Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information when you use IELTS Speaking Scorer:

• Account information: email address and name (via Google OAuth or magic link sign-in)
• Audio recordings: spoken responses you record during speaking practice sessions
• Assessment data: band scores, criterion feedback, error analysis, and improvement recommendations
• Payment information: processed securely by Stripe — we do not store your credit card details
• Usage data: pages visited, test sessions completed, and general interaction patterns

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide IELTS Speaking assessment and personalized feedback
• Process your audio recordings for scoring and analysis
• Generate improvement recommendations and drill suggestions
• Process payments and manage your account
• Send transactional emails (score results, account updates)
• Improve our scoring accuracy and service quality

3. Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored securely using industry-standard practices:

• Database: user accounts and assessment results are stored in Neon PostgreSQL with encryption at rest
• Audio files: stored in AWS S3 with server-side encryption
• Data in transit: all communications use TLS/SSL encryption (HTTPS)
• Authentication: secured via JWT tokens with industry-standard signing

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the platform:

• Stripe — payment processing (Stripe Privacy Policy)
• Google — OAuth authentication (Google Privacy Policy)
• Microsoft Azure — speech-to-text and pronunciation assessment
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) — audio file storage
• Resend — transactional email delivery
• Cloudflare — bot protection (Turnstile)

Each third-party service processes data according to their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review their policies.

5. Data Retention

We retain your data for the following periods:

• Account information: retained while your account is active and for 30 days after deletion request
• Audio recordings: retained for 90 days after scoring is complete, then automatically deleted
• Assessment results: retained while your account is active to enable progress tracking
• Payment records: retained as required by applicable tax and financial regulations

6. Your Rights

Under applicable data protection laws (including GDPR for EU residents), you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (GDPR Article 15)
• Rectification — request correction of inaccurate data (GDPR Article 16)
• Erasure — request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten", GDPR Article 17)
• Data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format (GDPR Article 20)
• Objection — object to processing of your data in certain circumstances (GDPR Article 21)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided below.

7. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

8. Cookies & Tracking

We use essential cookies required for the Service to function (authentication session cookies). We do not use advertising or third-party tracking cookies. Cloudflare Turnstile may set cookies for bot protection purposes.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting a notice on the Service or sending you an email. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

10. Contact Information

For questions or requests related to your privacy or this policy, please contact us at: privacy@ieltsspeakingscorer.com