1. Privacy at a Glance
- Your library is primarily local. Imported documents, extracted text, covers, reading progress, bookmarks, notes, statistics, settings, and downloaded audio are stored on your device unless a feature described below requires cloud processing.
- Cloud narration is optional. When you select a cloud voice, the text you choose to narrate, together with the selected voice and playback settings, is sent to our cloud services and text-to-speech providers to generate audio. On-device voices do not send document text to us for narration.
- Accounts use an email address or supported sign-in provider. We process your email address and authentication information through Supabase and, when selected, Google or Apple.
- Cloud voice usage is metered. We keep account-linked subscription, purchase, device-installation, synthesis-job, and usage-ledger records so that we can verify entitlements, prevent duplicate charges, enforce plan limits, and restore purchases.
- The free tier may include advertising. Google AdMob may process advertising identifiers, device information, IP address, and ad interactions, subject to consent and platform controls where required.
- We do not sell personal information for money. Personalized advertising may involve disclosures that some laws define as “sharing” for targeted or cross-context behavioural advertising. Section 6 explains this in more detail.
- Privacy requests go to one address. Contact our Privacy Officer at info@apexforge.tech.
2. Who Is Responsible for Your Information
The organization responsible for personal information under this Policy is:
Apex Forge Tech Inc.
Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Attention: Privacy Officer
Email: info@apexforge.tech
3. Information We Handle
3.1 Information stored locally on your device
InkDub stores the following information locally to provide an offline-first reading experience:
- imported document files and extracted text;
- book metadata, cover images, and file hashes used for duplicate detection;
- reading and listening progress, playback position, bookmarks, notes, and reading statistics;
- app, reading, voice, theme, notification, and accessibility preferences;
- locally generated or downloaded narration, word-timing data, and audio cache files; and
- authentication tokens and other credentials stored using the device keychain or keystore where supported.
This local information is not uploaded to our servers for library synchronization. It remains on your device until you delete it through the App, clear the App's data, or uninstall the App. Device backups controlled by you or your platform provider may retain a copy under that provider's terms.
3.2 Account and authentication information
If you create or use an account, we may process:
- your email address;
- an authentication credential for email-and-password sign-in (handled by Supabase Auth; we do not store your password in readable form);
- your Supabase user identifier, account creation date, and authentication/session records;
- an optional display name, profile image, and preferences; and
- if you use Google Sign-In or Sign in with Apple, the provider identifier, email address, name, and profile information that the provider makes available with your authorization.
We use your email address for account authentication, email verification, password resets, security notices, responses to support or privacy requests, and important service communications. We do not use it for promotional email unless we separately obtain any consent required by law.
3.3 Cloud narration, generated audio, and usage metering
When you use a cloud voice, we process information needed to generate and deliver narration, including:
- the text segment or chapter you submit for narration;
- the selected voice, language, speed, and synthesis settings;
- document and chapter references, character counts, and a cryptographic content hash;
- a randomly generated installation identifier and platform type used for service limits and abuse prevention;
- synthesis status, error information, duration, usage allowance, and billing-ledger entries; and
- generated audio and word-level timing or alignment information.
For queued generation and offline-download preparation, chapter text may be stored in an account-linked synthesis job until processing is completed or the job is otherwise resolved. Completed audio and timing information may be stored in a private, content-addressed cache. The cache can reuse an existing audio result when the submitted text, voice, speed, and processing version match exactly. Cache entries are not publicly browsable and are served through time-limited links.
The App does not upload your complete document merely because it has been imported. Only the text submitted to a cloud narration operation is transmitted. A whole chapter may be submitted when you request chapter generation, pre-generation, or an offline download. If you use an on-device voice, document text is not sent to our cloud narration providers.
3.4 Purchases, subscriptions, and entitlements
If you make or restore a purchase, we may process:
- the store and product identifier;
- transaction identifiers, purchase tokens, signed receipts, and verification results;
- subscription tier, status, start and renewal dates, cancellation or refund status, and auto-renewal status;
- purchase amount, currency, and estimated store fees or net proceeds; and
- cloud-voice allowance grants, debits, refunds, top-up balances, and related anti-fraud records.
Payments are processed by Google Play or Apple. We do not receive or store your full payment-card number. The applicable store may collect payment and billing information under its own privacy policy.
3.5 Advertising information
The free tier may display banner or interstitial advertisements through Google AdMob. Depending on your location, platform settings, and consent choices, Google may process:
- an advertising identifier or other device identifier;
- IP address, approximate location derived from IP, device and app information;
- consent status; and
- ad impressions, interactions, and performance information.
Where required, InkDub uses Google's consent tools and, on iOS, the App Tracking Transparency process before enabling applicable personalized advertising or tracking. If consent is unavailable or required consent is not provided, ads may be limited or unavailable.
3.6 Diagnostics, operational logs, and analytics
InkDub may process limited diagnostic and operational information to maintain security and reliability:
- JavaScript error messages, stack traces, breadcrumbs, performance information, app version, platform, and an opaque user or installation identifier through Sentry when crash reporting is configured;
- request timestamps, IP addresses, authentication status, response codes, and rate-limit information generated by Supabase and other service infrastructure; and
- consent-based app interaction information, such as screens viewed or features used, when analytics is enabled.
Our diagnostic and analytics implementations are designed not to include document titles or document text. Error reports can nevertheless contain information present in an unexpected error state, so we limit the information intentionally attached to reports. Local reading statistics remain on your device unless specifically included in a disclosed cloud feature.
3.7 Catalogue browsing and support communications
When you browse or download books from a third-party catalogue, such as Project Gutenberg, that catalogue receives the normal network request, which may include your IP address, user-agent information, search terms, and requested title. Those requests are governed by the catalogue provider's policies.
If you contact us, we collect your email address and the information you include in your message, attachments, or support request.
4. How We Use Information
We use information described in this Policy to:
- create, authenticate, secure, and support user accounts;
- provide local and cloud narration, audio playback, highlighting, offline downloads, and related App functions;
- verify purchases, restore entitlements, administer subscriptions, meter cloud-voice allowances, and prevent duplicate or fraudulent claims;
- operate private audio caching, processing queues, rate limits, and service-device limits;
- display, personalize where permitted, and measure advertising on the free tier;
- diagnose failures, protect the Service, monitor reliability, and improve performance;
- respond to support, legal, accessibility, and privacy requests;
- comply with law and enforce the Terms of Service; and
- establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
We do not use document text submitted for cloud narration to train our own artificial-intelligence models.
5. Consent and Legal Bases
Depending on the law that applies, we rely on one or more of the following bases:
- Consent: for cloud narration initiated by you, advertising personalization or tracking where required, optional analytics, and other processing for which consent is required.
- Performance of a contract: to provide requested account, narration, purchase, subscription, and support services.
- Legitimate interests: to secure the Service, prevent fraud and abuse, maintain reliable operations, and understand aggregate service performance, where those interests are not overridden by your rights.
- Legal obligations: to keep required transaction records and respond to lawful requests.
You may withdraw consent, subject to reasonable notice and legal or contractual restrictions. If information is necessary to provide a feature, withdrawing consent may mean that the feature or account can no longer be provided.
6. When We Disclose Information
We do not sell or rent personal information for money. We disclose information only as needed for the purposes described in this Policy:
- Supabase: authentication, account and subscription databases, Edge Functions, private audio storage, processing queues, metering, and operational infrastructure.
- Google: Google Sign-In, Google Play Billing and purchase verification, Google AdMob, consent management, and related platform services.
- Apple: Sign in with Apple, App Store in-app purchases and receipt verification, and platform privacy controls.
- Cloud narration providers: Replicate and/or Modal for Kokoro narration and alignment processing, and Async for Studio voice narration and previews. These providers receive the narration input and synthesis settings needed to perform the requested operation.
- Sentry: JavaScript crash and diagnostic reporting when configured.
- Professional advisers and authorities: where reasonably necessary to obtain legal, accounting, security, or other professional services, comply with law, respond to lawful process, or protect rights and safety.
- Business transactions: in connection with a proposed or completed financing, merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal safeguards.
Service-provider privacy information is available at:
Some privacy laws use "share" to describe disclosures of identifiers for targeted or cross-context behavioural advertising. To the extent personalized AdMob advertising is enabled, those disclosures may be considered sharing under those laws even though we do not receive money for the information.
7. International Processing
Apex Forge is based in Canada. Our service providers may process information in Canada, the United States, and other countries where they or their subprocessors operate. Privacy laws in those countries may differ from the laws where you live, and lawful authorities may be able to access information under local law. Where required, we use contractual or other approved safeguards for international transfers.
8. Retention and Deletion
- On-device information remains until you delete it, clear App data, or uninstall the App.
- Account and profile information is retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period needed to complete a verified deletion request, maintain security, or meet legal obligations.
- Subscription, purchase, entitlement, and ledger records may be retained as required for accounting, tax, fraud prevention, refunds, disputes, and legal compliance.
- Account-linked synthesis jobs and device-installation records are retained for service delivery, idempotency, metering, and abuse prevention. Raw chapter text is stored in a synthesis job only when needed for queued processing. Account-linked records are scheduled for deletion when the associated cloud account is deleted, subject to lawful retention requirements.
- Generated audio cache entries are separate from account records and may remain after account deletion because they are keyed by content and may be shared by matching requests. Our current cache process targets entries that have not been accessed for 90 days; access can extend that period, and operational or legal needs may require a different period.
- Diagnostics and provider records are retained according to our operational needs and the applicable provider's retention settings and policies.
When retention is no longer reasonably necessary, we delete information or remove the means by which it can be associated with an individual.
9. Security
We use administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information, including encrypted network transmission, device keychain or keystore storage for supported credentials, access controls, private cloud storage, row-level database security, receipt verification, rate limiting, and short-lived links for cached audio.
No system is completely secure. We cannot guarantee that information will never be accessed, used, or disclosed without authorization. You are responsible for protecting your device, account credentials, and access to email or third-party accounts used to sign in.
10. Your Choices and Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, or delete personal information; withdraw consent; object to or restrict certain processing; request portability; or complain to a privacy regulator.
Account access, correction, and deletion
To request access, correction, or deletion of your InkDub account and associated cloud data, email info@apexforge.tech from the address connected to your account. For deletion requests, use the subject line “InkDub Account Deletion.” We may take reasonable steps to verify your identity before completing the request. See also our account deletion page.
Deleting an InkDub account does not automatically cancel a Google Play or Apple App Store subscription. Cancel the subscription through the applicable store before requesting account deletion if you want to stop future renewal charges.
Account deletion does not remove documents or other information stored only on your device. Delete that information in InkDub, clear the App's data, or uninstall the App. As explained in Section 8, limited transaction records and non-account-linked cached audio may remain for the applicable retention period.
Advertising and consent choices
Where available, you can manage advertising or tracking choices through the Google consent form, iOS App Tracking Transparency settings, and your device's advertising privacy controls. You can also contact info@apexforge.tech to withdraw consent or ask about available choices. A paid ad-free tier prevents InkDub from displaying AdMob advertisements while that entitlement is active.
Complaints
Please contact our Privacy Officer first so we can try to resolve your concern. You may also have the right to contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, or the privacy authority where you live.
11. Children's Privacy
InkDub is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a child who cannot provide valid consent under applicable law. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child has provided personal information without appropriate consent, contact info@apexforge.tech so we can investigate and take appropriate action.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Policy when the Service, our providers, or legal requirements change. We will update the “Last Updated” date and provide additional notice when required. If a change requires new consent, we will request it before applying the change to the affected processing.
13. Contact Us
For privacy questions, complaints, accessibility requests, or account and data requests, contact:
Apex Forge Tech Inc.
Attention: Privacy Officer
Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Email: info@apexforge.tech