Privacy Policy

Information we collect

We collect the information needed to provide the service:

• account and sign-in details;
• Store and Product information, such as Store identity, public catalog data, images, prices, descriptions, and order details;
• search and activity information, such as your search descriptions and the images made from them, liked Listings and Stores, and Store recommendations;
• service activity, such as page views, browser details, security events, and diagnostic logs; and
• support messages and other communications with us.

We can also collect public Store and Product information from a Store website and other public sources that support Store discovery.

Search without an account, and the byword plugin

Anyone can search byword without an account: in the byword app, on our website, and through the byword plugin in ChatGPT or the byword connector in Claude. A search through an assistant sends us your search words or the photo you search with, and any budget, recipient, occasion, preferences, or words to avoid that you stated. The assistant decides what to send; byword asks it to send only those details, never your conversation or unrelated personal details. The plugin needs no account, and byword stores no conversation.

• For typed searches in the byword app or on our website, we record the words in a normalized form (lowercase, without accents or extra spaces) with the date and a random key that is not linked to you or to an account. We use these records to count popular searches and build search suggestions, and delete them after 30 days. Searches through ChatGPT, Claude, or other external agents are not added to these suggestion records.
• For searches in the byword app or on our website, we also record the results each search shows you and what you do with them: which results stay on screen and for how long, the ones you scroll past quickly, and the ones you open or whose Store page you visit. These records use the same random key, are not linked to an account, and are deleted after 180 days. We use them to improve the order of search results.
• We keep a typed search that found no products, with its relevance score and where it was made, for 90 days to improve search quality.
• To answer repeated searches quickly, we keep a numeric representation (an embedding) of normalized search words, and can keep an interpretation of the words made by an AI provider, stored by the words alone. We delete an embedding 180 days after it was last used and an interpretation 30 days after it was last used.
• We download a photo you search with from the address the assistant gives us, turn it into an embedding to find similar products, and then discard it. We do not store photos you search with.
• For each assistant search, we add to daily counters of searches by assistant and outcome and of the number of results returned. These counters contain no search words, IP address, or conversation.
• We use your IP address briefly in memory to limit request rates. We do not store it with your searches. Our hosting provider keeps standard request logs.
• Links to a product on a shop's own website carry tags that tell the shop the visit came from byword and which assistant it came through. byword earns no commission on these links, and the shop's own terms and privacy policy apply on its site.

OpenAI's and Anthropic's own policies govern your use of ChatGPT and Claude.

Your home feed

To choose what your home feed shows next, we record the posts it shows you and what you do with them: which posts you open, the product pages and Store pages you visit from them, how long a post stays on screen, and the posts you scroll past quickly. We keep these records for 180 days.

When you are not signed in, these records are linked to a random key kept on your device, not to an account. When you sign in on that device, the feed activity recorded there while you were signed out is linked to your account to personalize your feed.

How we use information

We use information to:

• manage accounts, purchases, and service communication;
• authenticate users and administrators and control access;
• prepare catalogs and find Products and Stores that fit a search;
• provide support and service messages;
• protect the service and prevent fraud or abuse; and
• measure and improve reliability and product performance.

Service providers

We use service providers only for work needed to operate byword. These include Clerk for authentication, with Apple and Google as sign-in options; Apple for in-app purchases, billing and refunds; Supabase for database and storage; Cloudflare for image storage; Vercel for hosting and service measurement; Resend for service email; Google, Recraft, and Pruna to read a search description and make images from it; TypeSafe to refine search results; Anthropic and OpenAI to interpret typed search words; Google, DeepSeek, and OpenAI to process public Store and Product information; and Modal for background processing and to turn search words and photos into embeddings. Supabase stores search records, and Cloudflare R2 stores and serves catalog images.

We can also disclose information when required by law, to protect users or the service, or as part of a business transaction with appropriate safeguards.

No sale or targeted advertising

We do not sell personal data. We do not use personal data for targeted advertising. We do not disclose personal data for another business to use for targeted advertising.

Cookies and similar technology

We use cookies and local browser storage for sign-in, security, and core product functions. We can use limited service measurement to understand performance and reliability. We do not use advertising cookies.

Retention

Account, Store, Product, security, and diagnostic records remain while needed to operate and protect the service, subject to legal retention needs. Search records are kept for the periods stated in the search section above and then deleted.

Your privacy choices

You can ask to access, correct, delete, or receive a portable copy of personal data that applies to you. You can also ask about a privacy decision or appeal a denied request. Email hello@explorebyword.com and describe the request. We can verify your identity before we act. We will respond within 45 days. If more time is allowed and needed, we will tell you why.

Searches made without an account, including through an assistant, are not linked to you, so we cannot find or delete one person's search records. They are deleted on the schedule above.

Security

We use access controls, signed provider events, encrypted connections, and limited service permissions to protect information. No online service can guarantee complete security. Contact us if you think your information is at risk.

Children

Searching byword without an account, including through the byword plugin, is for general audiences aged 13 and older. Accounts and purchases are for adults aged 18 and older. byword is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes and contact

We can update this Policy as the service or law changes. We will change the date at the top of this page and give additional notice when required. Privacy questions can go to hello@explorebyword.com.