What information we collect
We collect information that is needed to run b.sides, display music content, and support social features like reviews, ratings, lists, follows, and moderation.
Information users provide directly
- Account information: email address, username, and account-related authentication identifiers.
- Profile information: display name, bio, profile photo, location, website URL, favorite genres, favorite artists, and other profile details you choose to add.
- User-generated content: reviews, ratings, review headlines, review text, track notes, tags, listening dates, relisten counts, lists, list descriptions, list visibility settings, and related content you create or edit in the app.
- Support and moderation communications: messages you send to us by email and reports you submit about profiles, reviews, lists, or other objectionable content.
Information collected automatically or generated by the service
- Authentication and session data: Firebase Authentication identifiers, sign-in state, and related account events.
- Service and infrastructure logs: request metadata, timestamps, IP address, device or app version information, and diagnostics that may be generated by Firebase, our backend, Google Cloud, or other hosting infrastructure.
- Stored content metadata: visibility settings, timestamps, counts, moderation status, and internal IDs associated with your content and account.
How we use information
We use the information described above to:
- Create and maintain accounts and user profiles.
- Authenticate users and secure access to the app.
- Display reviews, ratings, lists, profiles, and social features.
- Store and serve profile photos and other user-submitted content.
- Power app features that depend on music metadata and related content.
- Investigate bug reports, abuse reports, and support requests.
- Enforce community rules, investigate objectionable content, and protect the app and its users.
- Maintain, debug, and improve the service.
Public vs. private content and profile visibility
b.sides is designed to support both public and more limited sharing. Some content may be visible to other users depending on the visibility setting attached to the profile, review, or list.
- Profiles may include visibility controls such as public, friends, or private.
- Reviews and lists may also include visibility settings such as public, friends, or private.
- Content you mark as public may be visible to other users of the app and may be shared or copied by others.
- Content you mark as private is intended to be hidden from general users, but it may still be accessible to us, our service providers, or moderators where needed for maintenance, abuse review, security, or legal compliance.
Please avoid posting sensitive personal information in public-facing profiles, reviews, or lists.
Third-party services and integrations
We rely on third-party services to operate parts of b.sides. Those services may process information on our behalf or provide content that the app displays.
Firebase
We use Firebase Authentication for sign-in and account session management. We also use Firebase Storage for profile images and related media storage.
Backend hosting and databases
b.sides uses a backend that may be hosted on Google Cloud and may store account, profile, review, list, and moderation data in server-side databases, including PostgreSQL.
Music metadata providers
We may use third-party music data sources such as Spotify and MusicBrainz to display album, artist, credits, artwork, and related music metadata. Those services provide content and may receive requests related to the albums or artists being viewed.
How and when we share information
We may share information in the following situations:
- With other users: when you choose public or otherwise visible settings for your profile, reviews, ratings, or lists.
- With service providers: when needed to run b.sides, such as Firebase, hosting providers, cloud infrastructure, storage providers, and database or backend vendors acting on our behalf.
- For legal, security, or safety reasons: if we believe disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with law, respond to legal process, investigate abuse, protect users, or defend the service.
- In a business transition: if the service is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law.
We do not state that we sell personal information, and we do not intend to use this policy to claim data-selling rights that are not part of the service.
Data retention
We keep information for as long as it is reasonably necessary to operate the service, maintain accounts, preserve content, respond to support requests, enforce community rules, and meet legal or security obligations.
- Account and profile information is generally kept while your account is active.
- Reviews, ratings, lists, and related content are generally kept until you delete them, your account is deleted, or we remove them for policy or legal reasons.
- Moderation records and certain service logs may be retained longer where needed for abuse prevention, security, or legal compliance.
- Backup copies may remain for a limited period after deletion.
Data security
We use a combination of technical and organizational measures intended to protect information handled by b.sides. These may include authenticated access controls, cloud platform security features, and secure storage tools used by our service providers.
No service can guarantee absolute security. If you believe your account or data may have been compromised, contact us at support@bsides.pro.
User choices and rights
You may be able to:
- Update profile information inside the app.
- Choose whether certain content is public, friends-only, or private.
- Delete reviews, lists, or other user-generated content you control.
- Delete your account from within the app.
- Contact us to request access, correction, or deletion of information, subject to identity verification and applicable law.
Depending on where you live, you may have additional privacy rights under local law. We may ask you to verify your identity before responding.
Account deletion and data deletion requests
b.sides currently includes an in-app account deletion flow. In the mobile app, the current path is:
Profile > overflow menu > Delete account
When you delete your account through that flow, we intend to remove active account access and delete associated profile, list, review, and profile image data from active systems, subject to limited retention for backups, fraud prevention, moderation, and legal obligations.
If you cannot access the app or want to request deletion by email, contact us at support@bsides.pro.
Children’s privacy
b.sides is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through the service. If you believe a child has provided personal information to b.sides, contact us so we can review and address the issue.
International users
If you use b.sides from outside the country where our providers or servers are located, your information may be processed or stored in other countries, including the United States or other places where Firebase, Google Cloud, or our service providers operate.
Those countries may not have the same data protection laws as your home country. When we rely on service providers, we expect them to handle data according to their applicable legal and contractual obligations.
Changes to this privacy policy
We may update this policy from time to time as b.sides evolves. If we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date on this page and, where appropriate, provide additional notice inside the app or through another reasonable channel.
Contact information
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, need help with account deletion, or want to contact us about privacy or moderation issues, reach us at: