Privacy Policy
Updated on 1st July 2025
LinguaMerse ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our language learning platform.
This Privacy Policy applies to our website (linguamerse.com) and mobile application. By using LinguaMerse, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy.
What Information Do We Collect?
We collect the following information when you create an account or use our service:
- Name / Username
- Email address
- Password (securely stored through our authentication provider)
- Billing address
- Payment details (processed securely by our payment provider - we don't store credit card numbers)
- Articles you upload and read
- Learning progress and preferences
- Technical information like IP address and browser type
How We Use Your Information
We use your information to:
- Provide and improve our language learning service
- Process premium subscriptions and billing
- Send account updates and notifications about new features
- Send promotional emails about our service (you can unsubscribe anytime)
- Respond to your support requests
- Analyze usage to improve our platform
Third-Party Services We Use
We work with trusted third-party services to provide our platform:
- Payment processing: Stripe handles all payment transactions securely
- Authentication: Firebase manages user accounts and login security
- Social login: You can sign in using Apple, Google, or Facebook - we only receive basic profile information (name and email) that you choose to share
- Email delivery: Brevo sends our service emails and newsletters using your email address and chosen name
These services may collect information as described in their own privacy policies. When you use social login options, you control what information is shared with us through your social media account settings.
Do We Share Your Information?
We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.
We only share your information in these limited situations:
Service Providers: We share necessary information with trusted services that help us operate:
- Stripe (for payment processing)
- Brevo (for sending emails)
- Firebase (for account management)
Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or to protect our legal rights and user safety.
Business Transfers: If LinguaMerse is acquired or merged, your information may be transferred to the new owner under the same privacy protections.
With Your Consent: We may share information for other purposes with your explicit permission.
Email Communications
When you provide your email address, we may send you:
- Account notifications and security updates
- Information about new features and improvements
- Promotional emails about our service
You can unsubscribe from promotional emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in each email. You'll continue to receive important account-related emails even if you unsubscribe from marketing.
We only send emails to users who have provided their email address to us. We do not purchase email lists or send unsolicited emails.
How Long Do We Keep Your Information?
We keep your information only as long as necessary to provide our service and fulfill the purposes described in this policy.
- Account data: Retained while your account is active
- Payment records: Kept as required by financial and tax regulations
- Usage data: Anonymized after a reasonable period for service improvement
When you delete your account, we remove your personal information from our active systems. Some data may remain in backups for a limited time for security purposes.
We also ensure that third-party services we use (like Stripe and Brevo) follow appropriate data retention practices.
How We Protect Your Information
We take the security of your personal information seriously and use industry-standard security measures:
- Data Encryption: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using modern security protocols (HTTPS/TLS).
- Payment Security: Payment information is processed securely by Stripe and never stored on our servers. We never see your full credit card numbers.
- Access Controls: Only authorized personnel have access to personal information, and only when necessary for providing our service.
- Third-Party Security: We work with reputable service providers (Firebase, Stripe, Brevo) that maintain strong security standards.
Important: While we implement strong security measures, no online service can guarantee 100% security. We continuously monitor and update our security practices to protect your information.
International Data Transfers
LinguaMerse is based in the Netherlands. Your information may be transferred to and processed in other countries where our service providers operate:
- United States: Stripe (payments), Firebase (authentication), and Brevo (email services) process data in the US under appropriate data protection frameworks.
Data Protection: When we transfer your information outside the EU, we ensure adequate protection through:
- Service providers that comply with EU data protection standards
- Contractual safeguards that protect your rights
- Industry-standard security measures
Your Rights: EU data protection laws continue to apply to your information regardless of where it's processed.
Managing Your Information
Self-Service Updates: You can update your information directly in your account settings:
- Email address
- Username and display name
- Password
- Email preferences (marketing opt-in/out)
- Payment information (managed through Stripe)
Account Deletion: You can delete your account directly from your user profile in the app. When you delete your account:
- Your personal information is removed from our active systems
- Your uploaded articles are deleted
- Some data may remain in backups for a limited time
Data Requests: You can contact us at [email protected] to:
- Request a copy of your personal information
- Correct information you can't update yourself
- Ask questions about how we handle your data
- Delete your account (if you prefer email over the app)
We'll verify your identity before making changes to protect your account security.
Governing Law
This Privacy Policy is governed by Dutch law. Any disputes related to this policy will be resolved in the courts of the Netherlands.
For users in the European Union, your data protection rights under GDPR continue to apply regardless of this governing law clause.
Cookies
We use cookies to make LinguaMerse work properly and to understand how our service is used.
Essential Cookies:
- Login sessions: Remember that you're logged in
- User preferences: Store your language and app settings
- Security: Protect against fraud and maintain account security
These cookies are necessary for the app to function.
Analytics Cookies:
- Google Analytics: Help us understand how visitors use our website (page views, country, traffic sources)
- Used to improve our service and user experience
Managing Cookies:
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies will prevent you from logging in and using core features. Disabling analytics cookies won't affect your ability to use LinguaMerse.
Third-Party Cookies:
Some cookies are set by our service providers (Google Analytics, Stripe, Firebase) according to their own privacy policies.
Age Requirements
LinguaMerse is intended for users aged 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, please do not use our service or provide any personal information.
Changes To Our Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our service or legal requirements.
When we make significant changes, we will notify you through our service before the changes take effect. By continuing to use LinguaMerse after changes become effective, you agree to the updated policy.
If you don't agree with any changes, you can delete your account at any time.
Your Privacy Rights (GDPR)
If you're in the European Union, you have specific rights regarding your personal data:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal data we have about you
- Correction: Update or correct your information (most can be done in your account settings)
- Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data
- Portability: Request your data in a portable format
- Restriction: Ask us to limit how we process your data
To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We'll respond within 30 days.
Legal basis for processing: We process your data based on:
- Contract performance (providing our language learning service)
- Legitimate interests (improving our service through analytics)
- Your consent (for marketing emails)
Contact Us
Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.