What we process, and what stays on your device
Recording happens on your device. Transcription is on by default and uses a secure cloud service to turn your audio into text; translating and summarizing use it too, when you start them. Only the audio or text for that step is sent, nothing is stored on our servers long term, and we have no accounts, show no ads, run no analytics in the extension, and never sell your data.
What stays on your device
Most of the extension never touches the internet:
- Recordings and their transcripts are kept in your browser's local storage on this computer.
- Finished audio files are saved to your Downloads folder, like any other download.
- The recordings library, editing (trim, remove silence, voice effects), and the reader all run locally.
You can delete a recording from inside the extension at any time, which removes it from your device.
What goes to the cloud, and when
Transcription is on by default so you get text without extra steps; translation, summary, and sharing run only when you start them. Each sends just what that step needs:
| Feature | What is sent | Where it is processed |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription | Your audio, to turn it into text. While you record, it streams live over an encrypted connection for on-screen captions; after you stop, the recording is transcribed the same way (large files are uploaded once to temporary storage). | Our Cloudflare Worker, then Deepgram (or, for short clips, Cloudflare Workers AI). |
| Translation | The transcript text. | Our Cloudflare Worker, then OpenAI or Cloudflare Workers AI. |
| Summary | The transcript text. | Our Cloudflare Worker, then OpenAI. |
| Sharing | An encrypted copy of the file you share. | Cloudflare storage, auto-deleted after 15 minutes. |
How transcription works, in plain terms. It is on by default. While you record, the audio streams over an encrypted WebSocket through our relay (a Cloudflare Worker) to our speech-to-text sub-processor (Deepgram) to show live captions; nothing is stored on our servers, and model training on this data is turned off. After you stop, the recording is transcribed the same way — by Deepgram or, for short clips, by Cloudflare Workers AI — and large files are uploaded once to temporary storage that is deleted when the job finishes. If the cloud is unavailable or the free monthly quota is used up, transcription runs on your device instead. You can still use the recorder itself fully offline, and the recording files stay on your device either way.
To keep the free cloud features from being abused, the extension sends an anonymous client identifier and a monthly request count. It is not tied to your name, email, or any account, because there is no account.
The services we use (subprocessors)
We use a small set of providers to run the cloud features. We do not sell data to them or anyone else.
| Provider | Used for | Data handling |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | Hosting our service, translation, encrypted sharing, and speech-to-text for short clips (Workers AI). | Does not train on your content. Shared files are encrypted and expire after 15 minutes; a temporary upload for a large transcription is deleted once the job finishes. |
| Deepgram | Speech-to-text for transcription. | We opt out of model training, so your audio is used only to produce your transcript, not to train models. |
| OpenAI | Generating summaries and translations. | API data is not used to train models. Short-term abuse-monitoring logs are kept for up to 30 days. |
Recording other people
Recording captures whatever audio you point it at, including other people's voices. You are responsible for having the right to record, and for any consent the people you record are entitled to under your local laws.
Legal bases
Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we process data on the basis of your consent and to perform the feature you asked for (for example, sending audio to be transcribed because you pressed transcribe). You can withdraw consent at any time by not using the cloud features.
Retention and deletion
- On your device: recordings and transcripts stay until you delete them.
- In the cloud: transcription, translation, and summary requests are processed to return your result and are not stored against you. A shared link and its encrypted file are deleted automatically after 15 minutes, or when you regenerate or close the share.
- The anonymous quota counter holds only a per-identifier monthly count, with no recording content.
International transfers
Our providers (Cloudflare, Deepgram, OpenAI) operate from the United States, so when you use a cloud feature, the audio or text for that step is processed on US-based services.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you have rights over your personal data:
- GDPR / UK GDPR: access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, objection, withdrawing consent, and lodging a complaint with a supervisory authority (such as the ICO).
- CCPA / CPRA (California): to know, access, delete, and correct your data, and to not be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We do not sell or share your personal information.
Because we hold no account and no stored recordings on our side, most of your data is already in your hands and you can delete it directly. For anything else, email us and we will help.
Security
All cloud requests use encrypted transport (HTTPS and secure WebSockets). Sharing is end-to-end encrypted: the decryption key lives only in the share link's fragment and is never sent to our server, so we cannot read a shared file. We do not create voiceprints, biometric identifiers, or behavioral profiles.
Children
Online Voice Recorder is intended for users 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.
What we do not do
No accounts. No ads. No analytics or tracking inside the extension. No behavioral profiles. We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information for marketing. (This website uses privacy-friendly visitor analytics — see Website analytics below.)
Website analytics
This website (onlinevoicerecorder.xyz — the landing, welcome, support, and this privacy page) uses Yandex Metrica to count anonymous visits, so we can see how many people reach the site and the post-install welcome page. It records aggregate usage only — pages viewed, referrer, approximate region, and device/browser type — and sets cookies for this. Session recording (Webvisor) is off. This is separate from the extension: the extension itself contains no analytics and sends no usage data about you. The data is processed by Yandex, which may process it in the Russian Federation, under its privacy policy. Our legal basis is our legitimate interest in understanding site traffic. To opt out, use the Yandex Metrica opt-out, block cookies for this site, or turn on your browser's Do‑Not‑Track.
Limited Use
The use of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above. The current version always lives here.