Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Podwise.IO ("we", "our", or "us"), operated by Tyne Production Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales, collects, uses, and protects your information when you use the Podwise.IO Chrome extension and website at podwise.io.

1. Chrome Web Store Limited Use Policy

2. Extension Permissions Explained

Every permission the extension requests, and exactly why it is needed:

• activeTab — reads the URL of your current tab only when you click the Podwise button. Used solely to identify the podcast episode you want to summarize. Never runs passively or in the background.
• storage — stores your authentication token and cached summaries locally in your browser so you stay signed in and summaries load instantly. Nothing is shared with third parties.
• identity — authenticates your account with the Podwise backend to manage your free or premium tier access and usage quotas.
• host permission (https://api.podwise.io/*) — allows the extension to communicate exclusively with our own backend API for transcription, summarization, authentication, and export. No other hosts are accessed.

3. Information We Collect

We collect only what is necessary to operate the service:

• Email address — when you create an account. Used for authentication and transactional emails only.
• Authentication token — stored locally in your browser. Never shared with third parties.
• Podcast episode URLs — the URL of the episode you choose to summarize. Used only to process your request. Not stored permanently or linked to your identity beyond your summary history.
• Usage data — number of episodes summarized and minutes processed per billing cycle. Used only to enforce free/premium tier limits.

We do not collect browsing history, keystrokes, mouse movements, page content, or any data beyond what is listed above.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (UK GDPR & Data Protection Act 2018)

Podwise.IO processes personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Our legal basis for each type of processing is:

5. How We Use Your Information

• To authenticate you and manage your account
• To process podcast summarization requests you initiate
• To enforce usage quotas for free and premium plans
• To send transactional emails (account creation, payment confirmation)
• To detect and prevent abuse or fraud
• To improve service quality using anonymised statistical usage data

6. AI Disclosure

Podwise.IO uses artificial intelligence to transcribe and summarize podcast audio. Specifically:

• Podcast audio is sent to Groq for transcription using their Whisper-based model
• The transcript is processed by an AI language model to generate a structured summary
• AI is used to process content only — it is not used to make automated decisions about you as a person
• Audio is processed transiently and is not stored by Groq after processing

If you have concerns about how AI processed your content, you may request human review by contacting privacy@podwise.io.

7. Sub-processors & Third-Party Services

We use the following sub-processors to operate Podwise.IO. Each is bound by appropriate data processing agreements:

8. International Data Transfers

As a UK-registered company, all international data transfers are conducted in accordance with UK GDPR. Data transferred to US-based sub-processors (Supabase, Groq) is protected under standard contractual clauses (SCCs) as approved by the ICO. By using Podwise.IO you acknowledge these transfers.

9. Data Retention

• Active accounts: account data and summaries retained for as long as your account is active
• Usage logs: retained for up to 90 days then permanently deleted
• After account deletion: data removed from active databases within 30 days; encrypted backups purged within 60 days
• Payment records: retained for 7 years as required by UK law

10. Your Rights (UK GDPR)

Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of all personal data we hold about you
• Correction — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Deletion — request erasure of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format (JSON)
• Restriction — request that we restrict processing of your data
• Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent — withdraw consent at any time by emailing privacy@podwise.io

We will respond to all requests within 30 days. Contact: privacy@podwise.io

11. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a personal data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware, and will notify affected users without undue delay where required under UK GDPR Article 34.

12. Children's Privacy

Podwise.IO is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected data from a child under 13, contact us immediately at privacy@podwise.io.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. For material changes we will notify registered users by email and require re-acknowledgement before continued use. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page always reflects the most recent version.

14. Contact & Complaints

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or by calling 0303 123 1113.