Privacy Policy

No accounts, no text tracking

Vocalize4u does not require you to sign up, log in, or create an account. We don't run analytics that profiles you across sites, and we never sell or share the text you read or download. The one exception is advertising: Vocalize4u shows ads served by Google AdSense to help cover hosting costs, and that ad network sets its own cookies and collects its own data as described below.

Reading aloud in your browser

When you paste text and press "Start Reading," playback uses the Web Speech API — a feature built into your browser and operating system. This processing happens entirely on your device. Your text is never uploaded or sent to our server for in-browser reading.

Advertising

Vocalize4u shows ads through Google AdSense to help fund hosting and development. Google and its advertising partners may use cookies, device identifiers, or similar technologies to serve ads and measure their performance, and — where permitted in your region — to personalize ads based on your visits to this and other sites. Vocalize4u itself does not receive or store the data these cookies collect; that happens on Google's side, governed by Google's advertising policy.

• You can opt out of personalized ads via Google Ads Settings, or if you're in the EU, via aboutads.info / youronlinechoices.eu. Opting out reduces ad relevance, not the number of ads shown.
• The text you read or download is never sent to the ad network. Ad targeting is based on standard browser/device signals collected by Google, not on anything you type into Vocalize4u.
• ads.txt. Vocalize4u publishes an ads.txt file authorizing Google to sell ad space on this site, as required by the AdSense program.

Downloading audio

When you use the "Download" button, the text you want converted is sent to Vocalize4u's own server so it can be synthesized into an audio file using Piper, an open-source voice engine we run ourselves — not a third-party cloud API. A few specifics on what happens to that text:

• Temporary caching for performance. The resulting audio file is cached on our server, keyed to a hash of the text, voice, and speed you chose, so that requesting the exact same audio again doesn't require re-generating it. Cached files are automatically deleted after 24 hours (or sooner, depending on server configuration).
• No account linkage. Downloads are not tied to an account or identity — Vocalize4u doesn't have accounts.
• Not used for training or shared with third parties. Your text and the resulting audio are not sold, shared with advertisers, or used to train any model.

Rate limiting

To keep the free download feature available to everyone, download requests are rate-limited per IP address (a generous hourly cap). This is handled in memory on our server for abuse prevention and is not used to build a profile of you or retained beyond what's needed for that limit.

Server logs

Like virtually any web server, our hosting infrastructure may generate short-lived technical logs (e.g. IP address, timestamp, requested URL) for security and debugging purposes. These are standard operational logs, not analytics or tracking, and are not used to build advertising profiles.

Local storage on your device

Vocalize4u saves a few preferences — your chosen theme, voice, speed, and pitch — in your browser's local storage so the app remembers your settings next time. This data stays on your device; it is never transmitted to our server.

Progressive Web App / offline caching

If you install Vocalize4u or simply keep it open, a service worker may cache the app's own files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) in your browser so in-browser reading keeps working offline. This cache stores app code, not your text.

Third-party links and services

The "Buy Me a Coffee" button, the Piper attribution link, and the ads served by Google AdSense (see "Advertising" above) all involve third-party services with their own privacy practices, which we don't control. We recommend reviewing their policies separately.

Children's privacy

Vocalize4u does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone, including children, because it does not collect personal information at all — there are no accounts or profiles of any kind.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the update will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Continued use of Vocalize4u after a change means you accept the revised policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Reach out via the Contact Us page.