Privacy Policy
Last updated: June 17, 2026
In short: Out Loud is built to be private by default. Everything happens on your own device. We do not collect, transmit, sell, or share any of your data — we run no servers that receive it.
Who this covers
This policy applies to the Out Loud Chrome extension and the Out Loud desktop application (together, “Out Loud”), which read text aloud using on-device text-to-speech.
What the extension accesses
When you select text and start playback, the extension reads that selected text and sends it to the Out Loud desktop application running locally on your own computer (http://localhost:51730) to generate speech. The audio is played back in your browser and words are highlighted as they are spoken.
Your preferences — selected voice, language, playback volume, and word-highlighting setting — are stored locally in your browser using the browser’s storage. They never leave your device.
What we do not do
- We do not collect, transmit, sell, rent, or share your data with us or any third party.
- Selected text is processed only on your own device by software you have installed. It is not sent to any remote or third-party server we operate — we operate no servers that receive your data.
- No analytics, tracking, advertising, or fingerprinting inside the extension.
- No accounts, no sign-up, no email required.
- We do not use or transfer your data to determine creditworthiness or for lending purposes.
Permissions and why we use them
- activeTab & host access — to read the text you select on the page you are reading and to highlight words as they are spoken, and to connect to the local Out Loud app on your machine.
- storage — to save your voice, language, and volume preferences locally.
- sidePanel — to show the reading controls (voice picker, volume, play/pause) alongside the page.
- contextMenus — to add the right-click “Read out loud” action on selected text.
Data retention & deletion
Because Out Loud stores nothing on our side, there is nothing for us to retain or delete. Your local preferences are removed when you uninstall the extension or clear the browser’s extension data.
Open source
Out Loud is open source under the MIT license. You can review exactly what it does in the source code on GitHub.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, we will update this page and revise the “Last updated” date above.
Contact
Questions? Open an issue on GitHub.