VoSound Biometric and Voice Data Notice

Version: v2.0 Effective Date: [EFFECTIVE DATE] Last Updated: [EFFECTIVE DATE]

This Biometric and Voice Data Notice ("Notice") describes how VoSound, including its parent company, affiliates, subsidiaries, successors, and assigns (collectively, "VoSound," "we," "us," "our"), handles audio data that may contain human voice, vocal performances, and potentially identifiable voice characteristics uploaded to the VoSound platform located at VoSound.com (the "Platform").

This Notice is provided in compliance with applicable biometric privacy and data protection laws, including but not limited to the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act, the Washington Biometric Privacy Law, and any other applicable federal, state, local, or international laws governing biometric data, voice data, or similar identifiers.

This Notice should be read in conjunction with the VoSound Terms and Conditions (available at VoSound.com/terms) and the VoSound Privacy Policy (available at VoSound.com/privacy).

1. Purpose of This Notice

1.1 Audio Processing Context

VoSound is an audio processing and distribution platform that enables users to upload, process, enhance, and distribute audio content, including music, vocal recordings, sound recordings, spoken word content, podcast audio, and other audio media. By the nature of these services, audio files uploaded to the Platform may contain:

human voice recordings and vocal performances;
identifiable voice characteristics, vocal timbre, pitch patterns, and vocal signatures;
speech content, lyrics, spoken word, and vocal expressions;
background vocals, backing tracks with vocal elements, and ensemble performances;
any other audio data that may include or be associated with biometric-adjacent information.

1.2 Scope

This Notice explains VoSound's practices regarding the handling of audio data that may contain voice and biometric-adjacent information. It describes the purposes for which such data is processed, the limitations on its use, your responsibilities as an uploader, and your rights regarding such data.

2. No Ownership Claim on Voice and Biometric Data

2.1 Your Ownership

VoSound does not claim any ownership interest in your voice, vocal likeness, biometric identifiers, voiceprint, or any other aspect of your identity or persona that may be captured in audio files uploaded to the Platform. All audio content uploaded to the Platform, including the voice and vocal performances contained therein, remains the sole property of the uploading user and/or the original rights holders.

2.2 No Transfer of Rights

Nothing in these Terms, the VoSound Terms and Conditions, the VoSound Privacy Policy, or any other agreement with VoSound shall be construed as transferring ownership of voice, biometric identifiers, personality rights, rights of publicity, or moral rights from any individual to VoSound.

2.3 Creator and Performer Rights

VoSound recognizes and respects the rights of songwriters, composers, performers, vocalists, session musicians, voice actors, podcast hosts, and all other individuals whose voice or performance may be captured in audio files uploaded to the Platform. VoSound's processing of uploaded audio is performed solely for the technical purposes described in this Notice and does not diminish, impair, or extinguish any rights of creators, performers, or rights holders.

3. Audio Processing Scope and Purposes

3.1 What VoSound Does with Uploaded Audio

VoSound processes uploaded audio files for the following technical and Platform-related purposes:

Loudness Normalization: Adjusting the overall loudness of audio files to meet specified targets (e.g., LUFS targets for streaming platforms).
Equalization (EQ): Applying frequency-based adjustments to enhance tonal balance and clarity.
Dynamic Range Compression: Controlling the dynamic range of audio signals to improve consistency and perceived loudness.
Harmonic Enhancement: Applying harmonic saturation, warmth, and coloring effects to audio signals.
Stereo Imaging: Adjusting the spatial characteristics of stereo audio signals.
Transient Shaping: Modifying the attack and sustain characteristics of audio transients.
Waveform Analysis and Visualization: Analyzing audio signals to generate visual waveform representations for display on the Platform.
Audio Metrics Calculation: Computing audio metrics such as peak level, RMS level, LUFS measurements, dynamic range, and crest factor for informational display.
Proof-of-Processing: Generating cryptographic hashes and DSP signatures that document the processing chain applied to audio files, for transparency and audit purposes.
SoundPack Processing: Applying instrument-specific and sound-type-specific processing chains through the SoundPacks feature.
Format Conversion: Transcoding audio files between supported formats as necessary for Platform operations.
Storage and Delivery: Storing processed audio on cloud infrastructure and delivering it to authorized users via the Platform interface and streaming endpoints.

3.2 What VoSound Does NOT Do with Uploaded Audio

VoSound explicitly does NOT use uploaded audio files, voice recordings, or vocal data for any of the following purposes:

Biometric Identification or Authentication: VoSound does not analyze voice data for the purpose of identifying, verifying, or authenticating the identity of any individual. Voice data is not used as a biometric identifier for security, access control, or identity verification purposes.
Biometric Profiling: VoSound does not create biometric profiles, voiceprints, voice models, speaker identification templates, or any other biometric database from uploaded audio.
Voice Cloning or Synthesis: VoSound does not use uploaded audio to create synthetic voice clones, deepfake audio, voice replicas, or artificial reproductions of any individual's voice.
Artificial Intelligence Voice Training: VoSound does not use uploaded audio files to train, fine-tune, or improve artificial intelligence models, machine learning systems, neural networks, large language models, text-to-speech systems, or any other AI or ML technology, except as described in Section 5.
Surveillance or Monitoring: VoSound does not use uploaded audio for surveillance, law enforcement identification, government monitoring, or any form of covert observation or tracking of individuals.
Emotional Analysis: VoSound does not analyze voice data to infer emotional states, sentiment, psychological characteristics, health conditions, or personality traits of individuals.
Speech-to-Text Transcription for Non-Platform Purposes: VoSound does not transcribe voice content for purposes unrelated to Platform functionality.
Sale of Biometric Data: VoSound does not sell, license, rent, or otherwise commercially transfer biometric identifiers, voiceprints, or voice data to any third party for biometric identification or profiling purposes.

4. User Representations and Obligations

4.1 Consent of Recorded Individuals

By uploading audio files containing human voice recordings, vocal performances, or identifiable voice characteristics, you represent and warrant that:

you are the individual whose voice is captured in the recording, or you have obtained all necessary and legally sufficient permissions, consents, releases, and authorizations from every individual whose voice, vocal performance, likeness, or identifiable characteristics are captured in the audio file;
any consents obtained are informed, voluntary, specific, and compliant with the requirements of all applicable biometric privacy laws, data protection laws, and related regulations in the jurisdiction(s) in which the recorded individuals reside or in which the recording was made;
you have provided each recorded individual with adequate notice regarding the upload of their voice recording to VoSound and the processing activities described in this Notice;
you have retained records of such consents and can produce them upon request.

4.2 Compliance with Biometric Privacy Laws

You are solely responsible for ensuring that your upload and use of audio files containing voice recordings complies with all applicable biometric privacy and data protection laws, including but not limited to:

Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA): If any recorded individual is an Illinois resident, you must comply with BIPA's requirements for informed written consent, purpose limitation, retention schedules, and data security.
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA): If any recorded individual is a California resident, you must comply with applicable notice, consent, and opt-out requirements.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): If any recorded individual is located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you must ensure a lawful basis for processing, provide adequate notice, and respect data subject rights.
Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act: If any recorded individual is a Texas resident, you must comply with applicable consent and retention requirements.
Washington Biometric Privacy Law: If any recorded individual is a Washington state resident, you must comply with applicable notice and consent requirements.
Any other applicable federal, state, local, or international law governing biometric data, voice data, or similar identifiers in your jurisdiction or the jurisdictions of the recorded individuals.

4.3 Prohibition on Unlawful Recordings

You shall NOT upload to the Platform any audio recordings that were:

captured without the knowledge or consent of the recorded individuals, in violation of applicable wiretapping, eavesdropping, or recording consent laws;
obtained through coercion, deception, or fraud;
subject to court orders, legal restrictions, or contractual obligations that prohibit their upload, distribution, or processing;
captured in violation of any individual's reasonable expectation of privacy.

4.4 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless VoSound, its officers, directors, employees, agents, affiliates, and licensors from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to your failure to obtain necessary consents, your violation of applicable biometric privacy laws, or your upload of unlawfully captured recordings.

5. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

5.1 No AI Training Without Consent

VoSound does not use uploaded audio files, voice recordings, or vocal data to train, develop, fine-tune, evaluate, benchmark, or otherwise improve artificial intelligence models, machine learning systems, neural networks, generative AI systems, text-to-speech systems, voice synthesis systems, or any other AI or ML technology, without the explicit, informed, and written consent of the uploading user and, where applicable, the recorded individuals.

5.2 No Voice Cloning Services

VoSound does not offer, provide, or facilitate voice cloning, voice conversion, voice swapping, voice deepfake generation, vocal identity replication, or any other service or tool that creates synthetic reproductions of any individual's voice.

5.3 No Biometric Replication Services

VoSound does not offer, provide, or facilitate any service that creates, stores, or distributes biometric replicas, biometric templates, or biometric models based on voice data or any other biometric identifier contained in uploaded audio.

5.4 Future Changes

If VoSound intends to introduce any AI or machine learning features that would involve the use of uploaded audio data, VoSound will provide clear, advance notice and will obtain explicit consent from affected users before any such use occurs. Such consent will be obtained separately from general platform consent and will clearly describe the specific AI/ML use, the data involved, and the user's right to opt out.

6. Third-Party Processing and Data Sharing

6.1 Audio Processing Tools

VoSound's audio processing engine utilizes industry-standard tools and libraries, including but not limited to FFmpeg and related open-source audio processing libraries, to perform the audio processing operations described in Section 3.1. These tools operate on audio data locally on VoSound's processing infrastructure and do not transmit voice biometric data to external third parties for identification, profiling, or biometric purposes.

6.2 Cloud Infrastructure

Uploaded and processed audio files are stored on cloud infrastructure provided by Cloudflare, Inc. (Cloudflare R2 object storage). Cloudflare's role is limited to providing storage and content delivery infrastructure. Cloudflare does not independently access, analyze, or process the voice content of stored audio files for biometric or identification purposes.

6.3 No Sharing for Biometric Purposes

VoSound does not share, sell, license, rent, or otherwise transfer voice biometric data, voiceprints, biometric identifiers, or voice data to any third party for the purpose of biometric identification, biometric profiling, surveillance, voice cloning, AI training, or any other biometric use. This restriction applies to all third parties, including but not limited to advertisers, data brokers, law enforcement agencies (except as required by valid legal process), government agencies, AI companies, and research institutions.

6.4 Legal Process Exceptions

VoSound may disclose audio data or associated metadata in response to valid legal process, including subpoenas, court orders, warrants, or other legally binding requests from governmental authorities, to the extent required by applicable law. In such cases, VoSound will provide only the minimum data necessary to comply with the legal requirement and will, where legally permitted, provide notice to the affected user.

7. Data Retention and Deletion

7.1 Retention of Audio Data

Uploaded audio files, processed outputs, and associated metadata are retained for as long as your account remains active on the Platform, and for a reasonable period thereafter to facilitate account reactivation, backup, and archival, as described in the VoSound Privacy Policy.

7.2 Automatic Deletion

VoSound does not indefinitely retain audio data for inactive accounts. Audio data associated with terminated, cancelled, or long-inactive accounts may be deleted in accordance with VoSound's data retention policies.

7.3 User-Initiated Deletion

You may request the deletion of your uploaded audio files and associated data at any time by contacting:

Email: [email protected]

Upon receipt and verification of your deletion request, VoSound will delete the specified audio files and associated processing data within a commercially reasonable timeframe, subject to:

any legal obligations requiring retention (e.g., tax records, audit requirements, legal holds);
backup copies that are automatically deleted through VoSound's regular backup rotation schedule;
aggregated and anonymized data that is no longer reasonably associated with your identity.

7.4 BIPA Retention and Destruction Schedule

For audio data that may constitute biometric information subject to the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), VoSound will permanently destroy such data when the initial purpose for collecting or obtaining the data has been satisfied, or within three (3) years after the user's last interaction with the Platform, whichever occurs first, unless retention is required by applicable law or valid legal process.

8. Security of Voice and Audio Data

8.1 Security Measures

VoSound implements industry-standard technical and organizational security measures to protect uploaded audio data, including:

encryption of audio data in transit using TLS/SSL;
secure storage of audio files on encrypted cloud infrastructure;
access controls limiting access to audio data to authorized personnel and systems;
authentication and authorization mechanisms for all API endpoints that access or deliver audio data;
regular security monitoring and vulnerability assessments.

8.2 Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach affecting audio data that may contain voice biometric information, VoSound will provide notification to affected users as required by applicable law, including any expedited notification requirements under biometric privacy laws such as BIPA.

9. Your Rights Regarding Voice and Audio Data

9.1 Access

You may request information about the voice and audio data VoSound holds in connection with your account by contacting [email protected].

9.2 Correction

You may request correction of inaccurate metadata associated with your uploaded audio files by contacting [email protected] or by updating the information directly through the Platform interface where available.

9.3 Deletion

You may request deletion of your uploaded audio files and associated data as described in Section 7.3.

9.4 Withdrawal of Consent

Where VoSound's processing of your audio data is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time by contacting [email protected]. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing performed prior to the withdrawal.

9.5 Complaint

If you believe that VoSound has violated your rights under applicable biometric privacy or data protection laws, you may file a complaint with the appropriate regulatory authority in your jurisdiction. You may also contact VoSound at [email protected] to attempt to resolve the matter directly.

10. Applicability of Specific Laws

10.1 Illinois Residents (BIPA)

If you are an Illinois resident, this Notice serves as VoSound's written policy regarding the collection, retention, and destruction of biometric information as required by the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS 14/1 et seq.). VoSound does not collect biometric identifiers or biometric information as defined under BIPA for identification or authentication purposes. Audio processing activities described in this Notice are performed for the technical purposes outlined in Section 3 and do not constitute the collection of biometric identifiers for identification purposes under BIPA. Notwithstanding, VoSound maintains this Notice and the data handling practices described herein out of an abundance of caution and commitment to transparency.

10.2 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act and the California Privacy Rights Act, as described in the VoSound Privacy Policy. Audio data that may contain voice characteristics may constitute "sensitive personal information" under the CPRA, and you may exercise your right to limit the use and disclosure of such information by contacting [email protected].

10.3 European Residents (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, voice data may constitute "biometric data" under the GDPR when processed for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person. VoSound does not process voice data for the purpose of uniquely identifying individuals. VoSound's processing of audio data is based on the legal bases described in the VoSound Privacy Policy.

10.4 Other Jurisdictions

VoSound is committed to complying with applicable biometric privacy and data protection laws in all jurisdictions where the Platform operates. If you have questions about how specific laws in your jurisdiction apply to VoSound's handling of your audio data, please contact [email protected].

11. Changes to This Notice

11.1 Right to Modify

VoSound reserves the right to modify, update, or revise this Notice at any time. The most current version of the Notice will be posted on the Platform with the updated "Effective Date" and version number.

11.2 Notification of Material Changes

For material changes to this Notice, VoSound will provide notice through the Platform interface, via email, or through the clickwrap re-acceptance system, as appropriate. Your continued use of the Platform after any changes to this Notice constitutes your acceptance of the revised Notice.

12. Contact Information

For all questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Biometric and Voice Data Notice, your voice data, biometric-related inquiries, or VoSound's audio data handling practices, please contact:

VoSound Biometric and Voice Data Inquiries Email: [email protected]

This is the sole and exclusive channel for biometric and voice data inquiries. VoSound does not accept biometric or voice data-related communications through social media, comment sections, or any channel other than the email address specified above, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

This Biometric and Voice Data Notice is effective as of the Effective Date stated above and applies to all users of the VoSound Platform. Please also review the VoSound Terms and Conditions (VoSound.com/terms) and the VoSound Privacy Policy (VoSound.com/privacy).