Privacy policy

This policy explains what personal information Briefly Apps Inc. ("Briefly", "we", "us") collects when you use the Briefly mobile app and the website at getbriefly.co (together, the "Services"), why we collect it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.

Briefly is a podcast app: a feed of short "Briefs", real audio moments clipped from full podcast episodes. We are the controller of the personal information described here. Questions? Email support@briefa.net.

Summary

• We collect what we need to run your account and your feed: your email, your profile, what you follow and save, and how you listen.
• We do not sell your personal information, we do not show you targeted ads, we do not use an advertising ID, and we do not track you across other companies' apps or websites.
• Product analytics can be switched off in the app (Settings → Share usage analytics).
• Our AI features work on podcast transcripts, not on your personal information. See How we use AI.
• You can delete your account in the app at any time, or by email. See Delete your account.

Contents

• 1. Information we collect
• 2. How we use your information
• 3. Who we share it with
• 4. How we use AI
• 5. Advertising and sponsors
• 6. Cookies and similar technologies
• 7. How long we keep your information
• 8. Deleting your account
• 9. How we keep your information safe
• 10. Children
• 11. International transfers
• 12. Your privacy rights
• 13. Changes to this policy
• 14. Contact us

1. Information we collect

Information you give us

• Account information. Your email address and, if you sign up with an email address, a password (stored only as a secure hash by our authentication provider). If you sign in with Apple or Google, we receive your email address and, if you choose to share it, your name. Apple may give us a private relay address instead of your real email.
• Profile. Your name, handle, and anything you choose to add: a profile photo, a bio and profile links. Your profile, and the Briefs you repost, can be seen by other Briefly users and on your shareable profile page.
• Interests and onboarding answers. The topics and categories you pick, what you want from Briefly, and similar answers you give when you set up the app.
• Imported shows. If you import your subscriptions, the list of shows you bring in (see Spotify import), an OPML file you upload, or the show names you paste.
• Messages to us. What you send us by email, through the website's contact form, waitlist sign-up or beta feedback form (for example your name, email address, message and any screenshots you attach), and reports you make about Briefs or users.

Information created when you use the app

• Activity in the app. Plays, completions, skips, likes, saves, reposts, follows, Briefs you send to other users, shares, mutes and blocks, and the screens you view. We use this to run your feed and the features you use.
• Listening progress. Where you stopped in a Brief or episode, so you can pick up where you left off.
• Notification settings and push token. If you allow notifications, we store a push token for your device, your notification choices and your time zone (so a morning notification arrives in your morning).
• Sponsor views and taps. When a sponsor card or sponsor audio is shown to you, or you tap or skip it, we record that event against the sponsor unit so we can count impressions and cap how often you see the same one.
• Product analytics. If analytics is on, the app sends usage events (for example "app opened", screen views and playback events) tied to your Briefly user ID, plus basic device information (app version, device model, operating system). These events never include your email, your name or anything you type. We do not record your screen (no session replay) and we do not automatically capture your taps. You can turn analytics off at any time in Settings → Share usage analytics.
• Crash and error reports. If analytics is on, when the app hits an error it sends a report to our analytics provider with the error type and message, where in the app's code it happened, and the same device information. Before sending, the app removes web-address parameters, sign-in tokens and email addresses from the message. Switching analytics off also stops these reports.
• Sign-up protection. When you create an account, an hCaptcha check may run to stop automated sign-ups. hCaptcha processes information about your device and your interaction with the check for fraud and abuse prevention, under the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
• Server logs. Like any online service, our servers record technical information about requests, such as IP address, time and the address requested, which we use to keep the Services running and secure.

We do not collect your precise location, your contacts, your photos (other than a profile photo you choose to upload), or an advertising identifier.

Spotify import

If you choose to import from Spotify, you sign in to Spotify and approve access. We use the access Spotify grants once, to read the list of shows you follow there and match them to Briefly, and then discard it: we do not store your Spotify token. Apple Podcasts and YouTube don't let apps read your subscriptions, so for those we can email you a walkthrough instead.

2. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• provide the Services: create and secure your account, build your feed, play Briefs, remember your progress, show your profile and let you follow, like, save, repost and send Briefs (legal basis in the EEA/UK: performance of our contract with you);
• personalise your feed and recommendations from your interests and what you listen to (contract; legitimate interests);
• send you notifications you have switched on, and service emails such as sign-in, password reset and import walkthrough emails (contract; consent where required);
• understand and improve the app using analytics (legitimate interests; you can switch analytics off);
• keep the Services safe: prevent fraud and abuse, review reports, enforce our Terms (legitimate interests; legal obligation);
• run sponsorships: count sponsor impressions and limit how often you see them (legitimate interests);
• answer you when you contact us; and
• comply with the law.

We do not use your personal information to train AI models.

3. Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal information and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising. We share it only with service providers who process it on our behalf, under contract, to run the Services:

We can provide a current list of our service providers on request at support@briefa.net.

Our AI providers receive podcast content only, never your personal information. See How we use AI.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect the rights, safety or property of our users, the public or Briefly, or as part of a merger, acquisition or sale of assets (in which case this policy will continue to apply to your information).

Your public profile, reposts and activity you choose to make visible are visible to other Briefly users and to anyone you share your profile link with.

4. How we use AI

Briefly uses AI to turn podcast episodes into Briefs:

• Transcripts. We transcribe podcast episodes with speech-recognition models run by cloud computing and AI providers.
• Choosing moments, headlines and summaries. Language models read those transcripts and the show's public feed information to find the moments worth hearing and to write each Brief's headline, summary and topic tags. These models are run by third-party AI providers. We send them podcast transcripts and public feed information, not your account details.
• The narrator. The short spoken intro before a Brief is generated by a text-to-speech model. It is a stock synthetic voice. It is not the host's voice, and it is not a clone of any real person's voice.

The Brief itself is the show's real audio. Headlines, summaries and the narrator's lines are AI-generated and can contain mistakes. They are not the views of the show or its hosts.

What the AI providers receive: podcast audio, transcripts and public feed information (show and episode titles and descriptions). They do not receive your account, profile, listening history or any other personal information about you, and we do not use your personal information to train AI models.

5. Advertising and sponsors

Briefly may show sponsor cards or sponsor audio reads, which are always labelled as sponsored. These are Briefly's own sponsor placements: we do not use a third-party advertising network or SDK, we do not collect your advertising ID, and sponsors are not chosen for you based on your personal information. We record when a sponsor unit is shown, tapped or skipped so we can count impressions and limit repeats; sponsors receive only aggregate counts.

6. Cookies and similar technologies

The website does not use advertising or analytics cookies. The app stores your sign-in session securely on your device, and keeps small settings (such as your theme and your analytics choice) on the device. Product analytics in the app is described in section 1 and can be switched off in Settings.

We do not track you across other companies' apps or websites, so we do not respond differently to "Do Not Track" signals; there is nothing to switch off.

7. How long we keep your information

• Account, profile and app data: for as long as you have an account. When you delete your account, we delete it (see section 8).
• Product analytics events and crash/error reports: kept for 30 days, then deleted by our analytics provider.
• Sponsor impression counts: kept, but unlinked from you when you delete your account.
• Reports about Briefs made in the app: kept so we can review the reported Brief, but unlinked from you when you delete your account. Any note you wrote stays as you wrote it.
• Messages you send us: as long as we need them to deal with your request, and then for a reasonable period in case you follow up.
• Backups: encrypted daily database backups roll off on our provider's schedule, within 7 days.
• We keep information longer only where the law requires it (for example, to deal with a legal claim).

8. Deleting your account

You can delete your account in the app: open your profile (tap your profile picture on Home), tap the settings gear, then All settings → Advanced → Delete account. If you can't use the app, email support@briefa.net from the address on your account with the subject "Delete my account".

Deleting your account removes your sign-in, profile, follows, saves, likes, reposts, sends, listening history and progress, interests, imported shows, push tokens and the activity we store with your account. Our Delete your account page lists exactly what is deleted and what is kept.

9. How we keep your information safe

We use encryption in transit (HTTPS) for all traffic between the app, the website and our servers, encryption at rest provided by our hosting providers, access controls in our database so each user can reach only their own private data, and limited staff access. Your sign-in session is stored in your device's secure storage. No system is perfectly secure, so we can't guarantee that information will never be accessed without authorisation; if a breach affects you, we will tell you as the law requires.

10. Children

Briefly is not directed to children. You must be at least 13 years old to use Briefly, or 16 if you live in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, or older if the law where you live requires it. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under these ages. If you believe a child has given us personal information, email support@briefa.net and we will delete it.

11. International transfers

Briefly Apps Inc. is based in the United States, and our service providers store and process information in the United States. Our database and servers are hosted in the US West (Oregon) region, and some providers, such as model and analytics providers, may process information in other countries. Those countries may have different data protection laws from yours. Where the law requires it, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses for transfers out of the EEA, the UK and Switzerland.

12. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR in the EEA and UK, or the CCPA in California and similar US state laws), you may have the right to:

• access the personal information we hold about you and get a copy of it;
• correct it (you can edit most of your profile directly in the app);
• delete it (see section 8);
• object to or restrict certain processing, including processing based on our legitimate interests;
• withdraw consent where we rely on consent (for example, switch off notifications or analytics in the app);
• move your information to another service (data portability); and
• not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.

We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioural advertising, and we do not use sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you.

To make a request, email support@briefa.net from the address on your account. We will verify that the request comes from you and respond within the time the law requires (usually within 30 days, or 45 days under US state laws). You can use an authorised agent where the law allows it. If we decline a request, you can ask us to reconsider by replying to our decision, and you can complain to your local data protection authority.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. We will change the "Last updated" date at the top, and if a change is significant we will tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect.

14. Contact us

Email support@briefa.net, or write to us at:

Briefly Apps Inc.
8 The Green, Ste B
#26573
Dover, DE 19901-3618
United States