Privacy Policy
Last updated: May 2, 2026
Subtext is a browser extension and web service that helps you learn languages by overlaying dual subtitles and translations on streaming video. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and the rights you have over it.
1.Information we collect
When you create an account: your email address, chosen native language, display name, and — if you provide them — a profile photo and short bio. When you use the service: the subtitle text you request translations for, the source/target language pair for each request, words and phrases you save, idioms you encounter, and study activity (which questions you completed, which words you marked as learned). When you subscribe: a Stripe customer ID, your subscription status, and billing history. Payment details (card numbers, etc.) are handled directly by Stripe and never touch our servers.
2.How we use it
We use your data to provide the service (translation, vocab cards, idiom learning, billing), maintain your library and learning progress across sessions, send transactional email (account confirmation, billing receipts, magic-link sign-in), and improve the service through aggregate, anonymized usage statistics.
3.Sharing
We share data only with the third-party services that operate Subtext on our behalf: — A payment processor handles subscriptions and billing. — A transactional email provider sends account-related messages. — A translation engine and large language model process the subtitle text you submit for translation. We do not control their data-retention practices. — Cloud hosting and database infrastructure. Each of these providers operates under its own privacy terms. We choose providers that meet baseline data-protection standards.
4.Data retention
While you have an active paid subscription, we keep your profile and learning data on file. If you cancel a paid subscription: — For the first 1.5 years after your most recent subscription ends, your account, library (sets, quizzes, vocabulary, idioms), and learning progress stay intact. You can resubscribe at any time and pick up where you left off. — Between 1.5 and 2 years of no active subscription, we wipe your library data (sets, quizzes, vocabulary, idioms, learning progress). Your account stays open, and any words you have hydrated remain unlocked. You can resubscribe at any time and continue using your hydrated words. — After 2 years of no active subscription, we delete your account and all remaining personal data. We retain a hashed reference to your email paired with the words you have hydrated for up to 3 years, so that if you sign up again with the same email within that window, your previously-hydrated words are automatically restored. This archive contains no other personal information. The 3-year archive clock is tied to your most recent subscription end, so each new subscription resets it. All retention timelines above are also bounded by the lifetime of SubText itself — if SubText shuts down, all data is deleted at that point regardless of how much time remains on these clocks. If you manually delete your account at any time, we permanently erase all of your personal data, including the hashed archive described above. The shared community cache of word translations is kept (it's not tied to any one user), but any reference to you as the original hydrater is removed. Note on reused emails: hydration restoration is keyed to the email address used at the time. If your email is later reassigned and a new account holder signs up with it, they may inherit access to your previously-hydrated words. If you want to prevent this, request full account deletion. Subtitle text sent to external translation providers may be retained per their policies, which we do not control.
5.Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, correct inaccuracies, delete your data ("right to erasure"), export your data in a portable format, object to or restrict certain processing, and withdraw consent at any time. You can delete your account and trigger erasure directly from Account Settings. For other requests, reach us on Discord.
6.Security
We use standard industry practices to protect your data: HTTPS for all traffic, password hashing, encrypted database connections, and access controls limiting who on our team can view personal data. No system is 100% secure; if we ever suffer a breach affecting your data, we will notify you.
7.Cookies and tracking
Subtext uses essential cookies to keep you signed in and remember your preferences (theme, native language). We do not use third-party advertising cookies, and we do not track you across other sites.
8.Children's privacy
Subtext is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If we discover we have, we will delete it.
9.Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be announced via email or an in-app notice; the "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.
10.Contact
Questions or requests about your data? Reach us on our Discord community.