Privacy Notice

Black Plate LLC ("we," "us," "our") is the data controller for the Word Map application and website (the "Service"). This Privacy Notice explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and the rights you have regarding your data. By using the Service, you consent to the practices described in this notice.

1. Categories of Personal Data We Collect

• Account data: your name, email address, and login credentials when you create an account.
• Usage data: lesson progress, streak data, speech training session results, XP and mastery scores, and interactions with the AI professor.
• Audio data: voice recordings you create during speech training sessions, which are transcribed for feedback and then processed by our AI analysis engine.
• AI interaction data: prompts and questions you submit to the AI professor, and the responses generated.
• Device & technical data: IP address, browser type, device identifiers, and telemetry about how the Service performs.
• Support messages: the content of any communications you send to our support team.

2. Purposes & Legal Basis

We process your personal data for the following purposes:

• Account creation & authentication — providing access to the Service (legal basis: contract performance).
• Providing the Service — running lessons, speech training, AI coaching, and word engine features (legal basis: contract performance).
• Progress tracking — saving your XP, streaks, mastery, and session history (legal basis: contract performance).
• Security & fraud prevention — monitoring for misuse, abuse, and unauthorized access (legal basis: legitimate interests).
• Product improvement — analyzing usage patterns to improve lesson quality and AI responses (legal basis: legitimate interests).
• Customer support — responding to your questions and refund requests (legal basis: legitimate interests and consent).
• Legal compliance — meeting obligations under applicable law (legal basis: legal obligation).

3. Data Sharing & Recipients

We share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:

• Service providers & subprocessors: including cloud hosting, database and authentication providers, AI model providers (for text generation and text-to-speech), audio transcription services, and analytics tooling.
• Paddle (Merchant of Record): for the sale of the product, subscription management, payment processing, tax compliance, and invoicing. Paddle processes your payment data independently under its own privacy policy.
• Professional advisers: legal and accounting advisors where necessary.
• Authorities: where required by law, court order, or regulatory obligation.

4. International Data Transfers

Your data may be processed by service providers located in countries outside your jurisdiction, including the United States. Where this occurs, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions to ensure your data is protected to a standard equivalent to your local law.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary to provide the Service and fulfill the purposes described above. Account and usage data is retained while your account is active and for up to 30 days after account closure to allow for data export. Audio recordings are processed for transcription and feedback and may be deleted shortly after processing. We will delete or anonymize your data when it is no longer needed.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: request a copy of your personal data.
• Rectification: request correction of inaccurate data.
• Erasure: request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten").
• Restriction: request that we limit processing of your data.
• Portability: receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
• Complain: you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@blackplate.co. We will respond within one month.

7. Security

We are committed to protecting your personal data through appropriate technical and organizational measures, including encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and regular security reviews. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your data to the best of our ability.

8. Cookies

The Service uses essential cookies to maintain your session and authentication state. We may also use analytics cookies to understand how the Service is used. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Essential cookies cannot be disabled, as they are required for the Service to function.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to This Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. We will post the updated notice on this page with a revised "Last updated" date.

11. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Notice or your personal data, contact us at privacy@blackplate.co.