Legal · Private beta
Privacy Policy
This policy describes how the Qamishlo private beta actually works today. It is not formal legal advice and may change as the product evolves. Contact gidi@qamishlo.org with questions or deletion requests.
Who we are
Qamishlo is an invite-only audio learning app operated by Gidrono (gidi@qamishlo.org). The public site is qamishlo.org. The beta API runs on the operator’s configured host.
Who this applies to
Private-beta testers who use the Android app (including installs from Google Play testing tracks) or the web preview. There is no public self-serve signup. Access is limited to people the operator has allowlisted.
How you sign in
On Android Play / private-beta builds, you sign in with Google through Microsoft Entra External ID. We receive identity claims from that sign-in (typically email and a stable account id) and create or update your Qamishlo account from them. We do not use a separate email/password account in this beta.
Access is gated by an operator-managed allowlist, usually your Google account email (the same address used for Play testing where applicable). Some flows may still use a revocable invite token that the operator issues and links to your signed-in account. Sharing invite tokens is not allowed.
What we collect and process
-
Account identity. Email and provider account identifiers from Google /
Entra sign-in; a Qamishlo
user_id; optional display name you choose; and whether your account is linked to an allowlisted invite. - Course inputs. Subject, learning goal, language, and level you submit to generate courses.
- Generated learning content. Lesson scripts, synthesized lesson audio, playback progress, course ratings, and related catalog data stored on our servers (and may be stored in Azure Blob storage).
- Voice Q&A. When you ask a spoken question, a short microphone clip (about 30 seconds or less) is uploaded so we can transcribe it with Microsoft Azure OpenAI speech-to-text. We do not keep the raw audio file after transcription. Question and answer text may be stored; answer audio may be stored for playback. Typed questions are processed the same way without uploading mic audio.
-
Crash and error diagnostics (Android azureDev / Play beta builds).
Technical crash/error reports (app version, OS version, device model, exception
message/stack,
user_id, optional session/course/lesson ids) may be sent to our API and optionally to Azure Application Insights. We scrub secrets and signed URL query parameters before sending. - Operational records. Estimated AI spend, activity events, and generation job metadata tied to your account / invite.
What stays on your device
- Onboarding questionnaire answers used in the app UI (other than display name, which may be saved to your account) are not sent to our servers in this beta.
- Commute detection. Activity recognition (walking / in-vehicle) and car Bluetooth connection signals are used only on the device to show an optional local “ready to listen?” reminder. We do not upload commute, motion, or Bluetooth payloads to Qamishlo servers. Google Play services may process activity recognition on Google’s side; Qamishlo does not receive that stream.
- Local session data. Auth tokens and related session preferences are stored on the device (or in browser storage for the web preview). Offline lesson downloads and local caches may also remain on the device until you clear app data or uninstall.
Permissions (Android)
- Microphone - speak questions mid-lesson; short clips are transcribed as described above.
- Activity recognition - optional commute reminders (on-device only).
- Bluetooth connect - optional reminders when car Bluetooth connects (on-device only).
- Notifications - course-ready and commute nudge alerts.
You can deny these permissions; the app still works with reduced features (for example, typed questions instead of voice).
Processors and third parties
Depending on the feature, we use:
- Google - Sign in with Google (identity); Google Play distribution and Play services for optional on-device activity recognition.
- Microsoft Entra External ID - authentication for the Android beta.
- Microsoft Azure - OpenAI chat, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, hosting/storage, Application Insights.
- ElevenLabs - lesson narration audio synthesis (when configured).
We do not sell your personal information. We do not run marketing or product-analytics SDKs (no advertising ID collection) in this beta.
Retention and deletion
Beta data is retained while the private beta operates and as needed for debugging, cost
control, and the shared course catalog. To request deletion of data associated with your
account (email / user_id), email
gidi@qamishlo.org. We may revoke your access at any
time.
Children
The private beta is not directed at children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your region), and the intended audience is adults (18+). Do not use it if you are under the applicable minimum age.
Changes
We may update this policy as the beta changes. Material updates will bump the version shown in the app’s accept screen. Continued use after you accept a new version means you agree to the updated policy.