Privacy Policy · SpeakNow

SpeakNow (“SpeakNow,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) provides an AI-assisted public-speaking practice tool. This Privacy Policy applies to the SpeakNow marketing website, the practice application, and related pages, emails, and support channels (together, the “Service”).

By using the Service, you acknowledge this Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service. Capitalized terms not defined here have the meanings in the Terms of Service.

This Policy is a legal notice about information practices. It is not a marketing page. For a short product-level description of on-device storage and scoring goals, see Privacy.

1. Who we are and how to contact us

The controller of personal information processed through the Service is SpeakNow. Privacy questions, requests, and complaints may be sent to:

Contact: support@usespeaknow.com

If you use SpeakNow because a school, team, or employer directed you to it under a separate agreement, that organization may be the controller for some student or employee records, and we may process that information as a service provider / processor on their instructions.

2. Scope and roles

This Policy covers personal information we process when you visit the website, start a practice session, contact us, or otherwise interact with SpeakNow.
It does not cover websites, models, or tools that we do not control, even if we link to them.
It does not cover information you keep solely on your own device that never reaches us (for example, a draft you never submit).
Product copy that says sessions “stay on your device” describes our storage design for saved reports and session files in the current practice app. It does not mean that no data ever leaves your device. Transcription and judging require sending certain content to our servers and to subprocessors, as explained below.

3. Information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you use the Service. We collect information in the following categories.

A. Information you provide

Session setup. Event type, title, time limits, rubric text, prompts, role-play briefs, notes, and similar materials you paste or upload.
Files. Slide decks, images, PDFs, or other documents you choose to upload so judges can see visual aids.
Spoken content. Audio you record of a pitch, answers, or other speech, and any text you type in place of a recording.
Names and terms you supply. Product names, teammate names, or other key terms you provide so transcription can spell them more accurately.
Communications. Emails, feedback, bug reports, and other messages you send us, including contact details you include.
Account details (if offered). If we add accounts: name, email, password or single-sign-on identifiers, organization, role, and preferences.
Payment details (if offered). If we add paid plans, our payment processor will collect billing information. We receive limited payment metadata such as plan, last four digits, expiration month/year, and payment status. We do not intend to store full payment-card numbers on SpeakNow systems.

B. Information generated during a session

Transcripts produced from your audio.
Scores, comments, follow-up questions, and reports generated by the Service.
Timing data, such as talk time, remaining time, and whether you hit a limit.
Optional on-device camera metrics, such as whether your head appears centered, if you enable the camera.
Technical logs needed to complete a request, such as whether transcription succeeded.

C. Device and usage information

Browser type, operating system, language, and general device type.
IP address, approximate location derived from IP (city/region/country level, not precise GPS unless you later grant that permission for a feature we clearly describe).
Pages or routes visited, referring URL, date and time, and approximate duration.
Error diagnostics and performance metrics.
Permission states your browser reports (for example, whether microphone access was granted).

D. Information we do not seek

The Service is not designed for the following, and you should not submit them:

Government identifiers (Social Security number, passport, driver’s license).
Payment-card PAN or bank account numbers typed into a pitch.
Precise health, genetic, or biometric identifiers collected to uniquely identify you.
Passwords for other services.
Content about children under 13.
Special-category data that a practice pitch does not require.

If you include such information anyway, we may process it incidentally to provide the feature you requested, then delete it according to Section 9.

4. Audio, video, and camera signals

Microphone and audio

If you start a recording, your browser captures microphone audio on your device.
To produce a transcript, that audio is sent to SpeakNow’s application servers and then to a speech-to-text provider (currently ElevenLabs, or a successor we name in an updated Policy if we change providers).
We use the audio to transcribe what you said so judges can score content. We do not use your audio to advertise to you.
We do not sell recordings.
We do not use your voice to create a public voice-clone or text-to-speech voice of you.
After transcription, we do not intend to keep the audio file as a stored cloud recording. Audio may exist briefly in memory, in transit, or in provider logs according to that provider’s retention, and then is discarded from SpeakNow-controlled storage.
A transcript, scores, and report may still be saved locally in your browser, and may pass through our servers at the time of generation.

Camera (optional)

Camera access is off unless you turn it on.
If enabled, video may be shown to you as a preview and may be used on-device to estimate delivery signals such as head direction or similar posture metrics.
Those metrics, not a lasting video archive, are what we intend to attach to a session when camera analysis is on.
We do not use camera input for facial recognition to identify who you are, and we do not build a face-print identity database.
You should not enable the camera if other people are in frame who have not agreed to be recorded, or if local law or school policy forbids it.

Likeness and third parties

If your recording includes other speakers, you are responsible for their consent. Do not upload classroom recordings or meeting recordings unless you have the right to do so.

5. How we use information

We use information for the following purposes:

Provide the Service. Parse rubrics, store session state, transcribe speech, generate judge comments and scores, run Q&A practice, and display reports.
Operate and secure the Service. Authenticate requests, prevent abuse, debug errors, monitor uptime, and protect against fraud or attacks.
Communicate with you. Respond to support requests, send service notices, and, if you opt in or if allowed by law, send product updates. Transactional messages about the Service may be sent without marketing consent where permitted.
Improve the Service. Understand which features fail, improve transcription of names and technical terms you supply, reduce scoring errors, and develop new practice tools. We prefer aggregated, de-identified, or short-lived diagnostic data for this purpose.
Comply with law. Meet legal, tax, accounting, and law-enforcement requirements, and enforce our Terms.
Protect rights and safety. Investigate misuse, protect minors, and defend legal claims.
Business transfers. Evaluate or complete a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, subject to appropriate confidentiality.

Legal bases (for users in the EEA, UK, and similar jurisdictions)

Where a legal basis is required, we rely on:

Contract. Processing needed to provide the Service you request (transcription, judging, storing a local session you asked to keep).
Legitimate interests. Securing the Service, improving reliability, understanding aggregate usage, and defending our rights, balanced against your interests.
Consent. Optional camera access, non-essential cookies if we use them, and certain marketing messages. You may withdraw consent without affecting prior lawful processing.
Legal obligation. When we must retain or disclose information to comply with law.

6. Where processing happens (device, our servers, subprocessors)

SpeakNow is designed as a local-first practice app with cloud processing for AI features. In the current design:

On your device. Session records, rubric text, compressed slides, transcripts, scores, and reports are typically stored in browser storage (such as localStorage or IndexedDB) on the device and browser you used. Clearing site data, using private browsing, switching browsers, or using another computer will usually make that copy unavailable. We cannot recover a local-only session from our side.
On SpeakNow servers. When you invoke a feature that requires our backend (for example, transcribe or generate a verdict), we receive the inputs needed for that request, process them, and return results. We do not use those requests to create a permanent cloud library of your pitches in the current product, unless we later offer an explicit cloud-save or account feature and you use it.
At subprocessors. We send the minimum content needed to providers that perform speech-to-text, large-language-model inference, hosting, and related infrastructure.

Current categories of subprocessors

Speech-to-text. ElevenLabs (or a successor STT provider) receives audio (and optional key terms) to return a transcript.
Language models / judging. Anthropic (Claude) receives transcripts, rubric text, slide descriptions or images, and related session context to generate scores, comments, and questions. OpenAI or another model provider may be used as a fallback or for a specific task if configured.
Hosting and application delivery. Cloud or platform hosts that run the website and API.
Fonts and static assets. The marketing site may load fonts from Google Fonts or similar CDNs, which can receive your IP address and user-agent.
Email or support tools if you write to us.
Payment processors if paid plans are enabled.

Subprocessors act on our instructions or as independent controllers for their own service operations, as described in their policies. We may change providers. Material changes to the categories above will be reflected in an updated Policy.

7. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We do not share your recordings or transcripts with advertisers. We disclose information only as follows:

Service providers / subprocessors. Vendors who process data for the purposes in Section 5, under contracts that require appropriate protection where required by law.
At your direction. If we add export, share-link, classroom, or coach features and you use them.
Affiliates. Entities under common control, if any, that need the information to operate the Service and are bound to this Policy or to equivalent terms.
Legal and safety. If we believe disclosure is required by law, court order, or government request, or is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of SpeakNow, users, or the public.
Professional advisors. Lawyers, auditors, and insurers under confidentiality obligations.
Business transfers. In connection with a proposed or completed corporate transaction. If the Service is transferred, we will require the recipient to honor this Policy or to provide notice of changes.
Aggregated or de-identified data. We may share statistics that do not reasonably identify you, such as “percentage of sessions that hit the time cap.”

We do not allow third parties to use your session content to market their products to you. Model providers may process prompts according to their enterprise or API terms, which typically prohibit using API content to train public models when we use an API in that mode. We select API or comparable access where available rather than consumer chat products for production judging.

8. Cookies, local storage, and similar technologies

Essential / functional storage

The practice app uses browser storage to keep sessions, images, and preferences on your device so you can return to a report without creating an account.
This storage is necessary for the Service to function as designed.
You can delete it by clearing site data for SpeakNow in your browser settings, or by using in-product delete controls if shown.

Cookies and similar technologies on the website

The marketing site may use strictly necessary cookies or local storage to remember UI state (for example, an accordion or demo step).
If we later use analytics cookies (for example, to count visits) or advertising cookies, we will update this Policy and, where required, request consent.
Third-party embeds (fonts, video, or social buttons) may set their own cookies. Their policies govern that activity.

Your controls

Most browsers let you block cookies, delete stored data, and use private browsing.
Blocking all storage will prevent saved sessions from persisting.
Revoking microphone or camera permission in the browser stops future capture. It does not delete a transcript already saved locally.

9. Retention and deletion

Local session data. Kept on your device until you delete the session, clear site data, or the browser evicts storage. Some browsers cap storage; the app may prune older image data if space is exhausted.
Audio files on SpeakNow systems. Processed to create a transcript and then discarded from SpeakNow-controlled storage. We do not operate a cloud recording locker in the current product.
Transient server processing. Request payloads may exist in application memory, encrypted transit, server logs, or provider logs for a short period needed to complete the request, debug failures, and maintain security.
Support communications. Kept as long as needed to resolve your request and for a reasonable archival period thereafter.
Account and billing data (if any). Kept for the life of the account and for a period afterward as required for tax, accounting, and dispute resolution.
Security and legal holds. We may retain information longer if needed to investigate abuse, comply with law, or establish or defend legal claims.
Backups. Deletion from live systems may not instantly remove information from encrypted backups, which rotate on a delayed cycle.

If you want a local session removed, delete it in the product if that control exists, then clear the site’s stored data in your browser. If you believe we hold a server-side copy (for example, in a support email you sent), contact support@usespeaknow.com.

10. Security

We use administrative, technical, and organizational measures appropriate to the nature of the data, including:

Transport encryption (HTTPS) for the website and API in production deployments.
Access controls limiting who on our side can view operational systems.
Least-privilege API keys for model and transcription providers.
Avoiding unnecessary long-term storage of audio.
Monitoring for obvious abuse of public endpoints.

No internet transmission or browser storage is completely secure. You should:

Use a device you control, especially in shared school labs.
Not practice confidential material on a public computer if you cannot clear site data afterward.
Keep your browser and operating system updated.
Treat generated reports as sensitive if they contain unpublished product or personal details.

If we confirm a breach of Personal Data we control, we will notify affected users and authorities as required by law, with information reasonably available at the time about what happened, what categories of data were involved, and what we are doing in response.

11. Children

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
If you believe a child under 13 has submitted information, contact support@usespeaknow.com. We will delete the information from systems we control and provide guidance on clearing local browser data.
Users 13 to 17 may use the Service only with parent or guardian consent, as described in the Terms.
Schools and clubs that require student use are responsible for obtaining consents and for complying with FERPA, COPPA, state student-privacy laws, and their own policies. If a school is the controller, parents should contact the school first for student-record requests.

12. Your choices

Do not record. You can type or paste text instead of using the microphone where the product allows it.
Refuse the camera. All core scoring of words can run without video.
Limit what you upload. Redact names, confidential metrics, and unpublished strategy if you do not want them processed by AI providers.
Delete local data. Remove sessions in-product or clear site data.
Disable optional cookies if we later present a cookie banner, or via your browser.
Opt out of marketing using the unsubscribe link in a marketing email, if we send them. Service messages may still be sent.
Close an account if accounts exist, by contacting support.

13. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights regarding personal information we control:

Access. Request confirmation of whether we process your information and obtain a copy.
Correction. Request that we fix inaccurate information we hold.
Deletion. Request that we delete information we hold, subject to legal exceptions.
Portability. Request a machine-readable copy of information you provided.
Restriction or objection. Object to certain processing, including processing based on legitimate interests, or ask us to restrict processing.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, without affecting prior processing.
Appeal. If we deny a request, you may ask us to reconsider, and you may contact a regulator.
Lodge a complaint with a data-protection authority in your country or state.

To exercise rights, email support@usespeaknow.com with enough detail to identify you and the request. We may need to verify your identity. We will not discriminate against you for exercising privacy rights. We will respond within the time required by applicable law (often 45 days in U.S. state laws, or one month under GDPR, extendable as permitted).

Because much session data lives only in your browser, we may not be able to retrieve a local session we never stored. In that case, the effective way to access or delete it is on your device.

Authorized agents

You may use an authorized agent where law allows. We may require proof of authorization and still verify your identity.

EEA / UK representatives

If we are required to appoint an EU or UK representative, we will publish that contact in this Policy or on the website.

14. Additional U.S. state disclosures

This Section supplements the Policy for residents of California and other states with comprehensive privacy laws (including, as applicable, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Texas, and similar statutes).

Categories collected

In the preceding 12 months we may have collected the following categories of personal information, depending on how you use the Service:

Identifiers (email if you contact us; IP address; device and browser identifiers).
Customer records information if accounts or billing exist (name, billing metadata).
Commercial information (plan type, if any).
Internet or electronic-activity information (pages viewed, session telemetry, error logs).
Audio information (voice recordings processed for transcription).
Visual information (camera frames processed on-device if you enable camera).
Inferences drawn from session content (scores and comments about the pitch, not a marketing profile of your personality for advertising).
Education-related information if you include it in a rubric or pitch (school name, event, grade level).

We collect these categories from you, from your device, and from our subprocessors that return transcripts or model output.

Sources, purposes, and disclosure

Sources, purposes, and disclosure categories are described in Sections 3, 5, and 7. Recipients are service providers, processors, and the other parties listed in Section 7.

Sale and sharing

We do not sell personal information for money.
We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising as those terms are commonly defined in state law.
We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes other than those permitted for providing the Service (for example, processing audio you submit in order to transcribe it).
We do not have actual knowledge of selling or sharing the personal information of consumers under 16.

California “Shine the Light”

We do not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes. California residents may request information about our compliance with Civil Code § 1798.83 by emailing support@usespeaknow.com.

Notice at collection

At or before collection, this Policy serves as our notice of the categories of information collected and the purposes for which they are used, retained, and disclosed.

15. International transfers

We are based in the United States. If you use the Service from another country, your information will be processed in the United States and in other countries where our providers operate. Those countries may have different data-protection laws than your own, including laws that may be less protective.

Where required, we use appropriate transfer mechanisms, such as Standard Contractual Clauses, for transfers of personal data from the EEA, UK, or Switzerland to countries not recognized as providing adequate protection. You may request information about those mechanisms by contacting us.

16. Automated processing and AI

Judging, scoring, question generation, and parts of rubric parsing are automated. A human at SpeakNow does not personally grade each practice pitch.
These processes produce practice feedback. They are not intended to produce legal effects or similarly significant decisions about you, such as admission, hiring, or official contest placement.
You should not use SpeakNow as the sole basis for a consequential decision about a student, employee, or candidate.
You may request human review of how we handle your personal information (for example, a deletion request). That is not the same as a human re-grading your pitch.
We intend scoring to focus on argument, evidence, structure, timing, and similar contest-relevant criteria, not on accent, voice timbre, or personality. That is a product goal. Model error can still occur. See the Terms for related disclaimers.

17. Do Not Track and global privacy controls

Some browsers send a “Do Not Track” signal. There is no consistent industry standard for responding to DNT, and the Service does not currently respond to DNT signals. If we deploy a Global Privacy Control or similar opt-out preference signal for sale/sharing of personal information, we will treat it as a valid opt-out request for that type of processing to the extent required by law. Because we do not sell or share for cross-context advertising, such a signal may have no additional practical effect today.

18. Third-party sites

The Service may link to third-party websites, contest organizers, documentation, or model-provider policies. Those sites have their own privacy practices. We are not responsible for them. Review their policies before providing information there.

19. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. The “Effective” date at the top will change when we do. The updated Policy applies to information collected after the effective date, and to existing information to the extent permitted by law. If changes are material, we will provide additional notice where reasonably practicable, such as a notice on the Service. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acknowledgment of the updated Policy. If you do not agree, stop using the Service and delete local session data.

20. Definitions

“Personal information” or “Personal Data” means information that identifies, relates to, describes, or could reasonably be linked with an individual or household, as defined by applicable law.
“Process” means any operation on information, including collection, storage, use, disclosure, and deletion.
“Service” means the SpeakNow websites, practice application, and related services we provide.
“Subprocessor” means a vendor that processes personal information on our behalf to help provide the Service.
“User Content” means materials you submit, including rubrics, files, audio, video, and text, as described in the Terms.

If this Policy and the Terms conflict on a privacy topic, this Policy controls for that topic. For all other topics, the Terms control.

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