Speech Synthesizer – Hawking
In short: The app has no user accounts. Speech is currently generated on a server I operate myself, so the text you enter is sent there to be turned into audio. It is not passed on to anyone and not kept in any database — but it does appear in the server's access logs for 7 days, because it travels inside the requested address. The app is ad-supported; the ad provider (Google AdMob) may process device data to serve ads.
Controller
Robert GeringHelga-Seibert-Str. 37
76149 Karlsruhe, Germany
[email protected]
Data processed by the app
Your app settings are stored locally on your device only. Uninstalling the app removes them.
Speech synthesis
Speech is generated on a server I operate myself, hosted in Germany. To play a sentence, the app sends the text you entered (up to 1,000 characters) to that server, which turns it into audio and sends the audio back. This is why the app needs an internet connection to speak.
- No third party is involved. The synthesis runs in the service itself (eSpeak/meSpeak); your text is not forwarded to any cloud speech provider.
- The service keeps no copy. It holds no database, and its own application logs record only the length of a request, never its content. The access logs described below are the one place the text does appear.
- Short-lived caching. Generated audio for recently requested phrases is held in memory (at most 100 entries) so repeated sentences are faster. Nothing is written to disk, and the cache is gone when the service restarts.
- Server access logs. The web server in front of the service records each request including the called address, which contains the submitted text. The hosting provider keeps these logs for 7 days and deletes them automatically afterwards; client IP addresses are shortened before they are written.
Legal basis for this transfer is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR: speaking your text is the service you asked the app for, and it cannot be delivered without sending the text. An update that generates speech directly on your device, removing the transfer entirely, is in preparation.
Advertising (Google AdMob)
The app shows ads served by Google AdMob. To deliver ads and prevent fraud, Google may process data such as your IP address, device identifiers (e.g. advertising ID) and coarse usage information. Details:
Where required, the operating system or the ad SDK asks for your consent (e.g. App Tracking Transparency on iOS). Without consent, ads are served non-personalized.
Legal basis
The speech synthesis above runs on Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performing the function you requested). Processing for stability and non-personalized advertising is based on legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR: providing and financing a free app). Personalized advertising, where offered, is based on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you can withdraw at any time in your device settings.
Your rights
Under the GDPR you have the right to access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and objection. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. For synthesis requests this concerns the access logs described above within their 7-day window — write to me and I will look; afterwards the entries are gone. Requests otherwise concern the third-party providers listed above.
Children
The app is not directed at children under 13, and I do not knowingly collect personal data from children.
Changes
I may update this policy when the app or legal requirements change. The current version is always available at this address.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Email [email protected] with the subject “Privacy”.