Privacy Policy

Who we are

[Company legal name] is responsible for your information under this policy.

• Address: [Registered address]
• Email: [privacy@yourdomain]
• [Data protection representative, if required]

Information that stays on your Mac

Voxy keeps the following on your Mac, in a local database and, for the diagnostic log, a local file. We cannot see it, and it is not synced to us or anywhere else.

• Dictation history. For each take: the words Voxy heard, the text it wrote, any edits you make, the time, how long you spoke, and the name of the app you were dictating into.
• Notes you write in Voxy.
• Your personal dictionary, including words you add, words Voxy learns from your edits, and suggested corrections.
• Settings, including your preferences for individual apps, your chosen voice, whether crash reports are on, and the sign in details Voxy needs to talk to our servers: your install ID and install token, your account token, and your account email.
• Crash reports waiting to be sent, at most 50, kept until they reach us or until you turn crash reports off, which deletes them at once. They hold only what is described under Crash and error reports below.
• A diagnostic log, a file that helps troubleshoot problems. It records events such as errors and timings. It can also contain your account email, the location of Voxy's files on your Mac (which includes your Mac user name), the identifier of an app you had Voxy read text from, and, in some error cases, a short fragment of dictated text. Once the file grows past about 2 MB, Voxy starts a new one the next time it opens and keeps only the one before it. Voxy never uploads it. We only see it if you choose to send it to us.

Voxy also reads the first name on your Mac user account to greet you in the app. It is not stored or sent anywhere.

This local data is protected by your Mac's own security, such as your login password and disk encryption if you turn it on. Voxy does not add a separate layer of encryption to it.

You can delete individual history entries, notes, and dictionary words in the app at any time. Removing Voxy and its app data from your Mac deletes all of it.

Audio saved on your Mac

Voxy is designed to protect your words when something goes wrong. While you speak, it saves your audio on your Mac as a safety net.

• When a take is written successfully, its audio is deleted right away.
• The audio stays on your Mac, so you can retry the take from your history, when a take fails, when it sounds like speech but no words come back, when Voxy cannot confirm that every part of it was written, or when you cancel a take that is 10 seconds or longer.
• If Voxy closes unexpectedly during a take, the audio appears in your history as a take you can retry.
• If you retry a saved take and it succeeds, its audio stays until the automatic cleanup below.
• Saved audio is deleted automatically the first time Voxy starts after the audio is 14 days old. If you do not open Voxy for a while, it stays until you next do. Deleting the history entry deletes its audio straight away.

Information that passes through our servers

Voxy needs an internet connection to write. The app talks only to Voxy's own servers, and our servers talk to our providers.

When you dictate

While you dictate, the app sends us:

• the audio of your take, in pieces as you speak so your text is ready sooner, and
• for the clean up step, the text made from your audio, the name of the app you are dictating into and the writing style set for that app (so the writing suits it, for example a chat or an email), and up to 40 of the words most recently added to your personal dictionary (so they are spelled the way you want).

Our servers pass this to our speech and language processing providers, receive the transcript and the finished text, and send them back to your Mac. Our servers do not save your audio, your text, the app name, or your dictionary words. Retrying a saved take works the same way.

Our providers receive these requests from our servers, not from your device. We do not send them your email address, your account details, or your IP address.

When Voxy reads aloud

Reading selected text aloud uses the voices built into your Mac, and the text stays on your Mac. If you turn on the setting that translates into Urdu before reading, the selected text is first sent through our servers to our language processing provider for translation. We do not store it.

When you try the live demo on our website

If you allow microphone access and start a live take, by holding to talk or by turning on hands free, your browser streams your audio to our servers during the take, for up to 45 seconds. We relay it as it arrives to our speech processing provider, send the resulting text to our language processing provider for clean up, and show you both. We do not save the audio or the text. After a take, your browser keeps the microphone ready for about 30 seconds so the next take can start quickly, but nothing is sent outside a take. Sample takes on the page are scripted examples written into the page. They do not use your microphone and send nothing to us.

To keep the demo fair, we use your IP address to limit how many takes can be made from one network in a given time. For newer (IPv6) addresses we use only the part that identifies your network. It is held in memory only, is never written to our database or logs, and is cleared shortly after the end of each day (days are counted in UTC). We count demo use as a whole (takes, seconds of audio, words, and processing volume), not per visitor.

How our providers handle it

Our speech and language processing providers act on our behalf. They process audio and text only to return results to us. Under their own terms they may keep it for a limited time, for example to detect abuse or to meet legal duties, before deleting it. [Provider retention: confirm each provider's retention period, and whether it may use the data to improve its own services, then state it here.]

Information we keep on our servers

Your install

The first time the app runs, it registers with our servers and receives a random install ID and a secret token. We store the install ID, a scrambled (hashed) copy of the token, your operating system and processor type, the app version, when the install was registered, and when it last contacted us.

Your account

You need a Voxy account to dictate. You create it and sign in on our website. We store:

• your email address;
• your password, only as a one way hash, so we never store the password itself;
• when your account was created;
• website sign in sessions, kept as hashed tokens and valid for up to 30 days. Signing out on the website deletes that session;
• a hashed token for each Mac you sign in on. Signing out in the app marks that token as revoked, but the record is kept;
• which installs are linked to your account.

While the app is connecting to your account, we briefly hold your email address and the new sign in token for that Mac, in readable form, so the app can collect them. They are deleted as soon as the app picks them up. A sign in link stops working after 10 minutes, and anything the app did not collect is deleted the next time anyone uses sign in after that.

Security records

If a sign in attempt fails, we record the IP address it came from, the email address that was entered (whether or not it belongs to an account), and the number of failed attempts, so we can block repeated guessing. After 5 failures, sign in for that email from that IP address pauses for a minute, and the pause doubles with each further failure. The record is cleared when a sign in from the same IP address with the same email succeeds. [Failed sign in record retention: e.g. Otherwise it is deleted after 30 days.]

Usage counts

For each install, per day, we keep the number of dictations, words written, seconds of audio, read aloud uses, words read, and the processing volume we are billed for (seconds of audio processed and amount of text processed). We use these to run the service, understand overall use, and manage our costs. They never include what you said, the text, app names, or your dictionary.

For each account, per week, our servers count the words in the finished text they send back to you, along with the number of dictations and seconds of audio. The Free plan's weekly word limit is applied to this count, and you can see it in the app. Our servers count the words as the text passes through and keep only the number, never the text. Each dictation carries a random identifier so that a dictation you started within your limit can always finish; we keep that identifier, with the number of words counted for it, for up to 2 days. We also record when your account last dictated.

Because your install is linked to your account when you sign in, these counts are associated with your account. Signing out in the app unlinks that Mac from your account, and it needs a new sign in before it can dictate again.

Crash and error reports

When something goes wrong in the Mac app (it crashes, an error stops a task, a part of the app quits unexpectedly, or a built in component fails), the app sends us a short technical report so we can fix it. A report contains: the kind of problem, the error message, the list of program steps that led to it, the app version, your macOS version, your Mac's processor type, the stage of dictation the app was in, and when it happened. We receive it from your install, so it is linked to your install and, if you are signed in, to your account.

Reports never contain what you said or wrote, your notes, your dictionary, your clipboard, window titles, or audio. Before a report leaves your Mac, the app removes anything that could be content: every quoted passage, email addresses, the paths and queries of web addresses (only the site name stays), long codes and tokens, and the folder names that reveal your Mac user name, and it shortens every field. Our servers then repeat those removals, keep only the fields listed above, and shorten them again. At most a few reports a minute are taken, and the same problem is sent only once every 10 minutes.

You can turn crash reports off in the app under Data and Privacy (they are on by default). Turning them off stops all reports and deletes any that are still waiting on your Mac.

We group reports of the same problem together and keep a summary of each problem (its message, how often it happened, how many accounts it affected, the newest app version it appeared in, and when it was first and last seen). Individual reports are deleted after 90 days, and a summary is deleted once its problem has not happened for 90 days.

Your plan and payments

We store what decides your plan (Free or Pro) and your account's standing: whether your account is active or suspended, any Pro time we granted you, and, if you subscribe, your subscription's status, when the current paid period ends, and whether it is set to end.

Voxy Pro is sold by our payment provider, which acts as the merchant of record: it is the seller on your receipt, takes your payment, calculates and pays the sales taxes, and issues invoices and refunds. When you start a checkout, we send our payment provider your email address and your Voxy account number, so the payment is linked to your account, and you enter your payment details on its checkout page. Our payment provider handles your payment information under its own privacy policy. It tells our servers when a subscription starts, renews, fails to renew, is canceled or ends, and when a payment or refund is made.

For each payment we keep the amount you paid, the tax, the amount before tax, our payment provider's fee, any refund, the currency, the date, and our payment provider's reference numbers for your customer record, your subscription, and the order. We never receive or store your card number or other payment details.

Server logs

Our servers record warnings and errors so we can keep Voxy running. If a request fails with a server error, the log entry may include the IP address the request came from, the page or service requested, the time, and a description of the error. Logs never include audio, transcripts, or the contents of forms. We keep server logs for [Log retention period: e.g. 30 days]. Our hosting provider may keep its own access logs as part of running our servers [Hosting provider log retention].

Waiting list

If you leave your email address to hear when Voxy reaches your device, we keep your email address, the device you asked about, whether you also want the Mac download, and when you signed up. We use them only to email you about that, and you can ask to be removed at any time.

To stop abuse, we use your IP address to limit how many sign ups can come from one network in a given time. For newer (IPv6) addresses we use only the part that identifies your network. It is held in memory only, is never written to our database or logs, and is cleared shortly after the end of each day (days are counted in UTC).

Cookies and tracking on our website

Our website does not use analytics, advertising, tracking pixels, or third party scripts, fonts, or embeds. Everything on it is served from our own servers. The only cookie a visitor can receive is a sign in cookie, set when you sign in to your Voxy account. Our Cookie Policy has the details.

Because we do not track you, there is nothing for Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control signals to switch off.

How we use information

We use information:

• to provide Voxy: to transcribe your speech, write clean text, and return it to you;
• to apply your plan, including the Free plan's weekly word limit, and to manage your subscription and payments;
• to find and fix crashes and errors in the app;
• to create and secure your account, and to prevent abuse with sign in lockouts and usage limits;
• to understand overall use, plan capacity, and manage our costs;
• to contact you about your account and important changes, and about the waiting list if you joined it;
• to reply when you contact us;
• to meet legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.

We do not sell or rent personal information, we do not use it for advertising, and we do not build profiles of you.

Legal bases

Where laws such as the GDPR apply, we rely on:

• contract, to provide the app, the service, your account, your plan, and your subscription;
• legitimate interests, to keep Voxy secure and working (including crash and error reports, which you can turn off), prevent abuse, keep server logs, and understand usage and costs, in ways that do not override your rights;
• consent, for the demo microphone (which your browser asks you for) and the waiting list, which you can withdraw at any time;
• legal obligation, where the law requires us to keep or disclose information, such as payment records.

Who we share information with

• Speech and language processing providers acting on our behalf, as described above.
• Our payment provider, which sells Voxy Pro to you as the merchant of record, as described under Your plan and payments.
• Hosting and infrastructure providers that run our servers, store our database, and store its backups.
• Other service providers acting on our behalf, such as those that help us send email, only as needed for that purpose.
• Authorities or others when the law requires it, or when needed to protect the rights, safety, or property of our users, the public, or Voxy.
• A successor, if Voxy is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, under the protections of this policy.

We do not share personal information with anyone else.

International transfers

Our servers are located in [Server location]. Our providers may process information in other countries. When we transfer personal information across borders, we use the safeguards the law requires, such as standard contractual clauses.

How long we keep information

• Audio and text on our servers: not stored. They are held in memory only while being processed.
• Saved audio on your Mac: until the first time Voxy starts after the audio is 14 days old, as described above.
• History, notes, and dictionary on your Mac: until you delete them or remove Voxy.
• Account details: while your account is open. When you ask us to delete your account, we delete it within [Account deletion timeframe: e.g. 30 days], except anything we must keep by law.
• Website sign in sessions: until you sign out on the website, or valid for up to 30 days and then deleted the next time anyone signs in.
• Mac sign in tokens: while your account is open, including tokens revoked by signing out.
• Sign in hand over to the app: until the app collects it, or until it is cleared after the link expires, as described above.
• Failed sign in records: until a sign in from the same IP address with the same email succeeds. [Failed sign in record retention]
• Install records and usage counts, including weekly word counts: [Usage count retention period].
• Dictation identifiers used to let a dictation finish: up to 2 days.
• Crash and error reports: 90 days. Problem summaries: until the problem has not happened for 90 days.
• Plan and subscription details: while your account is open.
• Payment records: [Payment record retention: e.g. as long as tax and accounting law requires].
• Backups: our database is copied every night, and each copy is kept for 14 days, so information you delete can remain in a backup until that copy expires.
• Server logs: [Log retention period].
• Waiting list: until we have told you Voxy is available on your device, or until you ask to be removed.
• Demo and waiting list limits: in memory only, cleared shortly after the end of each day.

How we protect information

• Connections to our servers are encrypted.
• Passwords are stored only as strong one way hashes, and sign in tokens only as hashes, apart from the brief hand over to the app described above.
• The credentials we use with our providers are encrypted when stored.
• Payment details are entered on our payment provider's checkout page and never reach our servers. Messages from our payment provider are checked for its signature before we act on them.
• Repeated failed sign ins trigger a lockout, and dictation and the live demo are rate limited.
• Our website and account pages use strict browser security settings.

No system is perfectly secure. If you find a security problem, please tell us at [security@yourdomain].

Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your personal information, to object to or restrict some uses, to withdraw consent, and to complain to your data protection authority.

• Most of your Voxy data is on your Mac, and you control it directly.
• To ask about or delete your account information, email [privacy@yourdomain] from the email address on your account. We will confirm it is you and respond within [Response timeframe: e.g. 30 days].
• Signing out in the app removes your account details from that Mac, marks its sign in token as revoked, and unlinks that Mac from your account. It does not delete your account or your usage counts.
• You can turn crash reports off in the app under Data and Privacy at any time.
• You can manage or cancel your subscription from your account page or from the app.
• You can leave the waiting list at any time by asking us.
• We do not sell personal information or share it for cross context behavioral advertising.

We will not treat you differently for using your rights.

Permissions the Mac app asks for

• Microphone, to hear you while you dictate. Voxy listens only while you are dictating.
• Accessibility, to paste text where your cursor is, to tell which app you are using (and, in a browser, to recognize well known web apps from the window title), and to read the text you select for read aloud. The window title is used only to recognize the app; it is not stored or sent.
• Input Monitoring, to notice the keys that control Voxy: fn, Control, and Escape while you are dictating. Voxy ignores every other key and does not record what you type. Separately, Voxy registers one keyboard shortcut with your Mac, Control Command V, to paste your last take again.

Voxy pastes by placing the text on your clipboard, and leaves it there afterwards so you can paste it again. This replaces whatever was on your clipboard before. If Voxy cannot paste, the text is on your clipboard ready for you to paste yourself. When an app hides selected text from Voxy, read aloud copies the selection and then puts your clipboard back the way it was.

Children

Voxy is not meant for children under [Minimum age: e.g. 13], and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Voxy changes. We will post the new version here and update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we will also tell you by email or in the app before it takes effect.

Contact us

Questions or requests about privacy: [privacy@yourdomain]

[Company legal name]
[Registered address]