Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how Namu collects, uses, and shares personal information when you use the Services. It does not apply to products we have not yet publicly released, or to third-party services we don't control.

By using the Services, you agree to the collection and use of information as described here. If you do not agree, please don't use the Services.

• Information you provide to us. Your name, email address, and the contents of any message you send us through our contact channels, as well as any information you provide if you ask to hear from us about new Namu products.
• Content you submit through the Services. Text, audio, voice recordings, images, and files you submit through the Playground or similar features ("Content"), including audio captured through your microphone if you grant permission.
• Output we generate for you. Results our models produce in response to your Content, such as a transcript of your speech or audio synthesized from your text ("Output").
• Information collected automatically. IP address, browser and device type, operating system, referring pages, and similar diagnostic data, collected through standard server and hosting logs.

• Provide, maintain, and secure the Services.
• Respond to questions and requests sent through our contact channels.
• Communicate with you about Namu, if you've asked to hear from us.
• Monitor and analyze usage to understand and improve the Services.
• Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
• Comply with our legal obligations.

Namu's mission is to build AI that understands and speaks African languages, including many that are barely represented in AI systems today. Doing that well depends on real speech and language data.

Where a feature of the Services — such as the Playground — asks for your permission to use your Content to help train or evaluate Namu's models, we will tell you before you provide it. We only use your Content to develop or improve our models where you've given that permission, or where we're otherwise permitted to do so by law.

You can withdraw that permission, and ask us to delete Content you've submitted, at any time — see Your rights & choices.

We do not sell your personal information. We may disclose it only to:

• Service providers who host the Services or help us operate them, such as hosting and infrastructure providers, bound by confidentiality and data-protection obligations.
• Legal and safety authorities, where required by law, regulation, or legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Namu, our users, or the public.
• Successors, in connection with a merger, financing, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to standard confidentiality arrangements.
• Other parties with your consent, for any purpose we disclose to you at the time of collection.

The Services use limited local storage to remember your language preference (English or Hausa) so they work the way you left them. We do not currently use third-party advertising or analytics cookies. If that changes, we will update this policy and, where required, ask for your consent.

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide the Services, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Content you submit through the Playground, including audio, is retained only for as long as needed for the purpose you provided it for, or until you ask us to delete it.

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate personal information.
• Delete personal information we hold about you.
• Object to, or restrict, certain processing of your personal information.
• Withdraw consent you've previously given us, including consent to use your Content to develop our models.
• Receive a copy of your personal information in a portable format.

To exercise any of these rights, email legal@namuai.org. We will respond to verified requests within the time required by applicable law.

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal information from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Namu is built in Niger and the United States. Your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in either country, or in other countries where our service providers operate. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards to protect personal information transferred internationally.

The Services are not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us so we can delete it.

We may update this Privacy Policy as Namu and the Services evolve. We'll revise the date below and, where a change is material, take reasonable steps to notify you.

Questions about this policy or how we handle personal information can be sent to legal@namuai.org.