Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Free Transcribe Audio To Text (accessible at freetranscribeaudiototext.com) is a free online tool that converts audio and video files into text using AI. We are the operator of this website and the sole party responsible for how your data is handled when you use our service.

We built this tool to make accurate transcription accessible to everyone — for free, with no strings attached. This Privacy Policy explains what happens to your information when you visit our site and use our transcription service.

2. What Information We Collect

We collect as little as possible. Here's a plain-English breakdown:

Information you provide directly:

• Uploaded files — the audio or video file you submit for transcription. This is temporarily stored on our server while the transcription is being processed.

Information collected automatically:

• IP address — logged briefly for security purposes (e.g., rate limiting and abuse prevention). We do not tie IP addresses to individual identities or transcription sessions.
• Browser and device information — basic technical data like your browser type, operating system, and screen resolution, collected via standard server logs and analytics tools.
• Usage data — pages visited, time on site, and general interaction patterns. This is aggregated and anonymized — we cannot identify you from it.
• Referral source — how you arrived at the site (e.g., from a search engine or a link).

We do not collect your name, email address, phone number, or any other personally identifiable information — because we never ask for it.

3. How We Handle Your Uploaded Files

This is probably the part you care about most, so let's be very direct about it.

Here is the exact lifecycle of your file:

1. You upload a file through our web interface.
2. The file is temporarily stored on our server while the Whisper AI model processes it.
3. The transcript is generated and returned to your browser.
4. Your file is automatically deleted from our server within 24 hours of upload.
5. We do not access, listen to, read, or analyze the contents of your files for any purpose other than generating the transcript you requested.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the limited data we collect only for the following purposes:

• To provide the transcription service — processing your uploaded file and returning the transcript to you.
• To maintain and improve the service — diagnosing technical issues, improving performance, and understanding how the tool is being used (in aggregate, not individually).
• To prevent abuse — detecting and blocking misuse such as automated attacks, excessive load, or malicious uploads.
• To display relevant advertising — we display ads to help cover hosting costs. Ad networks may use cookies to show relevant ads (see the Advertising section below).

We do not use your data to build profiles, target you with marketing emails, or sell it to any third party.

5. Cookies & Analytics

We use a small number of cookies to help the site function and to understand how visitors use it.

• Essential cookies — necessary for the site to function. These cannot be switched off.
• Analytics cookies — we may use a privacy-friendly analytics tool (such as Google Analytics in anonymized mode) to understand aggregate traffic patterns. This data is never tied to individual users.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some site functionality but will not prevent you from using the transcription tool itself.

6. Advertising

We display advertisements on this site to help cover the cost of running the service. Ads are served by third-party ad networks, which may use cookies and similar technologies to show you relevant ads based on your browsing behavior.

These ad networks operate under their own privacy policies. Common ad providers we may use include Google AdSense. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting aboutads.info or by adjusting your Google account settings.

We do not control the specific ads shown, and we do not share your personal data directly with advertisers. Ad targeting (if any) is managed entirely by the ad network based on cookies they set independently.

7. Third-Party Services

We want to be transparent about the third-party tools involved in running this site:

• Web hosting / server infrastructure — our site is hosted on a private server. Your uploaded files are processed on this server and not shared with cloud providers for transcription purposes.
• Analytics — we may use Google Analytics or a privacy-respecting alternative to understand site traffic in aggregate.
• Advertising networks — such as Google AdSense, which may set their own cookies.

We do not use any AI-as-a-service APIs (such as the OpenAI API) for transcription. The Whisper model runs locally on our own infrastructure, which means your files stay with us and go nowhere else.

8. Data Retention

We keep your data for the shortest time necessary to provide the service:

• Uploaded files — automatically deleted within 24 hours of upload.
• Transcript data — not stored on our servers after delivery. Once the result is sent to your browser, we do not retain a copy.
• Server logs (IP addresses, request metadata) — retained for up to 30 days for security and debugging purposes, then deleted.
• Analytics data — aggregated and anonymized; individual sessions are not stored long-term.

9. Your Rights

Because we collect very little data and don't require accounts, there's not much personally identifiable information for us to act on. That said, depending on where you live, you may have certain rights:

• Right to access — you can ask us what data we hold about you.
• Right to deletion — you can request that any data we hold be deleted. In most cases, uploaded files are already gone within 24 hours.
• Right to opt out of targeted advertising — via your browser settings or the ad network's opt-out tools.

EU and UK residents have additional rights under GDPR and UK GDPR, including the right to data portability and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. California residents have rights under CCPA, including the right to know what data is collected and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in the Contact section below.

10. Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect any personal information from children. We do not require any personal information to use the service, so there is no registration or profile that a child could create.

If you believe a child has submitted personal data through our site, please contact us and we will take steps to remove it promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of the service after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy. We will not make changes that are materially less protective of your data without clear notice.

12. Contact Us

Have a question about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data? We're happy to talk about it.