In-product controls

We currently provide or may provide controls that let you:

• access or export certain account data;
• edit notes, ratings, reading status, and collections;
• delete individual conversations;
• delete your account and all associated data;
• archive books;
• disable optional auto-sync in the browser extension; and
• choose whether to use voice or photo features on a per-use basis.

9.2 Privacy requests

Subject to applicable law, you may request that we:

• provide access to your personal information;
• correct inaccurate information;
• delete certain information;
• provide a copy of certain information in a portable format;
• object to or restrict certain processing; or
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

To make a privacy request, contact us at librarian@syntopica.ai. We may deny or limit a request where permitted by law, including where we cannot verify your identity or where an exception applies.

10. Additional U.S. State Privacy Disclosures

If you are a resident of California, Colorado, or another U.S. state with privacy rights, you may have additional rights under applicable law, including rights to know, access, correct, delete, or obtain a copy of personal information, and in some states to appeal a decision regarding your request.

In the preceding 12 months, we may have collected the following categories of personal information, depending on how you use the Service:

• identifiers and contact information;
• account credentials and related account records;
• commercial or transactional information related to books, subscriptions, or service activity;
• internet or network activity information;
• audio, electronic, visual, or similar information that you choose to submit;
• geolocation derived from IP address at a city or regional level;
• professional or employment information if you include it in your profile, content, or communications; and
• inferences or derived data, such as embeddings, recommendations, or usage patterns.

We disclose these categories to service providers, processors, analytics providers, AI providers, error monitoring vendors, public metadata providers, and others as described in Section 7.

We do not sell personal information. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, and we do not knowingly process sensitive personal information for the purpose of inferring characteristics about you beyond what is needed to provide the Service.

11. International Transfers

We are based in the United States and use service providers that may process information in the United States and other countries. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in jurisdictions that may not provide the same level of data protection as your home jurisdiction.

Where required by law, we will rely on appropriate legal mechanisms for such transfers.

12. Security

We use commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information. These may include access controls, authentication safeguards, encryption in transit, provider encryption at rest, input validation, and rate limiting.

No method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information to us, contact us at librarian@syntopica.ai and we will take appropriate steps.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice by posting the updated policy, by email, through the Service, or by another reasonable method. The "Effective Date" above indicates when this Privacy Policy became effective.

15. Contact Us

Skylark Creations LLC
10717 Owen St
Westminster, CO 80021
Email: librarian@syntopica.ai