Privacy policy
Last updated: November 6, 2026
Scienko is a tool for following the scientific literature and keeping a personal library of papers. This page explains what information Scienko handles, in the Scienko app, on scienko.com, and in the Scienko browser extension and Word add-in.
Information you give us
- Account: your email address and password, used to sign you in. Passwords are handled by Google Firebase Authentication; we never see them in readable form.
- Your library and settings: the topics you follow, papers you save, folders, notes and PDFs you add, and your preferences. These are stored in your account and are readable only by you.
- Waitlist: if you join the waitlist on scienko.com, we store your email address to tell you when access opens.
How the information is used
- To run your account and show you your own library.
- To write summaries and answer your questions. The text of the paper or abstract and your question are sent to an AI service (Anthropic's Claude) through Scienko's server. It is used to produce the answer and is not used by us for advertising.
- To look papers up on PubMed (a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine). Searches and paper identifiers such as a PMID or DOI are sent to PubMed.
We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for advertising.
Where it is stored
Account and library data is stored with Google Firebase (Authentication and Firestore). Some data, including downloaded PDFs, is also kept on your own computer by the Scienko app.
Scienko browser extension
- The extension works only when you click its button. It then reads the web page you are on to find the paper's title, DOI or PubMed ID, and a PDF link if the page offers one.
- It uses those details to find the paper on PubMed, and sends the paper's PubMed ID, the folder you chose and, if you ask for it, the PDF file to the Scienko app on your own computer.
- It does not send your browsing history, page contents or any personal information to Scienko's servers or to anyone else. It has no advertising or tracking.
- It remembers only your chosen folder and the app's port number, stored in your browser.
- If you tick "Also get the PDF", Chrome asks your permission to read the PDF from that website, and only that website.
Word add-in
The add-in signs in with your Scienko account, reads your library from your account to build citations, and writes the citations into your Word document. Your document's contents are not sent to us.
Sharing
We share information only with the services that run Scienko: Google Firebase (hosting, sign-in and storage), Anthropic (to produce summaries and answers) and PubMed (to look up papers). We do not share it with anyone else, except if the law requires it.
Your choices
- You can unsave papers, delete folders and remove PDFs at any time in the app.
- To delete your account and data, or to ask a question about your information, email support@scienko.com.
Children
Scienko is intended for adults and is not directed at children.
Changes
If this policy changes, we will update the date at the top of this page.
Contact
Questions: support@scienko.com