Privacy Policy
Last updated: June 25, 2026
ReadAloud, operated by Perilla Labs, is a browser extension — with a companion website at tryreadaloud.com — that reads articles aloud, directly on the page. It uses either the voice already built into your device (free) or an on-device AI voice that runs entirely in your browser (Premium). This policy covers both the ReadAloud extension and the website.
Data We Don’t Collect
Article text. The text of pages you read is never sent to our servers. Free-tier speech is synthesized by your device’s built-in engine. AI-tier speech is synthesized locally using WebAssembly — your text never leaves your browser.
Reading history. We do not track which articles you open or listen to with the extension.
Keystrokes. We do not log what you type.
Device fingerprints. We do not fingerprint your device.
Local Storage
The extension stores the following only on your device, in Chrome’s local extension storage:
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Playback speed, selected voice, volume | Restore your preferences on the next visit |
| Sites where you chose to hide the player | Keep the player hidden on those sites on future visits |
| Auth state (user ID, email) | Remember that you are signed in to your Premium account |
| AI model weights (~86–326 MB, in the browser Cache API) | Avoid re-downloading the AI voice model on every use |
This data never leaves your browser unless you sign in to a ReadAloud account (see below) or we collect product analytics (see Analytics).
Premium Accounts
An account is required only for Premium. We use Firebase Authentication (Google) to manage accounts.
When you create an account or sign in, we receive:
- Your email address
- A secure session token (managed by Firebase)
We use your email solely to identify your subscription. We do not sell, share, or use it for marketing without your consent. Firebase Authentication is governed by Google’s Privacy Policy.
Analytics
We use PostHog, a product-analytics service, to understand how ReadAloud is used and to improve it. This covers:
- Usage events — for example, signing in, onboarding steps, and playback milestones. The text of the articles you listen to is never included.
- Onboarding survey answers — the optional answers you give during setup, such as how you heard about us and your occupation.
- Approximate location — derived by PostHog from your IP address. We do not store precise location.
- Session recordings (website only) — on tryreadaloud.com, PostHog may record your interactions with the site to diagnose usability issues. The browser extension does not record your screen or the pages you read.
External Requests
| Destination | When | What is sent |
|---|---|---|
| huggingface.co | First time you use the AI voice | A standard HTTPS file download request; no personal data |
| identitytoolkit.googleapis.com / securetoken.googleapis.com | Sign-in / sign-out, and periodic session-token refresh while signed in | Firebase auth tokens |
| ReadAloud backend (tryreadaloud.com) | Signed-in Premium users only, when starting audio playback | A Firebase ID token to verify your subscription — no article text |
| PostHog (us.i.posthog.com) | While you use ReadAloud | Usage events and, on the website, session recordings (see Analytics) |
Browser Permissions
| Permission | Why it’s needed |
|---|---|
| storage | Save your preferences and auth state locally |
| unlimitedStorage | Cache the AI model files (~86–326 MB) in your browser |
| activeTab | Let the popup read the current tab’s address to show per-site controls — for example, re-enabling the player on a site where you previously hid it |
| offscreen | Run the TTS engine (WebAssembly + Web Audio) in a background context |
| Content script on all sites | Show the audio player on any article you open, without per-site setup |
Third-Party Services
| Service | Purpose | Privacy policy |
|---|---|---|
| Firebase (Google) | Account authentication | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Hugging Face | AI model download | huggingface.co/privacy |
| PostHog | Product analytics & session replay | posthog.com/privacy |
We use no advertising networks and do not sell your personal data.
Children
ReadAloud is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect data from them.
Changes to This Policy
If we make material changes, we will update the date at the top of this page. Continued use of ReadAloud after changes constitutes acceptance.
Contact
ReadAloud is operated by Perilla Labs. Questions about this policy? Email us at support@perillalabs.com.