Privacy Policy

Effective date: 2026-06-10 (draft — not yet in force; pending attorney review)

1. Overview

OwnTongue is operated by OwnTongue LLC [REVIEW: exact registered name + state TBD] ("OwnTongue", "we", "us"). OwnTongue is a live speech translation service: a presenter's speech is transcribed in real time, translated, and shown as live captions on audience members' own devices. This policy explains what data we process, why, and what choices you have. We have tried to keep it short and plain — the most important facts are in Section 3.

2. Who this policy covers

Presenters — people or organizations who hold accounts and run sessions.
Audience viewers — people who join a session with a join code to read captions. Viewers do not create accounts.
Speakers — whoever is speaking into the presenter's microphone during a session.
Website visitors — anyone browsing owntongue.com.

3. The data we process

3.1 Live audio

Audio is never stored. The presenter's microphone stream is forwarded to our speech-recognition provider, transcribed in real time, and discarded. We do not record sessions, we do not create or retain voiceprints, and there is no way to play back a past session.

3.2 Caption text

Transcribed and translated caption text is processed in memory only, for the sole purpose of displaying live captions during the session. Caption text is not retained after the session ends. We do not run analytics on caption content and we do not log the words spoken in a session.

3.3 Account data

For presenters with accounts, we store: a user ID, your email address, your plan and subscription state, and monthly usage counters (how much session time you have used against your quota). This is stored in Azure Storage Tables in the United States.

3.4 Payment data

Payments are processed by Stripe. Your card details are collected and stored solely by Stripe and never reach our servers. We hold only your subscription state and the references Stripe gives us to manage your plan.

3.5 Audience viewers

Viewers join with a code and do not create accounts. We do not ask viewers for their name, email, or any other personal details. Like any web service, our servers handle the technical data needed to deliver the page to a viewer's device (such as IP address); our hosting platform also keeps short-lived standard request logs that include IP addresses, which age out automatically.

3.6 Cookies

We set a single strictly necessary session cookie for signed-in presenters. We use no analytics, tracking, or advertising cookies today. See the Cookie Policy.

4. What we do not collect

No stored audio, recordings, or voiceprints — audio is never stored.
No retained caption text after a session ends.
No analytics on what is said in sessions.
No tracking or advertising cookies.
No accounts or personal details from audience viewers.

5. Why we process data

To run your sessions — transcribing, translating, and displaying captions in real time.
To operate your account — sign-in, plan management, and enforcing usage quotas.
To bill you — through Stripe.
To communicate with you — sign-in links and quota notices by email, and replies when you contact support.
To keep the service secure — operational logs and abuse prevention.

We are a US company serving US customers at launch, so this policy is written for a US audience. Where a privacy law requires a named legal basis, we rely on performance of our contract with you, our legitimate interest in operating and securing the service, and your consent where we ask for it.

6. Sub-processors and sharing

We use a small number of service providers to deliver the product: Microsoft Azure for hosting, speech recognition, translation, storage, and transactional email; Stripe for payments; and Microsoft and Google for sign-in. The current sub-processors list is published at owntongue.com/sub-processors, including what each provider processes and where. We update that page when a sub-processor is added, removed, or replaced.

Beyond those providers, we share personal data only if required by law or to protect the service and its users. We do not sell personal data, and we do not share it for advertising.

7. Where data is processed

Session content (speech recognition and translation) and account storage are processed in Microsoft Azure's US regions. Sign-in runs on your chosen identity provider's platform (Microsoft Entra ID or Google), which are global services — see the sub-processors list for each provider's region.

8. How long we keep data

Audio: never stored.
Caption text: in memory during the session only; not retained afterward.
Account data and usage counters: kept while your account is active, and deleted within a reasonable period after the account is closed, except where we must keep records for legal, tax, or billing reasons.
Emails we send (sign-in links, quota notices): handled by our email provider as transactional mail; we keep only what is needed to operate and troubleshoot delivery.

9. Security

Connections to the service are encrypted in transit. Account data is stored with a major cloud provider (Microsoft Azure) in the US, and access to production systems is restricted. The biggest security decision is architectural: because audio is never stored and captions are not retained, there is no archive of your sessions to breach. For more detail, see our Security page.

10. Children and minors

OwnTongue is used in classrooms, congregations, and civic meetings, so minors may be in the audience and may view live captions on their own devices. Audience viewing requires no account and asks for no personal information.

Accounts are for adults only: you must be 18 or older to be a presenter.
We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us at legal@owntongue.com and we will delete it.
Schools and teachers are responsible for using the service in line with their own policies and any consents their institution requires.

11. Your choices and rights

Access or delete your data: email support@owntongue.com and we will provide a copy of your account data or delete your account and its data.
Correct your data: you can update your email via your sign-in provider, or ask us for help.
Cancel: you can cancel your subscription at any time through the billing portal.
Emails: the emails we send are transactional (sign-in links and quota notices), not marketing.

12. State privacy laws

Residents of California and other states with comprehensive privacy laws may have additional rights, such as the right to know, delete, or correct personal information. We honor the requests in Section 11 for everyone, regardless of state. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined in the California Consumer Privacy Act.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. For material changes we will give notice (for example, by email to account holders or a notice in the product) before the changes take effect. The effective date at the top of this page always shows the current version.

14. Contact

Privacy questions or requests: legal@owntongue.com.
Mailing address: [REVIEW: mailing address TBD].