FocusHearFocusHear›Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 26, 2026

1. Who We Are

FocusHear is an assistive listening application designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing users. It provides real-time selective captioning, sign language recognition, and multi-speaker transcription. FocusHear was developed as part of the SDGs to Startups 2026 programme.

For any privacy-related questions, contact us at carl.masters.dev@protonmail.com.

2. What Data We Collect and Why

We collect only the data needed to operate the app. Here is a complete list:

Email addressRequired to create an account. Used for authentication only. Never used for marketing without your consent.
Face geometry descriptorsWhen you enroll a person's face in Settings → Face Profiles, we generate a 128-number mathematical representation of their face using on-device AI. This is stored so the app can recognise them in future sessions. The original video frame is never stored.
Voice enrollment recordingsWhen you record a voice sample to save in Settings → Saved Voices, we store the audio file so the app can filter for that person's voice in future sessions.
Session audio (transient)Short audio chunks (~4 seconds) are sent to ElevenLabs for speech-to-text transcription. FocusHear does not store these audio chunks — only the text they produce. ElevenLabs' own privacy policy governs how they handle audio.
Session transcriptsThe text produced from transcription is stored so you can review sessions after they end.
AI-generated summariesAt the end of a session, your transcript is sent to OpenAI's GPT-4o to generate a summary. The summary and transcript are stored under your account. OpenAI's privacy policy governs how they handle text sent to their API.
Session metadataStart time, end time, duration, and number of speakers detected. Used to display session history.
Sign language captionsText produced by the sign recognition feature during sessions, stored alongside voice captions.
User preferencesCaption appearance, language, and feature toggles. Stored locally in your browser (localStorage) only — not on our servers.

What we never collect:

  • Your camera feed is processed entirely on your device. It is never transmitted to our servers or any third party.
  • We do not sell your data to anyone.
  • We do not use your data for advertising or profiling.
  • We do not collect location data.

3. Biometric Data

Face geometry descriptors and voice recordings are considered biometric data under applicable privacy laws including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and various US state laws (including the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, BIPA, and similar statutes in Texas, Washington, and other states).

By enrolling a face or voice profile, you explicitly consent to our collection and processing of this biometric data for the sole purpose of speaker recognition within FocusHear sessions. We will not use biometric data for any other purpose.

Biometric data is stored only for as long as you maintain the corresponding profile. Deleting a face profile or voice profile in Settings permanently removes the stored data from our database and storage. Deleting your account removes all biometric data associated with it.

We do not sell, lease, trade, or otherwise profit from biometric data. We do not disclose biometric data to third parties except as strictly required to provide the service (Supabase, our database and storage provider).

4. How We Share Your Data

We do not sell your data. The following third-party services process data as part of operating FocusHear:

SupabaseOur database, authentication, and file storage provider. Stores your account, transcripts, face profiles, and voice recordings. Data is stored in the United States. Supabase is SOC 2 Type II certified.
ElevenLabsReceives short audio chunks for speech-to-text transcription via their Scribe API. Audio is not stored by FocusHear after transcription. Review ElevenLabs' Privacy Policy at elevenlabs.io.
OpenAIReceives session transcript text to generate AI summaries via the GPT-4o API. Review OpenAI's Privacy Policy at openai.com. You can disable AI summaries by using FocusHear as a guest (without an account).

We may disclose your data if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental authority, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of FocusHear, our users, or the public.

5. Data Retention

Session transcripts and summariesRetained until you delete the session or your account.
Face geometry profilesRetained until you delete the profile in Settings or delete your account.
Voice enrollment recordingsRetained until you delete the profile in Settings or delete your account.
Account / email addressRetained until you delete your account.
User preferencesStored in your browser's localStorage. Cleared when you clear your browser data.
Transient audio chunksNot stored by FocusHear. Sent to ElevenLabs for transcription and discarded.

6. Your Rights

Depending on where you are located, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Access: Request a copy of all data we hold about you.
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your account and all associated data. You can delete face profiles and voice profiles directly in Settings, or contact us to delete your entire account.
  • Correction: Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
  • Portability: Request a machine-readable export of your session transcripts.
  • Objection: Object to processing of your data in certain circumstances.
  • Withdraw consent: For biometric data, withdraw consent at any time by deleting the relevant profiles. This does not affect the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, email carl.masters.dev@protonmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Security

We use the following measures to protect your data:

  • All data is transmitted over HTTPS/TLS.
  • Database access is restricted to server-side API routes using a service-role key. The anonymous (client-side) key cannot read or write any user data directly.
  • Row-level security policies are enforced at the database level; only your own data is accessible to your account.
  • API keys for ElevenLabs and OpenAI are stored server-side only and are never exposed to the browser.
  • Voice recordings in Supabase Storage are private by default; access is via time-limited signed URLs (1-hour expiry).

No system is perfectly secure. If you discover a security issue, please report it responsibly to carl.masters.dev@protonmail.com.

8. Children's Privacy

FocusHear is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in the European Union). If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately at carl.masters.dev@protonmail.com and we will delete it promptly.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes by email. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of FocusHear after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

10. Contact

For privacy enquiries, data access requests, or to report a concern, contact us at: carl.masters.dev@protonmail.com