Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 25, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to Echo Translate! We value your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your information when you use the Echo Translate browser extension and website (collectively, "the Service").

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

• Email address: Collected when you choose to log in. Login is not mandatory — you can use basic features anonymously.
• Authentication data: We use one-time passcodes (OTP) sent to your email for secure login. We do not store passwords.

2.2 Usage Data

• Translation volume: We track the number of words and paragraphs you translate after you log in, to manage service limits and improve the Service.
• Lookup history: We do not keep a history of the words you look up. Until October 2026 we kept one for logged-in users (a one-way hash of each word, not the word itself) for the weekly progress report; it has been deleted. The weekly report is now computed in your browser from your Encounter Book.
• Extension settings: Your preferences such as target language and translation model are stored locally in your browser.

2.3 Payment Information

• Billing data: When you subscribe to a paid plan, payment is processed by Stripe, our third-party payment processor. We do not store your credit card number or payment details on our servers. We store your Stripe customer ID and subscription status to manage your account.

2.4 Analytics Data

• Website analytics: We use PostHog to collect usage data on our website, such as page views and feature interactions. This helps us understand how the Service is used and improve it.
• Extension usage events: The browser extension sends usage events to PostHog — for example installing the extension, translating a word or paragraph, a word you looked up earlier being highlighted when it appears again, opening its recall tooltip, and upgrade prompts being shown or clicked. An event records what happened, when, and settings such as the translation mode. Events never include the address of the page you are reading or any text from it. When an event concerns a specific word, the word is replaced by a one-way hash made with a random key that stays in your browser, so we cannot tell which word it was. Before you log in, events are linked to a random ID. After you log in, they are linked to an ID derived from your account with a secret key; it cannot be turned back into your email address, and your email address is not sent. (Extension versions before 2.2 linked events to your account email address.)

2.5 Text You Translate and AI Features

• Translation: When you translate, the extension sends the word or text you selected and the sentence around it (or the whole paragraph) to our server, which has it translated by Google's Gemini API. Our server keeps results only in a temporary in-memory cache so repeated lookups are faster; it does not store the text you selected.
• "Use it right": The card sends the word, the sentence you are reading, and the sentences where you met the word before, each with the website's domain (for example, bbc.com), to our server and the Gemini API, to explain what the word meant in each of them. The general part of the card (common mistakes, words not to confuse it with) is generated once per word by Anthropic's Claude API, which receives only the word itself, and is shared by all users; it contains none of your sentences.
• AI coach: The coach sends the word, the sentence, the address of the page you are reading without the part after “?” or “#” (older versions of the extension send the full address, and our server removes that part before using it), and the words you looked up recently. To find related words, our server reads your synced Encounter Book; the Gemini API receives the word, the sentence and the related words.
• Cloud sync (Pro, including the 7-day trial, when turned on): for each word in your Encounter Book we store the word, its meaning, the sentence where you last looked it up, the address of that page without the part after “?” or “#”, the page title, the languages, when and how often you looked it up, whether you starred it, and its mastery level. For a word you looked up in a YouTube video, the address and title are those of the video (youtu.be/ followed by the video ID); the point in the video where you looked it up stays on your device.

2.6 Cookies and Local Storage

• Cookies: Our website uses cookies for analytics (PostHog) and essential site functionality.
• Local storage: The browser extension uses local storage to save your preferences and authentication state.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve the Service.
• Manage your account, subscription, and access to features.
• Process payments and manage billing through Stripe.
• Analyze usage patterns to improve the Service.
• Communicate with you about your account or the Service.
• Comply with legal obligations.

4. Third-Party Services

We share information with the following third-party services, only as necessary to operate the Service:

We do not sell your personal information to any third party.

5. Data Storage and Security

• Your data is stored on encrypted servers.
• We use industry-standard security measures including HTTPS encryption for all data in transit.
• Payment data is handled by Stripe in compliance with PCI DSS standards.

6. Data Retention

• Account data: Retained as long as your account is active. You may request deletion at any time.
• Translation usage data: Retained for the duration of your account to manage service limits.
• Synced Encounter Book: Retained as long as your account exists, also after you turn off sync or your plan changes. You may request deletion at any time.
• Analytics data: Stored by PostHog and retained according to its data retention policy, currently 1 year.
• Payment records: Retained as required by applicable tax and financial regulations.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data.
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data.
• Portability: Request your data in a portable format.
• Opt-out: Use the Service without logging in for basic features.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@echo-translate.com.

8. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at support@echo-translate.com.