Privacy Policy
Last updated: May 3, 2026
TextReads is operated by Alabra Labs. 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. Payment data (card numbers, billing address) is processed directly by Paddle — we never see raw card data | To charge for and manage paid plans | As required by tax & accounting law (typically 7 years) |
Data Use Commitments#
These commitments apply to all user data TextReads collects or handles, including article text and authentication tokens.
- —We only use your data to provide the service. Data collected by the extension is used solely to read articles aloud and improve that experience. We do not use it for any unrelated purpose.
- —We do not transfer your data except as required. Your data is only shared with third-party services strictly necessary to operate TextReads (see §8), or as required by law or security investigation.
- —We do not use your data for advertising. Your data is never used to serve personalized, re-targeted, or interest-based advertisements — by us or any third party.
- —No human reads your page text. Article text is processed automatically by our speech service. No employee or contractor reads it, except in aggregate or anonymized form for internal reporting, or as required for a specific security investigation.
- —We do not keep a permanent copy of the text you have read. Page text 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.
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.
Third-Party Services#
The following third-party services receive user data as part of operating TextReads. Each acts as a data processor under our instructions, not as a data broker or advertiser.
- —Supabase (supabase.com) — provides user authentication and account storage. Supabase holds your email, hashed password, and session tokens on our behalf.
- —Cloudflare (cloudflare.com) — our API gateway runs on Cloudflare Workers. Article text passes through Cloudflare’s network in transit to our speech service. Cloudflare does not store or use this content.
- —Modal (modal.com) — hosts our text-to-speech inference service. Article text is sent here to generate audio and word timing. Modal processes the text transiently and does not retain it.
- —Paddle (paddle.com) — acts as our Merchant of Record for subscription billing. Paddle processes payment data (card details, billing address) directly on their platform; we never receive raw card numbers. Paddle is independently responsible for tax collection, remittance, and compliance with applicable financial regulations.
We do not sell your data to any of these providers or any other third party for advertising or marketing purposes.
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. You can also reach us by post: Alabra Labs, Suite 329/98-100 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia.