PRIVACY POLICY


Last Updated: August 3, 2026


We at Kotoba Technologies, Inc. (“Kotoba,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) have created this privacy policy (this “Privacy Policy”) because we understand that you care about how your information is collected, used, and shared. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect and use personal information in connection with our website located at https://site.kotoba.tech, our mobile application, and the related voice translation services, features, and functionality made available through them (collectively, the "Services"), and when you otherwise interact with us.

This Privacy Policy is incorporated by reference into our Terms of Service, available at Terms of Service. By accessing or using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understand this Privacy Policy.

If you are a resident of California, you may have additional rights described in Sections V and VI below.

  1. Information We Collect and How We Use It

We collect the following information about you, either because you provide it to us, it is necessary to provide our services, or because it helps us improve and secure the Website. We do not use audio data to identify individuals or authenticate users. However, we may process and store voice-derived data associated with your account solely to generate translated speech in your voice.

  1. Your Information That You Provide Us. We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide through our Services, over phone, through written or e-mail correspondence, or other electronic communications to provide you with the services and products you request, notify you about changes to the Services, and fulfill contractual obligations. This information includes the following types of personal information and is used for the purposes described below.


  1. Information You Provide Us About Others. If you submit or upload an audio recording, that recording may contain the personal information of third parties. This information may include the following categories of personal information under California law and is used for the purposes described above. You represent that you have obtained any necessary permissions or consents from individuals whose personal information, voice, or any other aspect of their likeness is included in submitted content.


  1. Information Collected Automatically. We automatically collect, either ourselves or through third-party providers, certain types of personal information when you visit, use, or navigate the Website. This information is generally considered Internet or Other Electronic Network Activity Information under California law and may also include certain Identifiers.


  1. How We Share Your Information

We disclose your personal information with the following categories of third parties for the purposes described below. If you are a California resident, please visit Appendix I for a more detailed breakdown of how we disclose and share your information. We do not sell personal information for monetary compensation.

  1. Vendors, consultants, and service providers. We may share personal information with third-party service providers that perform services on our behalf, such as Website hosting and maintenance, analytics and performance measurement, customer communications, email delivery, payment processing and subscription management, abuse prevention, security monitoring, and related technical support. We share personal information with these providers only as necessary to provide, operate, secure, troubleshoot, and support the Services, comply with legal obligations, and protect the rights, property, or safety of Kotoba, our users, or others.
  2. AI processing providers. We may share personal information with third-party AI processing providers, including providers such as OpenAI and Google, to support AI processing, transcription, translation, speech generation, and related technical functionality. These providers may process audio inputs, transcripts, translations, outputs, and related technical or usage information as necessary to provide their services to us so that we can provide the Services, subject to the audio-specific limitations described in Section I.1.
  3. Advertising Partners. We permit advertising partners, including platforms such as Google Ads, Apple Search Ads and Meta Platforms, as well as other similar advertising networks, to set cookies and similar tracking technologies on our Website and other online Services, as described in Section I.3. Through these technologies, such partners collect Internet or Other Electronic Network Activity Information (including identifiers such as IP address, device identifiers, and cookie identifiers) to show you Kotoba advertisements on other websites and applications based on your interactions with our Website. Under California law, this may constitute "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. For information on how to opt out of such sharing, see Section IV.
  4. Affiliates. We may disclose personal information to our affiliates, including KK Kotoba Technologies Japan, where they may provide services to us or process personal information on our behalf in connection with the Services, including for service delivery, customer support, security, troubleshooting, analytics, research and development, model training (where applicable), service improvement, and legal compliance.
  5. We reserve the right to share your personal information in the future, subject to the terms of this policy, as follows:


  1. International Transfers

Personal information collected through the Services may be transferred to, stored, and processed in Japan, where our cloud infrastructure is located, and in other jurisdictions where we or our service providers operate. Personal information may be accessed by our Japanese affiliate for purposes of service delivery, customer support, and, for non-enterprise paid users who have not opted out of data/model improvement use, and free users, model training. By using the Services, you consent to such transfers.

  1. Your Privacy Choices


  1. Opting Out of Sharing Your Information. You may request to opt out of the sharing of your personal information with advertising partners for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes, including when such sharing involves the use of cookies or similar tracking technologies. To submit an opt-out request, you may (i) contact us as set forth in Section IX with “Opt-out” in the subject line where applicable or (ii) visit “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” or on our mobile application, go to Settings in our mobile application and select “Opt-out”. Please note that this right may be required by law only for residents of California and certain other U.S. states.
  2. Do Not Track Signals. Some web browsers transmit “Do Not Track” signals. At this time, Kotoba does not respond to Do Not Track signals or similar browser mechanisms.
  3. Universal Opt Out Mechanisms. We recognize and honor opt-out preference signals, such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC), where required by applicable law, and treat such signals as a request to opt out of sale or sharing of personal information for the browser or device from which the signal is sent.
  4. Opting Out of Model Training. By default, enterprise users are opted out from having their personal information used for model training. Non-enterprise paid users may opt out of having their personal information used for model training at any time through the in-app settings or by contacting us as set forth in Section IX. We will honor such requests on a going-forward basis. For non-enterprise users, de-identified or aggregated data, as well as learned patterns, model weights, or other improvements already incorporated into our models and systems, are not subject to deletion or opt-out.


  1. California and Additional U.S. State Privacy Rights

This section summarizes certain privacy rights that may apply to residents of California and other U.S. states that have enacted comprehensive privacy laws. Additional disclosures specific to California residents, as required by the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), are provided in Section VI below.

Depending on your state of residence and subject to applicable law, you may have certain rights regarding our collection, use, disclosure, and sharing of your personal information. To request to exercise such rights, contact us as set forth in Section IX. Please be aware that these rights may be subject to limitations and exceptions and may vary based on your jurisdiction.

Subject to applicable law, these rights may include:

  1. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS.
  1. Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), we are required to disclose the categories of personal information we collected, disclosed, and sold or shared (as defined by California law) in the previous 12 months. Visit Appendix I for a table describing these practices.
  2. Please note that we do not sell personal information as defined under the CCPA and CPRA. However, as described in Section II and Appendix I, we may share certain categories of personal information (Identifiers and Internet or Other Electronic Network Activity Information) with advertising partners for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes. You have the right to opt out of such sharing by submitting a request as described in Section IV.
  3. Under California’s “Shine the Light” law (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.83), California residents who provide us certain personal information are entitled to request and obtain from us, free of charge, information about the personal information (if any) we have shared with third parties for their own direct marketing use. Such requests may be made once per calendar year for information about any relevant third-party sharing in the prior calendar year. To submit a “Shine the Light” request, contact us as outlined in Section IX below, and include in your request a current California address and your attestation that you are a California resident. Please note, however, that we do not, nor have we in the past, shared any personal information with third parties for such purposes.


  1. Children and Parents

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not provide us with personal information. Parents and guardians should monitor their children’s online activity and instruct them not to share personal information without permission. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us as described in Section IX so we can delete it. We do not have actual knowledge of selling or sharing personal information of consumers under 16. If we become aware that we have collected or shared such information, we will promptly delete it.

  1. Other Important Information


  1. Retention. We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with legal obligations, and resolve disputes. The table below summarizes our retention practices:

Data Category

Retention Period

Additional Notes

Account & Contact Information

Duration of account + 6 months after deletion

Longer if required for tax, accounting, legal, or dispute-resolution obligations.

Commercial Information (subscription status, purchase history)

Duration of account + 6 months after deletion

Longer if required for tax, accounting, legal, or dispute-resolution obligations.

Communications Data

Duration of account + 6 months after deletion

Longer if required for tax, accounting, legal, or dispute-resolution obligations.

Internet/Network Activity (log data, technical metadata, IP addresses)

Up to 24 months from collection

Shorter if required by law; longer if reasonably necessary for security, fraud prevention, or legal compliance.

Raw Audio Data and Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs (Enterprise Users)

Raw Audio Data: Retained only during transcription, translation, or related processing and not retained after processing is completed

Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs: retained while the account remains active and deleted upon account deletion; may be deleted earlier upon request

For enterprise customers, Raw Audio Data is not used for model training and is processed only to provide the requested transcription, translation, or related Services.

For enterprise customers, Raw Audio Data is not retained after transcription, translation, or related processing is completed.

For enterprise customers, OpenAI and Google process Raw Audio Data only if the customer has enabled the OpenAI/Google AI-provider package, and any such processing and retention is subject to our agreements with those providers, including any applicable data retention controls and limitations under those agreements.

Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs include transcripts, translated text, summaries, and other generated text or data outputs. For enterprise customers, Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs are used to provide the Services and for troubleshooting, and are not used for model training, analytics, or general service functionality or accuracy improvement. Retention of Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs does not imply retention of enterprise customers’ Raw Audio Data.

Raw Audio Data and Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs (Non-Enterprise Users)

Raw Audio Data: Limited period as reasonably necessary to provide the Services; Up to 12 months from last interaction with the Services for model training, unless you have opted out

Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs: Retained as described in the notes

If you have not opted out of model training: Raw Audio Data may be used for model training to improve translation accuracy; prior to use for model training, we de-identify the data by removing or transforming personal identifiers, including user ID, device ID, precise geolocation, and timestamps; data remains linked to your account during retention to honor deletion requests and apply quality controls; identifiable data deleted after retention period.

If you have opted out of model training: Raw Audio Data collected after opt-out is not used for model training and is retained only as reasonably necessary to provide Services and for other purposes described in this Policy, such as quality assurance, service functionality and accuracy improvement, troubleshooting, security, and legal compliance, as applicable.

Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs include transcripts, translated text, summaries, and other generated text or data outputs. For non-enterprise paid users who have opted out of data/model improvement use, Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs are retained while the account remains active and deleted upon account deletion, used to provide the Services and for troubleshooting, and not used for model training, analytics, or general service functionality or accuracy improvement. For non-enterprise paid users who have not opted out of data/model improvement use, and for free users, Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs may be used to provide the Services, quality assurance, troubleshooting, service functionality and accuracy improvement, analytics, and model training, and anonymized aggregate data derived from such outputs may be retained indefinitely.

Audio Outputs

Not retained

Audio Outputs are generated and played back in real time only and are not retained by us for any user category.

De-Identified/

Aggregated Data

Indefinitely

Not reasonably capable of being linked to you. We publicly commit to maintain and use de-identified Data in de-identified form and not to attempt to reidentify such data, except to test and improve our de-identification processes. We require recipients of de-identified data to agree by contract to the same restrictions.

  1. External Links. The Services may contain links to other sites. We do not endorse or otherwise accept responsibility for the content or privacy policies of those sites.
  2. Changes to this Policy. Kotoba reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and the “Last Updated” date at the top of the Policy will be revised accordingly. Your continued use of the Services after any changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.
  3. Data Security. We maintain industry-standard encryption for all retained data, both in transit and at rest. To the extent audio recordings, Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs, or other AI-generated outputs are retained, they are stored using encryption protocols designed to protect against unauthorized access. Audio Outputs are generated and played back in real time and are not retained. We implement technical and organizational measures to safeguard personal information, though no system can guarantee absolute security.


  1. Contact Us.

If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, or would like to request to exercise any applicable rights described herein, please contact us:


Verification and Authorized Agents. Kotoba will verify requests by asking you to provide information sufficient to confirm your identity and match our records. To designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf, you must provide written permission, verify your identity directly with us, or provide the authorized agent with a valid power of attorney, as permitted by applicable law.


Appendix I – Additional Information for California Residents

The table below reflects the categories of personal information collected and processed in the past 12 months and whether the information is disclosed for business purposes or “shared” for cross-context behavioral advertising under the CCPA/CPRA.

Category of Personal Information

Examples

Disclosed for Business Purpose?

Shared for Cross-Context Behavioral Advertising?

A. Identifiers

Name, email address, account ID/username, IP address, device ID, RevenueCat ID for non-enterprise users, AppsFlyer ID, third-party login identifiers (Google/Apple)

Yes — service providers for hosting, infrastructure, analytics (Apple Analytics, AppsFlyer, RevenueCat for non-enterprise users), authentication, subscription management, customer support, security monitoring, payment processors, and email delivery/customer communications providers, including Brevo.

Yes — with advertising partners such as Google Ads, Apple Search Ads and Meta Platforms, Inc., and others via cookies and similar technologies; opt-out available as described in Sections IV and V.

B. Commercial Information

Subscription status, purchase history, transaction confirmations from third-party payment processors (no direct payment card processing)

Yes — payment processors, including Stripe for enterprise customers, and service providers supporting subscriptions, including RevenueCat for non-enterprise users, analytics, customer support, financial administration.

No

C. Internet or Network Activity

Log and usage data, IP address, browser/device type, referring URLs, timestamps, interaction data, cookies and similar technologies

Yes — hosting providers, analytics providers (Firebase, Sentry, Apple Analytics, AppsFlyer, RevenueCat for non-enterprise users), security and fraud prevention vendors.

Yes — with advertising partners such as Google Ads, Apple Search Ads and Meta Platforms, and others via cookies and similar technologies; opt-out available as described in Sections IV and V.

D. Audio, Electronic, or Similar Information

Raw Audio Data, Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs, and Audio Outputs, including audio recordings, raw audio input, transcripts, translated text, summaries, translated or generated speech/audio outputs, and other generated outputs

Yes — affiliates, including our Japanese affiliate, which may process Raw Audio Data and Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs for model training and service-improvement purposes for non-enterprise paid users who have not opted out of data/model improvement use, and free users, subject to the Terms of Service and the choices described in this Privacy Policy; cloud infrastructure providers; AI processing providers, including OpenAI and Google; and other service providers processing audio inputs and derived or related information to provide, secure, monitor, troubleshoot, support, or improve the Services.

For enterprise customers, Raw Audio Data is processed only to provide the requested transcription, translation, or related service, is not used for model training, and is not retained after transcription, translation, or related processing is completed. Audio-Derived Text/Data Outputs are retained and used as described in Section VIII.1. Audio Outputs are generated and played back in real time and are not retained.

No

E. Sensitive Personal Information

Sensitive information incidentally included in voluntarily submitted audio recording

Yes — affiliates, including our Japanese affiliate, cloud infrastructure providers, AI processing providers, including OpenAI and Google, and service providers processing audio inputs or derived or related data solely to provide, secure, monitor, troubleshoot, and support the Services.

No

F. Communications Data

Customer support inquiries, service requests, correspondence

Yes — service providers supporting communications, ticketing, operational support, and email delivery, including Brevo.

No