Privacy Policy

1. Purpose of ABAIR

ABAIR develops speech technologies for the Irish language, including text-to-speech, speech recognition, educational platforms, and accessibility tools. These resources are made freely available to the public for the benefit of speakers, learners, and the wider community.

We do not monetise or privatise the data you provide.

2. Do You Have to Sign Up?

• Signing up is voluntary.
• You may use parts of the Services without creating an account.
• If you choose to sign up, you can request deletion of your account and personal data at any time.

3. Information We Collect

a. Information You Provide

• Contact details (e.g., email, if you register or contact us).
• Voice recordings, if you use speech recognition or contribute to research. These recordings may include your spoken words, accent, and pronunciation.
• Limited demographic and linguistic information, such as:
  • Age group
  • Gender
  • Dialect / linguistic background
  • Relationship with the Irish language

b. Automatically Collected Data

• Technical data such as IP address, device type, and browser.
• Usage data such as pages visited and features used.
• Cookies (see Section 8).

4. How We Use Your Information

We use collected data to:

• Provide the Services (speech synthesis, recognition, educational tools).
• Improve Irish speech technologies and language-learning applications.
• Train and refine speech models using pseudonymised voice recordings and demographic data.
• Conduct academic and linguistic research.
• Share anonymised or pseudonymised datasets with the wider research community.
• Maintain system security and user support.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)) — e.g., if you sign up or contribute recordings.
• Public interest (Article 6(1)(e)) — research aimed at improving linguistic knowledge of Irish.
• Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) — ensuring functionality, security, and continuous improvement.

6. Data Storage and Retention

• Data is stored securely on servers at Trinity College and in the cloud, within the EU or countries deemed adequate under GDPR.
• Voice recordings and related demographic data are pseudonymised and may be used indefinitely for research and model training. This long-term storage ensures that future generations of researchers can continue to benefit from the data.
• You may request deletion of your identifiable data at any time (see Section 10).

7. Sharing of Data

We may share:

• Pseudonymised or anonymised speech recordings and linguistic information with research collaborators for training speech models and advancing Irish speech technology.
• Information with service providers who support hosting and technical operations.
• Data with legal authorities if required by law.

We will never sell your data.

8. Cookies and Tracking

Cookies may be used to:

• Enable functionality (e.g., remembering voice/dialect preferences).
• Analyse usage to improve Services.

You can disable cookies in your browser, though some features may not work properly.

9. Benefits and Risks

Benefits

• You contribute to the preservation and development of the Irish language.
• You gain access to advanced speech technology tools and educational resources.

Risks

Minimal.

Recordings and demographic data are not sensitive, but we advise against including personal details in recordings.

10. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data.
• Request a copy of your personal data.
• Request correction of inaccurate data.
• Request deletion of personal data.
• Restrict or object to processing of personal data.
• Withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior lawful use).

These rights apply to data that can identify you. If your data has been anonymised, it cannot be linked back to you.

11. Confidentiality and Research

• Personal identifiers (e.g., email addresses) are never shared outside Trinity.
• Data may be used in scientific publications, conferences, or research outputs, but your identity will remain confidential.

12. Security

We implement technical and organisational measures to protect your information. However, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Questions and Complaints

For questions or concerns about your data, please contact:

14. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally. Updates will be posted with a revised effective date.