Privacy Policy

Introduction

Welcome to BytePanels. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website. Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the site.

Information We Collect

We may collect information about you in a variety of ways, including:

Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information about your device, including information about your web browser, IP address, time zone, and some of the cookies that are installed on your device. Additionally, as you browse the site, we collect information about the individual web pages that you view, what websites or search terms referred you to the site, and information about how you interact with the site.

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect the following information:

• Name, email address, and username
• Password (stored securely using PBKDF2 hashing — we never store your password in plain text)
• Profile information you choose to provide (bio, avatar URL)

Your email is used for account identification and may be used to send you important account notifications. We do not sell or share your email address with third parties for marketing purposes.

Media Tracking Data

When you use BytePanels to track media, we store information about the movies, TV shows, books, games, and music you add to your dashboard, including ratings, reviews, watch/read dates, and status. This data is associated with your account.

You control the visibility of this data through your privacy settings. You can choose to make your profile and media public or keep them private. Per-item review privacy controls are also available.

Third-Party Integrations

BytePanels offers optional integrations with third-party services:

• Spotify — If you connect your Spotify account, we store OAuth tokens to sync your recently played tracks. We do not access your Spotify account beyond reading your currently playing and recently played tracks.
• Hacker News — If you provide your HN username, we periodically sync your public favorites. Only publicly available data is accessed.

You can disconnect these integrations at any time from your profile settings. When disconnected, stored integration tokens are deleted.

Data Deletion

You may request deletion of your account and all associated data by contacting us through our contact page. Upon receiving a deletion request, we will remove your account, media tracking data, integration tokens, and profile information from our systems.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use the following technologies on our site:

Google AdSense

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on our website. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the Internet. You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.

Vercel Analytics

We use Vercel Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. This service collects anonymous usage data to help us improve the user experience. The data collected includes page views, referral sources, and general geographic information.

Third-Party Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites and services, including but not limited to Spotify, movie databases, and other content providers. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third-party sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate and maintain our website
• Improve and personalize your experience on our site
• Understand and analyze how you use our website
• Display relevant advertisements through Google AdSense
• Monitor and analyze usage and trends to improve our website

Data Retention

We retain automatically collected information for analytics purposes. This data is anonymized and used solely to improve our website and understand user behavior.

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including the right to access, correct, or delete your data. To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information provided below.

Children's Privacy

Our website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new privacy policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

Contact Us

If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at our contact page.