ThinkPod — Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how ThinkPod ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects personal information when you use the ThinkPod application and related services (the "Platform"). ThinkPod is an AI-powered audio companion that turns your text prompts into spoken stories, podcasts, and conversational audio. By using the Platform you consent to the collection and use of information as described. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

1. Quick summary (user‑facing)

• We collect basic account, profile, prompt, generated-audio, and device information to operate the Platform.
• Your prompts and generated audio are private to your account; they are not published to other users.
• To generate audio, your text prompts are sent to third-party AI providers (for text and speech generation). If you clone a voice, your reference audio is sent to our speech provider.
• We do not sell your personal data. We may share limited information with service providers, legal authorities, or to protect safety.
• You can request access, correction, or deletion of your data by contacting our Grievance Officer (placeholder).
• See full details below and the linked Terms of Use.

[Link] Terms of Use — ThinkPod
[Link] Full Privacy Policy — ThinkPod

2. Types of information we collect

a. Information you provide directly

• Account registration: we use Firebase Authentication (for example, phone number one-time password or Google sign-in). Depending on the method you choose, we receive a unique account identifier and details such as your phone number, email address, and basic profile information.
• Profile details: display name, age, gender, pronouns, short bio/"about me," locale, and your content and voice preferences (e.g., default voice, default content type, autoplay).
• Prompts and content: the text prompts and instructions you enter to generate stories, podcasts, or conversations, along with related conversation history and session titles.
• Voice samples (optional): if you use voice cloning, the reference audio recording you upload and its transcript. See Section 5.
• Support and reports: content you submit when contacting support or reporting an issue.

b. Information we generate for you

• Generated audio and text: the story/podcast outlines, scripts, and audio files produced from your prompts, plus metadata such as duration, beat/segment structure, and playback position and status.

c. Information collected automatically

• Device & usage data: device identifiers, operating system, app version, IP address, crash logs, and analytics about how you use the Platform.
• Engagement data: aggregate usage statistics such as number of generations, listening activity, and last-activity time, used to operate and improve the Platform.

d. Information from third parties

• If you sign in via a third‑party provider (e.g., Google through Firebase), we may receive profile information from that provider per its permissions and APIs.

3. How we use your information

We use information to:

• Provide and operate the Platform (create accounts, process your prompts, generate and store audio, and stream playback to you).
• Personalise your experience (apply your voice and content preferences, remember your "about me" context, and continue in-progress sessions).
• Communicate with you about your account, updates, safety notices, or policy changes.
• Maintain reliability and safety, investigate misuse, enforce our Terms, prevent fraud and abuse, and respond to legal requests.
• Improve and develop the Platform (analytics, quality monitoring, and product development).
• Comply with legal obligations and protect ThinkPod's rights, property, and users' safety.

4. AI processing and third-party AI providers

ThinkPod uses third-party artificial intelligence services to create your audio. To do this, the content you submit is transmitted to and processed by these providers:

• Text/script generation: your prompts (and, where relevant, prior conversation context) are sent to a large language model provider to plan outlines and write story/podcast text.
• Speech synthesis (text-to-speech): the generated text is sent to a speech provider to produce audio in the selected voice.
• Storage & infrastructure: generated audio and playlists are stored with our cloud storage provider, and account, profile, and session records are stored in our managed database.
• Real-world topics: if your prompt references current or factual topics, limited query terms may be sent to information sources (for example, weather or research lookups) to ground the content.

These providers process data on our behalf under their own terms and security practices, and may be located in India or other countries (see Section 12). We do not permit them to use your content to identify you for their own independent purposes beyond providing the service to us, except as allowed by their applicable terms.

5. Voice recordings and voice cloning

ThinkPod offers an optional voice-cloning feature. If you choose to use it, you upload a short reference audio recording and a transcript of what is spoken. That recording is sent to our speech provider to create a custom voice profile that can then be used to narrate your content.

• Consent and ownership: only upload a voice recording that is your own, or one you have explicit permission to use. Do not upload recordings of other people without their consent.
• Sensitivity: voice recordings can be personal and distinctive. We treat them as sensitive and limit their use to providing the cloning feature you requested.
• Deletion: you can request deletion of a cloned voice and its associated reference data, and we will remove it from our systems and request removal from our speech provider, subject to any legal retention requirements.

6. How we share information

We may share information in the following circumstances:

a. With service providers and AI processors

Third‑party vendors who perform services on our behalf (authentication, AI text and speech generation, cloud storage, database hosting, analytics, and, if/when added, payment processing). These providers may process data only as instructed by ThinkPod and under contractual and security obligations. See Sections 4 and 5.

b. For legal reasons and safety

• When required by law, court order, or government request; to respond to claims or legal process; or to enforce our Terms.
• To protect the safety, rights, property, or security of ThinkPod, our users, or the public (for example, in response to reports of illegal, abusive, or dangerous conduct).

c. Business transfers

If ThinkPod merges, is acquired, or sells assets, user data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify users where required by law.

d. Aggregated or anonymized data

We may share anonymized, de-identified, or aggregated data that does not reasonably identify you.

We do not sell personal data to third parties.

7. Payments and financial data

The Platform does not currently process in-app payments and does not store payment card data or transaction histories.

If we introduce paid features or subscriptions, we will publish an updated policy describing payment processing, data handling, and any use of third-party payment service providers (for example, app store billing). Payment card details would be handled by the relevant payment processor, not stored by ThinkPod.

8. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction (for example, encryption in transit, authentication, access controls, and secure hosting).

No system is perfectly secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data. If a data breach affecting your personal data occurs, we will comply with applicable law regarding notice and mitigation.

9. Data retention

We retain personal data — including your profile, prompts, generated audio, and any cloned-voice data — as long as necessary to provide the Platform, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce Agreements, and fulfil legitimate business purposes.

When data is no longer needed, we delete, anonymize, or aggregate it consistent with our data retention practices and legal obligations. You may request deletion as described in Section 10.

10. Your rights (Indian users)

Depending on applicable law, you may have rights including:

• Access: request a copy of personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: request deletion of personal data, including prompts, generated audio, and cloned voices, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Objection or restriction: object to certain processing or request restriction.
• Portability: request data portability where technically feasible.
• Withdraw consent: withdraw consent for optional processing (for example, voice cloning) at any time.

To exercise rights or submit requests, contact our Grievance Officer (placeholders below). We will respond as required by applicable law.

11. Children

The Platform is not directed at children and is not intended for users below the minimum age required by applicable law to provide consent without a parent or guardian. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children in violation of law. If we become aware that we have collected such data, we will take steps to delete it.

12. International data transfers

The Platform is operated in India. Your data is stored and processed on servers in India or by service providers (including the AI and cloud providers described in Sections 4 and 5) who may be located in India or other countries. By using the Platform, you consent to the transfer, storage, and processing of data in jurisdictions that may have different data protection laws.

13. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified via the Platform or email if you have provided contact details. Continued use after notice constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

14. Grievance Officer and contact

In accordance with applicable Indian law, we will designate a Grievance Officer for privacy requests and statutory complaints. Placeholder details (to be updated):

• Grievance Officer: [Insert Name]
• Email: [insert-email@example.com]
• Phone: [Insert phone number]
• Postal address: [Insert postal address, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India]

Send privacy requests, complaints, or legal notices to the above contact. We will respond in accordance with applicable law.

15. Third‑party links and services

The Platform may contain links to third‑party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. Review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

16. How to contact us

For questions about this Privacy Policy or to exercise your data rights, contact our Grievance Officer at the placeholder email above.

17. Additional legal notes

This Policy is intended to be consistent with applicable Indian laws, including the Information Technology Act, 2000 (and its rules) and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, as and when its provisions and rules come into force. It is a general policy and may need updates as data protection laws and their implementing rules evolve.

This Privacy Policy forms part of, and is incorporated into, our Terms of Use.