Privacy Policy
Searching without an account
You can search without signing in. Your query is sent from your browser directly to the upstream databases you have enabled (and, for a few sources, through our proxy so the upstream sees our server, not you). Settings, library and history for anonymous use stay in your browser's local storage.
Search data we keep (everyone)
We store your searches and which results you open, copy or save, together with the result metadata and how long you stayed on them, to improve ranking and build better research tools. For API and MCP callers the same applies to each call and to which results you fetch or verify afterwards. Anonymous web searches are not tied to an account; they are grouped by a one-day rotating hash of your connection, and your IP address is stored only as a salted hash. You can switch this off for web searches in Search settings → Share searches to improve ranking; API use is covered by the terms. Deleting your account de-identifies your search rows rather than deleting them.
What we store when you sign in
| Data | Why | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Google account id, email, name, avatar URL, and the OAuth tokens Google issues | Sign-in (Auth.js) | Supabase (Postgres, US East) |
| Search history and saved library items | Sync across your devices | Supabase |
| Search log and result interactions (see above), linked to your account | Improving ranking; research datasets | Supabase |
| Settings, including any third-party API keys you enter | Sync; keys are encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM) | Supabase |
| Credit balance, plan, API key hashes (never the key itself), key creation and last-used times | Metering the API | Supabase |
| Stripe customer and subscription ids | Linking purchases to your account. Card details never reach us. | Supabase + Stripe |
Processors
- Vercel hosts the site and API; request logs (IP, path, status) are retained briefly. Vercel Web Analytics and Speed Insights collect aggregate, cookieless page metrics.
- Supabase hosts the database.
- Stripe processes payments and holds your billing details under its own privacy policy. When a purchase is sold through Link (a Stripe service acting as seller of record), Link also receives your name, email and billing address to calculate tax and provide payment support, under its own terms.
- Google provides sign-in.
- Upstream databases (for example OpenAlex, Crossref, DOAJ, PubMed, Europeana, DPLA, Smithsonian, Gallica, Internet Archive) receive the query text and, for API calls, our server's identity — never your account.
- Ko-fi powers the optional donation widget under its own terms.
Cookies
One strictly necessary session cookie when you sign in. No advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
Retention and deletion
Account data is kept while your account exists. To delete your account and everything linked to it, email the address on the contact page from the Google address you signed in with; deletion completes within 30 days. You can delete history and library items, and revoke API keys, from the app at any time.
Your rights
If you are in the EU/EEA, UK or California you may request access to, correction of, export of, or deletion of your data, and you may object to processing, by contacting us. We do not sell personal data.
Changes
We will update the effective date above when this policy changes.