TaleMeTaleMe Privacy Policy
Draft placeholder. Written from how the app works today, for review by Atom Tech Consulting LLC and its lawyer before release. Items in [brackets] need filling in.
TaleMe is a storyteller for young children: an iPhone on a stand watches a picture book, reads each page aloud, and can ask the child one question about the page. This policy explains what TaleMe collects, why, who it is shared with, and the choices parents have. TaleMe is made by Atom Tech Consulting LLC ("we").
For parents
TaleMe is meant to be set up and controlled by a parent or guardian, who signs in, agrees to this policy and the Terms, and buys reading time. Children use it only while a parent's account is signed in. We ask a parent or guardian to agree before the camera or microphone is used, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a child without that consent.
Summary
- No ads, no analytics, no tracking, and no third-party SDKs in the app.
- The child's voice stays on the phone: it is turned into words there and is not sent to us or to anyone else.
- Photos of the book and the words of the child's answers are sent to process the reading, then discarded by us. We do not keep them, and we do not use them to train AI models.
- Your account is tied to Sign in with Apple. We do not receive your name, and we receive your email address only if you join the waitlist while TaleMe is invite-only.
- You can delete your account in the app at any time: Settings › Delete account.
What we collect, and why
| What | Why | Kept |
|---|---|---|
| An anonymous identifier from Sign in with Apple (not your name or email) | Your account | Until you delete the account |
| Reading time left and reading time used; the start and length of each reading session | Metering the reading time you bought | Account: until deleted. Sessions: 90 days |
| Purchase records from the App Store (transaction number, product, date) | Crediting reading time, refunds, and tax and accounting records | As long as the law requires, even after the account is deleted [CONFIRM PERIOD] |
| Photos of the book from the camera, while reading or setting up. A photo may also show hands, a face or the room if they are in view. | Reading the page aloud, and checking that the book is in view | Not stored by us (see "Processors") |
| The words of the child's answer after the storyteller asks a question, if "Talk with my child" is on. The phone's own speech recognition turns the child's voice into words; the sound itself is not sent. | Replying to the child once, and following up on later pages of the same reading. Usually sent from the phone straight to OpenAI; if that connection isn't ready, sent through our server | Not stored by us (see "Processors") |
| While TaleMe is invite-only: the invite code you used, or, if you join the waitlist without one, the email address Apple shares with us (your own, or a private relay address if you choose "Hide My Email") | Letting you in, and writing to you with an invite code | Until you delete the account |
| Feedback you send from the app: your message and the app's version | Fixing problems and improving TaleMe | Until you delete the account |
| The child's first name, age and language level, if you enter them | Talking to suit the child. Stored on the phone; sent with each page and answer, not stored by us | On the phone until you change or remove them |
| Technical logs: which feature was used, timings, sizes, errors. No photos, audio or text of the book or the child | Running and fixing the service | 3 months |
Voice commands ("next page", "read again", "stop reading", "keep going") are recognized on the phone and are not sent to us.
Processors
We use these companies to provide TaleMe, under contracts that limit their use of the data to providing the service:
- OpenAI reads the page photos, writes the narration, turns it into speech, and reads the words of the child's answers and speaks the reply. It does not receive the child's voice. OpenAI does not use data sent through its API to train its models. It may keep it for up to 30 days to detect abuse, then deletes it [CONFIRM: ZERO DATA RETENTION STATUS].
- Amazon Web Services runs our server and stores the account data, in the United States (us-west-2).
- Apple provides Sign in with Apple and handles payments. We never see payment details.
We do not sell or share personal information for advertising, and we do not disclose it to anyone else unless the law requires it.
Choices and rights
- Turn features off: Settings › "Talk with my child" stops listening for answers and sending their words; "Voice commands" stops listening; "Read pages as they're turned" sends photos only when asked.
- Delete the account: Settings › Delete account deletes the account, its reading sessions, any feedback and any waitlist email at once. Purchase records stay as described above.
- Review or delete a child's information: we do not store photos, audio or the child's name, so there is nothing of that kind to review. Write to [CONTACT EMAIL] with any request, including under COPPA, GDPR or US state privacy laws, and we will answer within [30] days.
Security
All traffic between the app and our server is encrypted (HTTPS). The server's keys are kept in a secrets store, and access to the account data is limited to our staff who run the service.
Test builds
Test versions used by our team and invited testers can record a whole reading session on the phone (video, photos, audio and timings) to improve TaleMe. In those versions, feedback can include the last reading's event log if the tester chooses: page turns, timings, the narration, and the words recognized from what was said, but no photos, video or sound. This is off and unavailable in the App Store version.
Changes
If we change this policy in a way that matters, the app asks a parent to agree again before reading continues.
Contact
Atom Tech Consulting LLC, [POSTAL ADDRESS]. (408) 320-5984. [CONTACT EMAIL].