Last Updated: November 2023
Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how the Read Aloud Browser extension ("we", "our", or "the extension")
collects, uses, and protects your information. We are committed to ensuring the privacy and security of
our users while providing a helpful text-to-speech service.
Read Aloud is designed with privacy in mind, collecting only the minimum information necessary to provide
its core functionality.
Required Permissions
Read Aloud requires the following permissions to function properly:
storage
Why we need it: This permission allows the extension to save your preferences (such
as reading speed, pitch, and voice selection) locally on your device. This ensures your settings
persist between browsing sessions.
activeTab
Why we need it: This permission gives the extension access to the currently active
tab to extract text content for reading aloud and to apply word highlighting. The extension only
accesses the tab when you explicitly activate it.
contextMenus
Why we need it: This permission allows the extension to add the "Read from this
text" option to your right-click context menu. This enables you to start reading from any selected
text on a webpage.
Host Permissions ()
Why we need it: The extension requires access to all websites you visit ()
to be able to read the content on any webpage. This is necessary for the core functionality of
the extension, which needs to:
- Extract readable text from any webpage you're viewing
- Apply highlighting to words as they are being read
- Insert the floating control bar on any webpage
- Detect and scroll to text that may be hidden or covered by other elements
This permission is implemented through content scripts that run only when you visit a webpage, and
only activate the text-to-speech functionality when you explicitly request it.
Information We Collect
Read Aloud collects and processes the following information:
- User Preferences: Your settings for reading speed, pitch, and preferred voice are
stored locally on your device using Browser's storage API.
- Temporary Text Content: When you use the extension, it temporarily processes the
text content of the webpage you're viewing to provide the text-to-speech functionality.
What we DO NOT collect:
- Personal identification information
- Browsing history
- Login credentials
- Any data from websites you visit
- Any analytics or usage statistics
How We Use Your Information
The information collected is used solely to:
- Provide the core text-to-speech functionality
- Apply word highlighting as text is read
- Remember your preferred settings
- Enable the right-click context menu functionality
We do not use your information for any other purposes. We do not sell, rent, or share any information
with third parties.
Data Storage & Security
All user preferences are stored locally on your device using Browser's secure storage API. No data is
transmitted to external servers.
The text content that is read aloud is processed entirely within your browser and is not stored
permanently or transmitted elsewhere.
Third-Party Services
Read Aloud does not use any third-party services, analytics, or external APIs beyond what is provided by
the Browser browser itself. The text-to-speech functionality uses your browser's built-in Web Speech API.
User Rights
As a user of Read Aloud, you have the right to:
- Change or delete your preferences at any time through the extension's settings
- Uninstall the extension, which will remove all locally stored preferences
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by updating the
"Last Updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy
Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.
Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or the Read Aloud extension, please
contact us by: