Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 26, 2026

1. Introduction

Talk Thai ("Service," "we," "our," or "us") is operated by Declan Wright, an individual sole proprietor. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use our mobile applications, websites, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Service.

This Privacy Policy applies to all users of the Service, including users who access the Service via web browsers, iOS applications, Android applications, or any other platform through which the Service is made available.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in the following categories:

2.1 Account and Authentication Information

When you create an account, we collect information depending on your chosen authentication method:

  • Google Sign-In: Email address, display name, profile photo URL
  • Apple Sign-In: Email address (real or Apple relay), name (if provided)
  • Email/Password: Email address, encrypted password hash

2.2 Profile Information

Information you voluntarily provide, which may include:

  • First and last name
  • Thai name (optional)
  • Self-assessed language proficiency levels
  • Learning goals and preferences
  • Gender (used solely for grammatical purposes in Thai language features)
  • Profile photographs you upload

2.3 Payment and Transaction Information

When you make purchases, we or our payment processors collect:

  • Transaction identifiers and purchase history
  • Subscription status and billing cycle information
  • Payment method type (we do not store full payment card numbers)

Payment processing is handled by third-party payment processors including Apple (App Store), Google (Play Store), and Lemon Squeezy. These processors may collect additional information pursuant to their own privacy policies.

2.4 Usage and Learning Activity Data

We automatically collect data about your use of the Service, including but not limited to:

  • Lesson completion status and assessment scores
  • Vocabulary and flashcard progress
  • Session duration and feature usage patterns
  • Points, streaks, achievements, and gamification data
  • Custom vocabulary entries and saved content

2.5 Audio, Video, and Media

When you use speech and conversation features, we may collect:

  • Audio recordings you create for pronunciation practice
  • Video recordings for applicable features
  • Images and handwriting samples you submit

Audio and video recordings are transmitted to third-party processing services for analysis and are typically not retained after processing. Media collection requires your explicit device permission, which you may revoke at any time through your device settings.

2.6 User-Generated Content

Content you create or share through the Service, including:

  • Chat messages and communications with other users
  • Stories, writing samples, and educational content you create
  • Links to external content you share
  • Feedback, reports, and communications with us

2.7 Device and Technical Information

We automatically collect technical information including:

  • Device type, operating system, and version
  • Browser type and version
  • IP address and approximate geographic location
  • Unique device identifiers
  • App version and crash reports

2.8 Local Storage

We store certain preferences and data locally on your device, including display settings, theme preferences, and cached content. This local data is not transmitted to our servers unless necessary for Service functionality.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

3.1 Service Provision and Improvement

  • Provide, maintain, and improve the Service
  • Process your account registration and manage your account
  • Track and display your learning progress
  • Provide personalized learning recommendations
  • Enable community features such as leaderboards and chat

3.2 Payment Processing

  • Process subscription payments and manage billing
  • Verify entitlements and subscription status
  • Process refund requests
  • Prevent fraud and unauthorized transactions

3.3 Communication

  • Send transactional emails (account verification, password resets, purchase confirmations)
  • Respond to your inquiries and support requests
  • Send Service-related announcements when necessary

3.4 Safety and Security

  • Monitor and moderate user-generated content for policy compliance
  • Detect, prevent, and address technical issues
  • Protect against harmful, fraudulent, or illegal activity
  • Enforce our Terms of Service

3.5 Analytics and Research

  • Understand how users interact with the Service
  • Measure the effectiveness of educational content
  • Develop new features and services

4. Third-Party Service Providers

We engage third-party companies and services to facilitate the Service. These providers have access to your information only to perform specific tasks on our behalf and are obligated to protect your information.

4.1 Cloud Infrastructure and Authentication

Google Firebase: We use Firebase for authentication, database storage (Cloud Firestore), file storage (Cloud Storage), and hosting. Data is stored on Google Cloud infrastructure. See Google's Privacy Policy.

4.2 Content Processing Services

Google Cloud APIs: Audio, text, and images submitted for educational feedback are processed using Google Cloud services for speech recognition, language processing, and content analysis. See Google Cloud Privacy Notice.

4.3 Payment Processors

Apple App Store: For iOS in-app purchases and subscriptions. See Apple's Privacy Policy.

Google Play Store: For Android in-app purchases and subscriptions. See Google's Privacy Policy.

Lemon Squeezy: For web-based purchases. See Lemon Squeezy's Privacy Policy.

RevenueCat: For subscription management and entitlement verification across platforms. See RevenueCat's Privacy Policy.

4.4 Error Monitoring and Analytics

Sentry: We use Sentry to monitor application errors and performance. Sentry may collect error logs, device information, IP addresses, and session recordings for debugging purposes. See Sentry's Privacy Policy.

4.5 External Content

The Service may integrate content from third-party platforms (such as YouTube) for educational purposes. We fetch only publicly available content and do not share your personal information with these platforms beyond what is necessary to retrieve the content.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

5.1 Information Visible to Other Users

Certain information is visible to other authenticated users of the Service:

  • Display name and profile photo (on leaderboards and in chat)
  • Points, rankings, and achievement information
  • Chat messages you send in public or group chats
  • User-generated content you choose to share publicly

5.2 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers as described in Section 4, solely to the extent necessary to provide the Service.

5.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., court orders, subpoenas, government agencies).

5.4 Protection of Rights

We may disclose information when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request.

5.5 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on the Service of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information.

5.6 What We Do Not Do

  • We do not sell your personal information to third parties
  • We do not share your personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes
  • We do not use third-party advertising networks or behavioral advertising

6. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide the Service and fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy:

  • Account data: Retained until you delete your account
  • Learning progress: Retained for the duration of your account
  • Chat messages: Automatically deleted after 5 weeks
  • Temporary content: Automatically deleted according to feature-specific timeframes
  • Payment records: Retained as required for tax and legal compliance (typically 7 years)
  • Audio/video recordings: Deleted immediately after processing

After account deletion, we may retain certain information in anonymized or aggregated form for analytics purposes, or as required by law.

7. Your Rights and Choices

7.1 Access and Data Portability

You can export your data at any time using the "Export My Data" feature in your profile settings. This provides a machine-readable file containing your profile information, learning progress, vocabulary, and activity data.

7.2 Correction

You can update or correct your profile information at any time through the app settings.

7.3 Deletion

You can delete your account and associated personal data at any time through your profile settings. Upon deletion, we will remove your personal information from our active databases, subject to certain exceptions (legal requirements, anonymized data, backup retention periods).

7.4 Device Permissions

You can control app permissions (camera, microphone, notifications) through your device settings at any time.

7.5 Subscription Management

You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time through the platform where you subscribed (Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or your web account).

8. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

  • Right to Know: You have the right to request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
  • Right to Delete: You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
  • Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information. If this changes, we will provide a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 14. We will verify your identity before processing your request.

9. International Data Transfers

The Service is operated from the United States. If you are accessing the Service from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States and other countries where our service providers maintain facilities.

Your information may be stored and processed in the following locations:

  • United States (primary infrastructure)
  • Other locations where Google Cloud and our service providers maintain data centers

By using the Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to these locations, which may have different data protection laws than your jurisdiction.

10. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including:

  • Encryption of data in transit (TLS/HTTPS)
  • Encryption of sensitive data at rest
  • Access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel
  • Security rules restricting database access to authenticated users and data owners
  • Regular security assessments and updates

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

11. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under the age of 13 (or such higher age as required by applicable law). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information from our servers.

12. Automated Content Moderation

The Service uses automated systems to screen user-generated content for compliance with our policies. This automated screening:

  • Analyzes content before it is posted or shared with other users
  • May block or flag content that violates our policies
  • Operates in addition to (not instead of) user reporting mechanisms

By using features that involve user-generated content, you acknowledge and consent to this automated processing.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Effective Date" at the top.

For material changes that significantly affect how we use your personal information, we will provide additional notice (such as an in-app notification or email, where feasible).

Your continued use of the Service after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

We will respond to your inquiry within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 30 days.

Email: Email: dmw335@cornell.edu

Phone: Phone: +1 (207) 522-5816

This Privacy Policy was last updated on January 26, 2026. By using Talk Thai, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.