Privacy Policy
Last updated: April 29, 2026
TextReads (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights as a user of the TextReads Chrome extension and website (collectively, the “Service”).
How Text-to-Speech Works
When you press play on a page, here’s what happens:
- 1.The extension extracts the readable text on the page (the same text a screen reader would).
- 2.It sends that text — plus the URL, your voice choice, and your speed — over an encrypted (TLS) connection to our speech service.
- 3.Our service generates audio and sentence/word timing, and streams it back to your browser.
- 4.The audio plays in your tab. Nothing is uploaded from your device that you haven't explicitly chosen to read.
If a page is private (behind a login, on an internal network, etc.), our service still only sees the text you press play on — not the rest of the page, not your cookies, not your other tabs.
What We Collect
We collect the smallest amount of information needed to read pages aloud and run a working account.
| Category | What it is | Why | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account | Email, hashed password, name, sign-in timestamps | To create your account and let you sign in | Until you delete your account |
| Page text | The text content of the page you press "play" on, sent to our speech service | To synthesize the audio you hear | Up to 7 days, in encrypted logs, for debugging only. Then deleted. |
| URL | The URL of the page being read | So we can reproduce a bug if the extension misbehaves on a specific site | Up to 7 days, alongside the request log. Then deleted. |
| Usage | Minutes listened, voice chosen, playback speed, error counts | To enforce the free-plan minute cap and improve the product | Aggregated indefinitely; per-user records 13 months |
| Billing | Plan, subscription status, last 4 digits of card. Card numbers are held by our processor (Stripe) — we never see them | To charge for and manage paid plans | As required by tax & accounting law (typically 7 years) |
What We Don't Store
- —We do not keep a permanent copy of the text you have read. The page text we receive is processed for speech, returned as audio, and then expires from our debug logs within seven days at most.
- —We do not keep a browsing history. URLs only appear in our logs alongside a speech request you made — and only for that same short window.
- —We do not train AI on your content. Your page text is not used to train, tune, or evaluate any speech, language, or other model — ours, or any vendor’s.
- —We do not sell or rent your data. Not to advertisers, not to data brokers, not to anyone.
- —We do not read pages you haven’t asked us to. The extension only reads what you select and press play on. It does not silently scrape pages in the background.
Cookies and Local Storage
We use cookies and browser local storage strictly for:
- —Keeping you signed in (session token)
- —Storing your playback preferences locally on your device
We do not use third-party tracking or advertising cookies.
Data Retention and Deletion
Per-category retention periods are listed in the table in §2. To request account deletion, contact us at support@textreads.com. We will delete your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law (e.g. billing records).
Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have rights to:
- —Access the personal data we hold about you
- —Request correction or deletion of your data
- —Object to or restrict processing
- —Data portability
To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@textreads.com.
Children's Privacy
The Service is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the new policy on this page with an updated date. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance.
Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy? Email us at support@textreads.com.