1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how LevelNews ("we", "our", "us") collects, uses, stores, and discloses information when you use our website, mobile applications, and related services (collectively, the "Service"). By using the Service you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.
2. Information We Collect
We collect the following categories of information:
- Anonymous identifiers. When you first open the mobile application, a randomly generated installation identifier is created on your device and sent to us. This identifier does not contain personally identifying information and is used to maintain your preferences and progress without requiring an account.
- Account information (optional). If you choose to sign in with Apple or Google, we receive from that provider a stable account identifier, the email address associated with your account (with Sign in with Apple this may be a private relay address if you chose to hide your email), whether the provider has verified that address, and, if you share it, your name. We use this only to keep your account and let you access it on other devices. Signing in is optional; the Service works without it.
- Device and technical information. Platform (iOS, Android, web), application version, operating system name and version, device model where available, and preferred system language. This data helps us deliver an appropriate experience and diagnose issues.
- Preferences you provide. Your selected English level, target language variant, native language, and topics of interest. These choices personalize the content shown to you.
- Reading interactions. Articles you open and listen to, and words or sentences you select for translation or pronunciation.
- Read stories. Which stories you have read in the mobile app and when — marked automatically when you reach the end of a story or finish listening to it, or when you mark it yourself. If you sign in, your read stories are kept in your account.
- Saved words and learning progress. Words you save to "My words", the sentence and article they came from, their translations, and your review history (review schedule, answers, and streak).
- Notification token. If you allow notifications, a push token for your device so we can send news notifications. Review reminders are scheduled locally on your device.
- Usage analytics (production app and website only). Aggregated usage events such as screens viewed and features used, collected through Google Analytics for Firebase in the mobile app and Google Analytics on the website, together with an analytics identifier generated by these tools. On the website, analytics cookies are set only if you accept them in the cookie banner. We do not use the device advertising identifier (IDFA) and do not track you across other companies' apps or websites.
- Performance data. Technical measurements such as app start-up time, used to keep the app fast.
- Cookies and local storage (website). Small technical cookies such as your selected level and theme preference. These cookies are essential to the functioning of the website and do not track you across other sites.
We do not collect phone numbers, physical addresses, payment information, contacts, or location data. We only receive an email address or name if you sign in with Apple or Google, or if you contact us.
3. How We Use Information
We use the information described above to:
- operate, maintain, and improve the Service;
- personalize content (e.g., show articles at your chosen reading level and language variant);
- process translation, pronunciation, read-aloud, and content-generation requests;
- keep your saved words and progress in your account, including moving the words you saved on a device into your account when you sign in, and linking Apple and Google sign-ins that share the same verified email address to one account;
- mark the stories you have read in your feed, and skip them in news notifications;
- send news notifications you opted into;
- understand, in aggregate, how the Service is used to improve it;
- diagnose technical problems and protect the Service from abuse;
- comply with applicable legal obligations and respond to lawful requests.
4. AI-Generated Content and Third-Party Services
LevelNews uses third-party artificial-intelligence providers (including, without limitation, OpenAI) to generate level-adapted content from publicly available news sources and to translate words and sentences within articles. When you use the translation feature, the word or sentence you select is sent to our backend and may be forwarded to the AI provider for processing. We do not transmit your installation identifier or other account information alongside these requests. We may cache the result of a translation to avoid repeated calls.
Read-aloud audio and word pronunciations are generated by an AI text-to-speech provider (OpenAI) from the article text; no personal information is sent with these requests. Sign-in is provided by Apple and Google, who confirm your identity to us; we never receive your Apple or Google password.
Use of these third-party services is subject to their own privacy policies. We do not control how these providers retain or process data submitted to them. If you do not wish for content you read or select to be processed by such providers, you should refrain from using the affected features.
5. Cookies and Local Storage
The website uses a small number of first-party cookies and browser local-storage entries to remember your interface preferences (such as your selected English level, theme, and read-aloud settings), plus one cookie that stores your cookie choice. These are needed for the site to work and do not track you.
The production website also uses Google Analytics to measure visits in aggregate. Its cookies are set only if you accept them in the cookie banner; until then, Google Analytics runs in a cookieless mode that does not store anything on your device. You can change your choice at any time through the Cookie settings link in the site footer (refusing removes the Google Analytics cookies) or clear cookies through your browser settings. We do not use advertising cookies.
6. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell your information. We may share information:
- with service providers that operate parts of the Service on our behalf (such as hosting, infrastructure, and AI providers), only to the extent necessary for them to perform their services;
- when required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request;
- to protect the rights, property, or safety of LevelNews, our users, or others;
- in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, in which case appropriate confidentiality obligations will apply.
7. Data Retention
We retain information for as long as the associated installation or account remains active, plus a limited period afterwards needed to satisfy operational and legal requirements.
You can delete your account at any time in the app (Settings → Account → Delete Account). This permanently deletes your account, preferences, interests, saved words, review history, read stories, sign-in links, and device records from our servers, and revokes the app's Sign in with Apple authorization. Signing out does not delete your account: your words stay in it and return when you sign in again. Uninstalling the app without signing in severs the link between your device and our records. See Delete Your Account for step-by-step instructions, including how to request deletion without the app.
8. Your Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict the processing of your information, or to object to certain uses. You can delete your account and its data yourself in the app at any time; for any other request, contact us using the details below. If you have not signed in, our records are tied only to an anonymous identifier, so our ability to locate them may depend on the information you can provide.
9. Children's Privacy
The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect information from such children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.
10. International Data Transfers
Our servers and those of our service providers may be located in countries other than your own. By using the Service you understand that your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in such countries. Where required, we rely on appropriate legal mechanisms to safeguard such transfers.
11. Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. No method of transmission or storage is, however, completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above. Material changes will be communicated through the Service. Your continued use of the Service after a revision becomes effective constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
13. Contact
For questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at [email protected].