Privacy Policy

Last updated: 17 April 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how PodcastGenie ("PodcastGenie", "we", "us") collects, uses, stores, and shares your personal data when you use the PodcastGenie website and service at www.podcastgenie.app (the "Service").

We operate from the United Arab Emirates and serve customers globally. We comply with the UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data ("UAE PDPL"). Where applicable, we also apply protections required by the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), the UK GDPR, and the California Consumer Privacy Act / CPRA ("CCPA").

1. Who we are

The data controller is PodcastGenie, operated by [YOUR LEGAL ENTITY NAME], [YOUR REGISTERED ADDRESS, UAE]. You can contact us at muhammad.chbib@googlemail.com.

2. Data we collect

We collect the following categories of personal data:

• Account data: email address, full name, hashed password, and profile preferences (writing style, platform preferences, onboarding status).
• Content you upload: audio and video files you submit for processing, together with the transcripts and generated outputs (titles, show notes, reels, descriptions) we produce from them.
• Usage data: minutes processed per month, job history, timestamps, feature usage, and aggregate device/browser information.
• Billing data: subscription tier, billing status, and a customer identifier issued by our payment processor, Paddle. We do not store your full credit card number — Paddle handles and stores it directly.
• Support communications: messages you send us by email.

3. How we use your data

• To provide the Service — transcribe your audio, generate titles, show notes, reels, and other content.
• To authenticate you and maintain your account.
• To process payments and manage your subscription.
• To improve the Service (aggregate analytics, debugging, product decisions).
• To communicate with you about your account, changes to the Service, and support requests.
• To comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not use your uploaded audio or generated outputs to train any AI models of our own. We process your content through third-party AI providers on their paid / commercial APIs:

• Anthropic (Claude API) and Google (Gemini API, paid tier) — under their current commercial terms, customer inputs and outputs are not used to train their models.
• Deepgram — used for transcription. Under Deepgram's standard self-serve API terms, audio and transcripts may be retained by Deepgram for a limited period and may be used to improve their service. Zero-retention is available only under an Enterprise agreement.

Each provider's full data-processing policy is published on their website and applies in addition to this Policy.

4. Legal basis (for EEA / UK users)

Where GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases:

• Contract — to deliver the Service you signed up for.
• Legitimate interests — to secure our platform, prevent fraud, and improve the product.
• Consent — for optional communications (you can withdraw this at any time).
• Legal obligation — to keep tax, billing, and other records required by law.

5. Third-party sub-processors

We use the following processors to run the Service. They only process your data on our instructions and under appropriate confidentiality and security obligations.

International transfers from the EEA/UK to countries outside the EEA are made under appropriate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses).

6. Retention

• Uploaded media and rendered video files are automatically deleted from storage after a retention window that depends on your subscription tier: 7 days (Free), 30 days (Pro), or 90 days (Enterprise).
• Transcripts and generated text outputs are retained in your account until you delete the job or your account.
• Account and profile data are retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period afterwards for billing, tax, or legal records.
• Billing records are retained for as long as required by applicable tax law (typically 5 years).

7. Your rights

Subject to applicable law (UAE PDPL, GDPR, or UK GDPR), you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate data.
• Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten").
• Request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format (portability).
• Object to or restrict processing.
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, email muhammad.chbib@googlemail.com. You can also delete your account at any time from the Settings page, which will remove your profile, jobs, and media files.

7a. California residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, to request deletion, to correct inaccurate information, to limit use of sensitive personal information, and to opt out of any "sale" or "sharing" of personal information. We do not sell or share your personal information as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA. To exercise California rights, email us at the address above.

8. Security

We use industry-standard security practices, including encryption in transit (TLS), encrypted storage at rest, access controls, and regular backups. No system is perfectly secure; if we become aware of a breach that affects you, we will notify you in line with applicable law.

9. Cookies

We use a small number of strictly necessary cookies and local storage items:

• A session cookie to keep you signed in.
• A theme preference (light/dark mode).
• Onboarding tour state.

We do not currently use advertising or third-party tracking cookies. If that changes, we will update this Policy and, where required, ask for your consent.

10. Children

The Service is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have done so, please contact us and we will delete it.

11. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date at the top. Material changes will be announced by email or via a banner in the Service.

12. Contact

Questions about this Policy? Email muhammad.chbib@googlemail.com.