Privacy Policy: The LINK Project app
Effective date: [[EFFECTIVE DATE]]
This privacy policy explains what information The LINK Project app collects, why we collect it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and how you can delete it.
We have tried to write it in simple English. If anything is unclear, please email us at thelinkproject.org@gmail.com.
1. Who we are
The LINK Project is [[ORGANISATION DESCRIPTION, for example: a student-led initiative in Singapore that helps migrant workers learn English]]. We make The LINK Project app ("the app"). The app is published on Google Play by [[DEVELOPER NAME ON GOOGLE PLAY]] on behalf of The LINK Project.
In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" mean The LINK Project. "You" means a person who uses the app.
Data Protection Officer: [[DPO NAME]] Email: thelinkproject.org@gmail.com
2. Who the app is for
The app is for adults aged 18 and over. Please do not use the app if you are under 18. If we learn that someone under 18 has made an account, we will delete it.
3. Your account
You need an account to use the app. Your LINK app account is only for this app. It is separate from any account on The LINK Project website.
When you make an account, we collect:
- your email address
- your password
- your username, first name and last name, if the sign-up screen asks for them
If you choose "Continue with Google", Google shares your name, email address and profile photo with us.
We use a company called Clerk to handle sign-in. Your password goes only to Clerk. Our own servers never see it. Clerk also records technical details when you sign in, such as your IP address and the type of phone and browser you use. This keeps your account safe.
We keep a copy of your email address, username, name and profile photo link in our own database, so we can show them on your Account screen.
4. Your learning
We keep:
- your first language, which you choose from a list. We use it for explanations, the app's language, the tutor's language and translations.
- the lessons you have finished: which lesson, the date, how many times you did it, your best score, and your speaking score.
We keep your finished lessons on our server so you do not lose your progress if you lose or change your phone.
We do not keep your answers to exercises on our server. Only your final result is saved there.
5. Speaking practice and your voice
In speaking practice, you record your voice and talk with an AI tutor.
When you record your voice:
- The recording goes from your phone to our server.
- Our server sends it to Google's Gemini AI, which writes down what you said and decides what the tutor says next.
- The tutor's reply is turned into speech by Google Cloud Text-to-Speech. If that service is busy, Google's Gemini AI makes the speech instead.
We send the words of your conversation so far along with each recording, so the tutor knows what has already been said. We do not send your name, email address or account details to Google.
We do not keep your recordings. Our server passes each recording to Google and does not save it. On your phone, the recording is deleted after the tutor answers, or when you leave speaking practice.
What Google does with it: We use Google's paid service. Google says it does not use this data to improve its products. Google keeps it for up to 55 days, only to detect misuse of its service. Google Cloud Text-to-Speech does not keep the text it turns into speech.
If you stop in the middle of a conversation, the words of the conversation (not the recordings) stay on your phone for up to 24 hours so you can continue. After that, they are deleted.
The app asks for permission to use your microphone. You can say no, but then speaking practice will not work. You can change this at any time in your phone's settings.
6. Translating words
When you hold your finger on an English word, the app sends the word and the sentence it is in to our server. Our server sends them to Google's Gemini AI to find the meaning in your first language.
We save the word and its meaning for up to 90 days so the next person who holds the same word gets the answer faster. We do not save the sentence, and we do not save who asked. This saved information cannot be linked to you.
7. Information kept only on your phone
The app keeps some information on your phone so it works without an internet connection:
- your finished lessons and your first language
- your place in a lesson you have not finished, and which exercises you got right (for up to 14 days)
- a speaking conversation you have not finished (for up to 24 hours)
- words you have already translated
When you sign out, your lesson progress and first language stay on the phone so you can continue when you sign in again. When you delete your account, the app removes your progress and first language from the phone. Uninstalling the app removes everything the app kept on the phone.
8. Technical information
Our server runs on Vercel. Like every website and app, Vercel receives your phone's IP address when the app connects, so it can send the answer back.
When something goes wrong, our server records an error message so we can fix it. These error messages do not include what you said or what you were reading.
To stop one account from overloading the service, we count how many requests each account makes in one minute. These counts are deleted after about 2 minutes.
9. What we do not do
- We do not show ads.
- We do not sell your information.
- We do not share your information for marketing.
- We do not use tracking or analytics tools.
- We do not collect your location, contacts, photos or files.
10. Who we share information with
We only share information with the companies that help us run the app:
| Company | What it does for us | What it receives |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk | Sign-in and accounts | Your email, password, name, and sign-in details |
| Google (Gemini AI) | AI tutor and translations | Your voice recordings, conversation words, the tutor's replies, and words you translate |
| Google Cloud Text-to-Speech | The tutor's voice | The tutor's replies only |
| MongoDB | Our database | Your account details, first language and finished lessons |
| Vercel | Runs our server | Everything the app sends to our server, while it is being processed |
We may also share information if the law requires us to.
11. Where your information is stored
Our team is in Singapore. The companies above may store or process your information in other countries, including [[DATABASE AND SERVER REGIONS, for example: the United States]]. Each of these companies has its own data protection terms. We choose companies whose terms protect personal information to a standard comparable to Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act.
12. How we protect your information
- All information between the app and our server is sent over an encrypted connection (HTTPS).
- Your sign-in is stored in your phone's secure storage.
- Our server checks that you are signed in before it gives or saves any of your information.
- Only our server and the team members who maintain it can reach our database.
- Clerk looks after passwords. We never see or store them.
No system is completely safe. If a data breach harms you, or affects many people, we will tell you and Singapore's Personal Data Protection Commission as the law requires.
13. How long we keep information
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Your account details, first language and finished lessons | Until you delete your account |
| Voice recordings | Not kept by us. Kept by Google for up to 55 days to detect misuse |
| Conversation words | Not kept by us. On your phone for up to 24 hours |
| Saved translations | Up to 90 days, not linked to you |
| Request counts | About 2 minutes |
When you delete your account, we keep only your account ID number and the date you deleted it. We keep this so your old information cannot come back by mistake. It does not include your name, email or anything else about you.
14. Deleting your account
In the app: go to Account, tap Delete account, type DELETE, and tap Delete.
This deletes your account and your information from our database and from your phone straight away. If our server has a problem at that moment, it finishes the deletion automatically within a day.
Without the app: go to Delete your account or email thelinkproject.org@gmail.com from the email address you signed up with. Write "Delete my account" in the subject. We will delete your account within 30 days and email you when it is done.
15. Your rights
You can:
- see your information: your account details are on the Account screen. To get a copy of everything we hold about you, email us.
- correct your information: change your name and username on the Edit profile screen, or email us.
- withdraw your consent: you can stop using the app and delete your account at any time. If you only want to stop speaking practice, turn off microphone permission for the app.
- ask a question or complain: email thelinkproject.org@gmail.com. We will reply within [[NUMBER]] days.
If you are not happy with our answer, you can contact Singapore's Personal Data Protection Commission at www.pdpc.gov.sg.
16. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the effective date at the top. If the change is important, we will also tell you in the app before it takes effect.
17. Contact us
The LINK Project
Data Protection Officer: [[DPO NAME]]
Email: thelinkproject.org@gmail.com