Privacy Policy

Effective date: March 27, 2026 Applies to: the Valo Reader website at https://valoreader.com and the Valo Reader Import browser extension.

Summary

Sora Reader is a language-learning reading app. We collect only what we need to run your account, power reading and study features, and—if you install our Chrome extension—import content you explicitly choose to send into your library. We do not sell your personal data, use it for unrelated advertising, or use it for credit or lending decisions.

Who we are

This policy describes how Valo Reader (“we,” “us”) handles information when you use our website and related services. The website and extension are operated in connection with valoreader.com.

Information we collect

Account and settings

When you create an account or use Sora Reader while signed in, we process information such as your email address, username, study language preferences, and settings you save in the app. Passwords are stored using industry-standard secure hashing and are not stored in plain text.

Story and study data

We store content you import or create (story text, audio references, metadata), your reading progress, word familiarity, quiz results, streaks, and related study statistics. This data is tied to your account and is used to provide the product features you use.

Technical and security data

Like most web services, our servers may process standard technical information when you use the site—such as IP address, browser type, request timestamps, and error logs—needed for security, abuse prevention, and reliability.

Product analytics

We may use privacy-oriented analytics on the website to understand aggregate usage (for example, which pages are visited or which features are used). We do not use analytics to collect the full text of your imported stories. See also [Privacy and data handling](/zh/help/privacy-and-data-handling) in our help center.

AI-assisted features

When you use AI features inside Sora Reader (such as translation, definitions, or grammar help), only the text necessary to fulfill your request (for example, the current sentence, phrase, or selected content) may be sent to third-party AI providers used by the service.

AI processing occurs only when you use these features. We do not send your entire library or unrelated content for AI processing.

Third-party providers may process data according to their own privacy terms and retention policies.

Speech-to-text

Speech-to-text is available on paid plans and for administrators. When you use it for an audio or video import, the media is sent to our configured speech-to-text provider to generate subtitles and story text. Speech-to-text accepts media up to 60 minutes per import.

Chrome extension (Sora Reader Import)

The extension is optional. It adds import and Anki-related features on top of the website.

Data the extension accesses

When you start an import or export:

• Website content: readable text, page title, and URL from the current tab; or YouTube captions and related video metadata from the current video page.
• Authentication state: The extension relies on your existing signed-in browser session for Sora Reader and YouTube (when importing captions). The extension does not read, collect, or transmit passwords.

The extension may read URLs of currently open browser tabs only to confirm you are signed in to https://valoreader.com. It does not maintain a history of sites you have visited.

What we do not collect via the extension

We do not use the extension to collect:

• Health, financial, or payment information
• Personal communications (email, chat, SMS)
• Precise location
• Keystrokes, mouse movement, scroll behavior, or other activity monitoring for profiling

Where extension data goes

• Valo Reader: imported content is sent to your account at https://valoreader.com.
• YouTube: caption requests are made to YouTube using your browser session only to obtain captions for the video you are importing.
• Anki (optional): if you export a word to Anki while reading on a Sora tab, vocabulary and audio data are sent to AnkiConnect on your own computer (127.0.0.1), not to our servers.

Local extension storage

The extension may store small local preferences. Imported story text is not kept long-term in extension storage; it is sent to your Sora account when you confirm an import.

How we use information

We use the information above to:

• Provide and maintain your account and library
• Process imports, reading, quizzes, stats, and optional Anki export
• Secure the service and fix errors
• Improve the product using aggregated or anonymized insights where applicable

We use data only for these purposes, not for unrelated marketing profiles, credit decisions, or selling personal information to data brokers.

Sharing and third parties

We do not sell your personal information.

We may use service providers that process data on our behalf to operate Sora Reader, including providers for:

• Hosting and infrastructure — to run the website, application, database, and stored files
• Email delivery — to send account-related messages such as verification and password-reset emails
• AI processing — when you use AI-assisted features, as described above
• Text-to-speech — when you generate or play audio
• Speech-to-text — when you generate a transcript from an audio or video import
• Product analytics — where enabled, to understand aggregate usage without collecting full story text in analytics payloads, as described in Product analytics above

These providers process data under contractual or standard commercial obligations to protect it and use it only to provide services to us. We may change providers over time; this policy describes categories rather than an exhaustive vendor list.

Extension and other user-initiated sharing:

• YouTube — when the extension fetches captions for a video you choose to import
• Your device (Anki) — when you explicitly export to AnkiConnect locally

We do not share your imported story content with other users unless you use a product feature designed for sharing (for example curated shared library content).

Data retention

We retain account and library data while your account is active. If you delete content or close your account, we delete or anonymize data according to our operational retention practices, except where we must keep limited records for legal, security, or backup purposes.

You may request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us at [email protected] or through in-app account deletion tools if available.

Legal basis and rights

We process information to provide the service you request, maintain security, comply with legal obligations, and improve the product.

Depending on your location, privacy laws may give you rights to access, correct, delete, or export your information, or object to certain processing. To make a request, contact us at [email protected].

Your choices

• You can choose not to install the Chrome extension.
• You can review and edit extracted text in the extension popup before sending it to Sora Reader.
• You can manage account settings and content inside Sora Reader when signed in.

Security

We use industry-standard measures appropriate to a web application (such as encrypted connections for the website and access controls on our systems). No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; please use a strong, unique password and keep your browser and devices updated.

Children

Sora Reader is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age required in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

International users

If you use Sora Reader from outside the country where our servers are located, your information may be processed in those locations. By using the service, you understand that your data may be transferred and processed as described in this policy.

Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. We will post the revised version on this page and update the effective date. Continued use of the website or extension after changes means you accept the updated policy.

Contact

Privacy questions or requests: [email protected]

For general product help, see our [Help center](/zh/help).