Privacy Policy

Effective date: June 23, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how the Learn Chinese News mobile app (for iOS and Android) and this website (learnchinese.dlaisoft.com), operated by David Lai ("I", "me"), handle your information. The short version: the app has no accounts and collects no personal information such as your name or email, and your study data stays on your device. The free version shows ads and, with your permission, may use your device's advertising identifier; an optional paid subscription removes ads.

1. Information the app does NOT collect

• No account registration, sign-in, or personal profile.
• No name, email address, phone number, or contacts.
• No location data.
• No health, financial, or contact-list data. The only advertising or tracking technology in the app is the Google AdMob advertising described in Section 4 — there are no other analytics or tracking SDKs.

2. Data stored on your device

Your preferences (such as pinyin display and Simplified/Traditional script choice) and your saved vocabulary list are stored only on your device. They are never uploaded. Deleting the app deletes this data.

The app also generates a random, anonymous device identifier on first launch and stores it on your device. It is sent with requests to enforce the free-article limit and to credit rewarded ads. It is not tied to any store account (such as your Apple ID or Google account), it is not the advertising identifier, and it is not linked to your identity; it resets if you reinstall the app.

3. Data processed by the backend

When you open an article, the app sends the article's URL (or the URL you pasted) and the anonymous device identifier to my server, which fetches the article text, translates it, and extracts vocabulary using an AI model running on Amazon Web Services (AWS):

• Requests are not linked to any account or to your personal identity.
• Translations are cached for up to about 30 days, keyed by the article's address, to avoid re-processing the same article and to reduce cost. This cache is shared across users and is not linked to you or your device. Original articles are never republished.
• Per-device usage counts (such as how many free articles you have opened today and how many ad credits you hold) are stored to enforce the free-tier limit. They are associated only with the anonymous device identifier and automatically expire within a few days.
• Standard server logs (such as IP address, timestamp, and requested URL) may be retained for a limited period for rate limiting, abuse prevention, and troubleshooting.

4. Advertising (free version)

The free version of the app shows ads supplied by Google AdMob, including rewarded videos you can choose to watch to unlock additional articles.

• On iOS, the app shows Apple's App Tracking Transparency prompt asking whether it may use your device's advertising identifier (IDFA). On Android, ads use the device's advertising ID, which you can reset or delete in your device settings. In the European Economic Area and the UK, the app also shows a Google (UMP) consent message. If you allow tracking/consent, AdMob may use the advertising identifier to show more relevant ads and to measure them; otherwise the app requests non-personalized ads.
• Ad data handled by Google is governed by Google's Privacy Policy. AdMob is the only advertising SDK in the app.
• Subscribing to Pro (Section 5) removes ads entirely.

5. Purchases

The app offers an optional auto-renewable subscription (Pro) that removes ads and the daily free-article limit. Purchases are processed by Apple (on iOS) or Google Play (on Android) — I never receive your payment-card details. The store provides me only with aggregate, non-identifying sales information. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled in your App Store or Google Play account settings.

6. Read-aloud and pinyin

The read-aloud voice uses the speech synthesis built into your device (iOS or Android), and pinyin annotation and Simplified/Traditional conversion run entirely on your device. None of these features send your text or audio to a cloud speech service.

7. Support form

If you contact me through the form on this website, the name (optional), email address, and message you provide are emailed to me so I can respond. They are used only to handle your request and are not shared with anyone else or used for marketing. If you'd like a past support message deleted, ask me from the same email address and I'll delete it.

8. Third-party services

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) hosts the backend and this website, and provides the AI model used for translation (Amazon Bedrock).
• Google AdMob supplies the ads shown in the free version, as described in Section 4.
• News publishers: headlines and articles are fetched from publishers' public RSS feeds and websites. Opening their content is subject to their own terms and privacy policies.
• Apple and Google: if you download the app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android), that store's own privacy policy applies to the download and any purchase. On Android, in-app purchases and subscriptions are handled by Google Play Billing.

I do not sell or rent your personal information. The advertising described in Section 4 may involve sharing your device's advertising identifier with Google when you permit it.

9. Children

The app and website are not directed at children under 13, and I do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

10. Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted on this page with a new effective date.

11. Contact

Questions about this policy? Use the form on the Support page.