ReadSpeaker Privacy Notice

Introduction

ReadSpeaker AB (company number: 556747-2047), headquartered at Västra Ågatan 16, 753 09 Uppsala, Sweden, is a Swedish company specialising in text-to-speech solutions, including speech synthesis software and related services. For the purposes of the European General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), ReadSpeaker AB acts as the data controller for the Personal Information we collect about our customers, vendors (including voice actors providing services), job applicants, and website visitors.

This Privacy Notice explains how ReadSpeaker AB and our affiliates (“we”, “our”, or “us”) collect, use, share, and protect personal information. If you are not based in the EU, please refer to the appropriate addendum for your region.

In this Policy, “Personal Information” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual, such as an individual’s name, address, telephone number, or email address. In certain jurisdictions, this may also be referred to as “Personal Data”.

If you are using our services because they are embedded into a website or other application, we are acting as a data processor, and this Privacy Notice does not apply. In such cases, please refer to the privacy notice of the organization that has integrated our services.

What Personal Information We Collect

We collect and process different categories of Personal Information depending on your relationship with ReadSpeaker, including customers, job applicants, website visitors, vendors, and individuals providing voice recordings.

Personal Information You Provide to Us

Contact Details – If you interact with us as a customer, job applicant, vendor, or website visitor, we may collect your name, email address, phone number, company details, job title, and communication preferences.
Job Applications & CV Information – If you apply for a job with us, we collect your CV, cover letter, employment history, qualifications, and any other information you provide as part of the application process.
Marketing & Communications – If you sign up for newsletters, events, or marketing communications, we collect your name, email, company, and preferences. We may also track email engagement (e.g., whether emails are opened) to improve our communications.
Vendor & Payment Information – If you are a vendor or service provider, we may collect business contact details, contractual information, payment details, and any materials or deliverables provided as part of your services.
Feedback & Surveys – If you contact us or participate in surveys, we collect your name, email, message contents, and responses.
Other Information – If you attend our events, interact with us online, or engage with beta programs, we may collect additional details relevant to your interaction.

Personal Information We Collect Automatically

Cookies and Tracking Technologies – We use cookies, pixel tags, and similar technologies to understand how you interact with our website and services. Additionally, our marketing emails may contain tracking pixels that allow us to measure engagement (e.g., whether emails were opened, links clicked) to improve content relevance. You can disable email tracking by adjusting your email client settings.
Device & Technical Information – We collect details about the device, browser, operating system, and IP address used to access our services.
Usage Information – We track website interactions, such as pages visited, time spent on our website, and engagement with marketing materials.

Personal Information We Collect from Third Parties

Marketing & Business Intelligence – We may collect publicly available business contact information to reach out to potential customers and partners.
Third-Party Logins – If you register for events or interact with our services using a third-party login (e.g., LinkedIn, Google), we may receive your name, email, and profile details.
Vendor & Partner Information – If you are a vendor or business partner, we may collect information from public databases or industry sources to manage our relationship.

Note on Synthesised Voices: The synthesised voice generated from Voice Data does not constitute Personal Information under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as it is a blended voice model that is not uniquely attributable to any individual. Once processed, the resulting synthetic voice cannot be linked back to the original voice actor, ensuring that no individual can be identified directly or indirectly from the output.

Providing certain Personal Information may be required by law, contract, or service functionality. Where applicable, we will inform you of any consequences of not providing the required information.

How we use Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, improve our services, and analyse website usage. Cookies help us understand how you interact with our website, personalise content, and provide relevant advertisements. Some cookies are essential for the website to function, while others are used for analytics, marketing, and performance tracking.

For more details about the types of cookies we use and how you can manage your preferences, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

How we use your Personal Information (Legal Basis)

Depending on the country in which you are located, we will only process your Personal Information based on a valid legal ground. The table below describes the purposes for which we process your Personal Information and the legal grounds.

Purpose

Description

Legal Ground (where required under applicable law)

Providing the services

We process your Personal Information to provide the services you request, as described in our contractual agreements.

The processing is necessary for entering into or performing a contract to which you are a party.

Communicating with you

We use your Personal Information to respond to inquiries, provide customer support, send service updates, and manage business relationships.

We have a legitimate interest in ensuring effective business communication and customer service.

Marketing

We process your Personal Information to send newsletters, event invitations, promotional materials, and other marketing communications related to our services. In some instances, we may also use publicly available business contact information to introduce relevant services.

We have a legitimate interest in promoting our services, engaging with existing and potential customers, and providing relevant content. In some cases, we rely on consent, such as where required by law (e.g., certain email marketing regulations in specific jurisdictions).

Vendor Management

We process Personal Information related to vendors and service providers to manage our business relationships effectively. This includes contact details, contractual information, payment details, and any other relevant data required for procurement, service delivery, and collaboration

The processing is necessary for entering into or performing a contract to which you are a party.

Job applications

If you apply for a job, we collect and process your CV, cover letter, and other relevant application materials.

We have a legitimate interest in processing job applications and assessing candidates (to ensure we recruit suitable individuals).

Obtaining professional references for job applicants and voice actors

We may collect and process career history and past engagement information as part of our reference checks to assess whether to engage you for services

We have a legitimate interest in verifying qualifications and experience to ensure we engage qualified individuals.

Cookies and tracking technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance functionality, track engagement, and analyse website traffic.

You have provided your consent.

Security and fraud prevention

We process Personal Information to detect and prevent fraudulent, malicious, or unauthorised activity on our platform and other IT Systems used internally.

We have a legitimate interest in protecting against fraud, maintaining security, and ensuring the integrity of our services and website.

Data storage and infrastructure

We store Personal Information, using third-party cloud services to support our operations.

We have a legitimate interest in securely storing Personal Information to ensure service reliability.

Regulatory compliance

We process Personal Information to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, such as tax laws, industry regulations, and government requests.

The processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.

Administrative and legal matters

We may use Personal Information to address administrative or legal issues, including regulatory inquiries and enforcement of our Terms of Service.

We have a legitimate interest in handling legal and administrative matters to protect our business and comply with obligations.

Reporting and Analytics

We may process Personal Information to generate business insights, performance reports, and industry trends.

We have a legitimate interest in understanding business performance, improving our services, and making informed strategic decisions.

How We Share Your Personal Information

Your Personal Information may be shared with:

Parent Company and Affiliates. We may share any Personal Information we receive with our parent company and current or future affiliates for any of the purposes described in this Privacy Notice.

Vendors and Service Providers. We may share your Personal Information with third-party vendors and service providers who provide services such as website hosting, data analysis, advertising, marketing partners, information technology and related infrastructure provision, customer service, email delivery, auditing, payment processing, Cloud Storage, Legal Advisors and Security and Fraud Prevention.

Government, Regulatory, and Legal Authorities. We may share your Personal Information with government agencies, regulatory bodies, and other public authorities when required to comply with legal obligations, industry regulations, or official inquiries, including data protection authorities, tax authorities, and other oversight bodies.

As Required By Law and Similar Disclosures. We may access, preserve, and disclose your Personal Information with law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies, and public authorities or pursuant to the exercise of legal proceedings if we believe doing so is required or appropriate to (a) comply with law enforcement requests and legal process, such as a court order or subpoena; or (b) protect your, our, or others’ rights, property, or safety.

Merger, Sale, or Other Asset Transfers. We may disclose your Personal Information to service providers, advisors, potential transactional partners, or other third parties in connection with the consideration, negotiation, or completion of a corporate transaction in which we are acquired by or merged with another company, or we sell, liquidate, or transfer all or a portion of our assets.

Other Data Recipients. We may also disclose your information with other parties only where we have received your consent to do so

How we Protect Your Personal Information

We implement strict security measures to protect your Personal Information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Access to Personal Information is restricted to authorised personnel only, and we apply encryption technologies to secure data during storage and transmission. Our systems are protected by firewalls, intrusion detection, and continuous monitoring to identify and mitigate potential threats. We conduct regular security assessments to ensure our defences remain effective, and our staff receive ongoing training on data protection best practices. Additionally, any third-party service providers handling Personal Information must comply with strict security and contractual obligations. While we take all necessary steps to safeguard your information, no system can be completely secure.

How long do we keep your Personal Information (Data Retention)

We retain your Personal Information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to comply with legal, regulatory, contractual, and business obligations. The retention period may vary depending on the type of Personal Information, the nature of our relationship with you, and the laws applicable in different countries.

Retention Periods

The length of time we retain your Personal Information is determined by factors such as:

Legal and Regulatory Requirements – Certain data may be retained to comply with applicable laws, including financial reporting, tax obligations, and industry regulations.

Contractual Obligations – Where Personal Information is processed in relation to a contract, we will retain it for the duration of the contract and an additional period as required for contractual enforcement, legal claims, or dispute resolution.

Legitimate Business Purposes – We may retain data to support business operations, service improvements, security measures, and fraud prevention.

Litigation and Defence of Claims – If Personal Information is needed to defend or pursue legal claims, we will retain it until the matter is resolved.

In some instances, Personal Information may be anonymised and retained indefinitely for statistical, research, or analytical purposes, ensuring it is no longer linked to an identifiable individual.

If you would like more details on how long we retain specific categories of Personal Information in your country, please contact us at support@readspeaker.com.

How we transfer your Personal Information

The Personal Information that we collect from you may be transferred to, stored, and processed in countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including locations where our parent company , affiliates, third-party service providers, or business partners operate.

We take all necessary measures to ensure that your Personal Information remains protected to the highest standards and handled securely in accordance with this Privacy Notice, regardless of where it is processed.

International Transfers & Safeguards

Whenever we transfer Personal Information outside the EEA, we ensure that such transfers comply with applicable data protection laws by implementing one or more of the following safeguards:

Transfers to our Parent Company and Affiliates: Any transfers to our affiliates outside the EEA are conducted under a Data Sharing Framework based on the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).
Transfers to Third Parties: Where Personal Information is transferred to third-party service providers or partners in non-EEA countries, we rely on:

The European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), which impose legally binding commitments on data recipients to maintain data protection standards.
Transfers only to countries that the European Commission has determined provide an “adequate” level of protection for Personal Information.
Additional safeguards were required, such as encryption, contractual obligations, and technical security measures.

Requesting More Information

If you would like more details about our international data transfers or wish to request a copy of the SCC’s used for such transfers, please contact us at support@readspeaker.com.

Third-party websites

Our website may contain links to other online platforms, plug-ins or other applications operated by third parties. We do not control such other sites or applications, and are not responsible for their content, their privacy policies, or their use of your information.

Information you provide on public or semi-public venues, including information you share on third-party social networking platforms, may also be viewable by other users of the website and/or users of those third-party online platforms without limitation as to its use by us or by a third party. Our inclusion of such links does not, by itself, imply any endorsement of the content on such platforms or of their owners or operators except as disclosed on the Website. We expressly disclaim any and all liability for the actions of third parties, including but without limitation to actions relating to the use and/or disclosure of personal data by third parties. Any information submitted by you directly to these third parties is subject to that third party’s privacy policy.

Your Rights

Depending on your location and applicable privacy laws, you may have the right to:

Access, correct, port, restrict, object to, or delete your personal data.
Withdraw your consent at any time, where processing is based on consent.
Object to the use of your personal data for direct marketing purposes.

Please note that some of these rights apply only in certain circumstances and may be subject to legal limitations.

For individuals in the EU, the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (Integritetsskyddsmyndigheten, IMY) is the lead supervisory authority for ReadSpeaker. Complaints can be submitted at www.imy.se.

For specific rights available under different privacy laws and jurisdictions, please refer to the Appendix: Country-Specific Privacy Rights at the end of this Privacy Notice.

To exercise any of your rights, please contact us at support@readspeaker.com.

Changes to this privacy notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, our practices, or the services we offer. Any significant changes will be communicated through our website or other appropriate channels.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how we handle your Personal Information, you can contact us at support@readspeaker.com.

Rights for Specific Jurisdiction

EU and UK-Specific Information

We comply with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU and the UK GDPR in the United Kingdom. As part of these regulations, individuals in the EU and UK have specific rights regarding their personal data. These rights ensure transparency, control, and protection of personal data.

Your Rights Under GDPR and UK GDPR

If you are located in the EU or UK, you have the following rights concerning your personal data:

Right to Access: You have the right to request confirmation on whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: If the information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to request that it be corrected or updated.
Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): Under certain conditions, you have the right to request that we delete your personal data, for example, if it is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected or if you withdraw consent.
Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request that we limit how we process your personal data in specific circumstances, such as during an investigation into the accuracy of the data.
Right to Data Portability: You can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, allowing you to transfer it to another data controller.
Right to Object: If we process your personal data based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object to such processing.
Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing conducted prior to withdrawal.
Right to Lodge a Complaint: If you believe that we have not handled your personal data in compliance with data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint:
- For individuals in the EU: Complaints can be submitted to the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (Integritetsskyddsmyndigheten, IMY) at www.imy.se.
- For individuals in the UK: Complaints can be lodged with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk.

Korea-Specific Information

We comply with applicable data protection laws, including the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) in Korea. These laws ensure transparency, control, and protection of personal data.

Your Rights Under PIPA

If you are located in Korea, you have the following rights concerning your personal data:

Right to Be Informed: You have the right to be informed about the purposes for which your personal data is being processed.
Right to Access: You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Correction: If the information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to request that it be corrected or updated.
Right to Deletion: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data under certain conditions.
Right to Stop Processing: You have the right to request that we stop processing your personal data.

Right to Lodge a Complaint: If you believe that we have not handled your personal data in compliance with data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC).

Australia-Specific Information

We comply with applicable data protection laws in Australia, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), which govern the collection, use, and protection of personal data. These laws ensure transparency, control, and security of personal information

Your Rights Under the Privacy Act 1988

If you are located in Australia, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Right to Access – You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you.

Right to Correction – If the information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated, you have the right to request corrections.

Right to Complain – If you believe that we have not handled your personal information in compliance with Australian privacy laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with us. If unsatisfied with our response, you may escalate your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.

U.S.-Specific Information

Privacy rights in the United States vary by state. Some U.S. states have enacted consumer data protection laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), and the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), each granting residents specific rights over their personal data.

If you are a U.S. resident, your rights regarding personal data, including access, deletion, correction, and opting out of certain processing activities, will depend on the applicable state laws.

If you are a U.S. resident, we process your data in compliance with applicable state privacy laws. In states with ‘opt-out’ frameworks (such as California and Virginia), you may request to opt out of targeted advertising or marketing communications at any time.

Japan-Specific Information

We comply with applicable data protection laws in Japan, including the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI), which governs the collection, use, and protection of personal data. These laws ensure transparency, control, and security of personal information.

Your Rights Under APPI

If you are located in Japan, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Right to Be Informed – You have the right to be informed about the purposes for which your personal data is being processed.
Right to Access – You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Correction – If the information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to request that it be corrected or updated.
Right to Deletion – You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data under certain conditions, such as when it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
Right to Stop Usage – You have the right to request that we stop using your personal data if it is processed beyond the scope of its original purpose or was obtained unlawfully.
Right to Lodge a Complaint – If you believe that we have not handled your personal data in compliance with Japanese privacy laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC) at www.ppc.go.jp