It is SoundHound’s mission to empower third-party products and applications across the globe with a voice interface and conversational intelligence to give end-users the ability to interact with such products and applications using their voice. This is achieved by incorporating SoundHound’s Houndify Voice Services (“Voice Services”) into the third-party products and applications (“Houndify-Enabled Products”).
For most Houndify-Enabled Products, SoundHound (“Service Provider”) is the service provider or processor of end-user information. As the processor, SoundHound processes end-user information according to the instructions of the third-party provider (“Third Party Controller”) of the Houndify-Enabled Product. The end-users should refer to the Third-Party Controller’s privacy policy and other relevant documentation to understand how the Third-Party Controller of any Houndify-Enabled Product manages end-user information.
In some jurisdictions, SoundHound may be considered a controller of end-user information, to the extent SoundHound uses this information for its own internal purposes. These purposes are to improve SoundHound’s Voice Services and to refine and improve SoundHound’s audio recognition capabilities across SoundHound’s voice offerings, as further described below. Please refer to the Third-Party Controller’s privacy policy if end-users wish to exercise privacy rights with respect to end-user information.
I. Information That May Be Collected
According to the instructions of the Third Party Controller, Service Provider may collect information from or about the end-users or their devices from various sources described below.
If the end-users do not provide their information when requested, the end-users may not be able to use the Voice Services if that information is necessary to provide the end-users with the Voice Services or if the Third Party Controller is legally required to collect it. Omitting information can also lead to degraded end-user experiences. Where applicable, Third Party Controller should indicate whether and why the end-users must provide it with their information, as well as the consequences of failing to do so.
Information Provided by End-Users
Registration Information. When the end-users register to use the Voice Services, signs up for notifications or updates on the Services, or participate in surveys, Third Party Controller may collect their name, email address, postal code, and any other information that the end-users provide.
Registration Information. When the end-users register to use the Voice Services, signs up for notifications or updates on the Services, or participate in surveys, Third Party Controller may collect their name, email address, postal code, and any other information that the end-users provide.
Voice and Audio Information. When the end-users perform a search with their voice or an audio recording, or when the end-users use their voice to control the Voice Services, Service Provider may collect voice or audio interactions. Service Provider may also share the end-users’ voice or audio interactions with Service Provider’s contractors for quality control purposes. These contractors are under a duty of confidentiality, and, in such cases, Service Provider uses technology to morph the audio.
Information Maintained on Your Device. When the end-users use the Voice Services, and when the end-users have enabled such collection in their device or App settings, Third Party Controller may collect certain information maintained on the end-users device to help Third Party Controller or Service Provider tailor the Voice Services to the end-user, such as the location of the end user, the contact information in the end-user device’s address book, or calendars stored on the end-users’ device.
Information Obtained from End-User Interactions with the Voice Services
Usage Information. When the end-users use the Voice Services, Service Provider’s servers may automatically collect information about how the end-users use the Voice Services, such as what the end-users searched for and what the end-users interacted with.
Device Information. When the end-users use the Voice Services, Service Provider’s servers may automatically collect information about the device and software the end-users use to access the Voice Services, such as the operating system, hardware model, application or browser version, and unique identifiers associated with their device, such as their device’s advertising identifiers. Third Party Controller should only provide Service Provider with pseudonymized or anonymized identifiers.
Location Information. When the end-users use the Voice Services, and when the end-users have enabled such collection in their device or App settings, Service Provider may collect location information that the end-users’ mobile device or browser provides. Depending on how the end-users access the Voice Services, Service Provider may receive precise geolocation information from GPS, WiFi, or cell tower location, or rough location information.
Log Information. When the end-users use the Voice Services, Third-Party Controller may instruct Service Provider’s servers to automatically collect system logs or similar information about the end-users’ interaction with the Voice Services from their browser. This may include information such as IP address, browser language, date and time of access, browser type or the domain from which the end-users are visiting, web-pages they visit, search terms used, features clicked on and cookie information.
II. How Information May Be Used
Service Provider may use information from or about the end-users or their devices for the following purposes:
To provide and improve the Voice Services and to improve the relevance of information provided to the end-users by the Voice Services, such as by personalizing their user experience.
To communicate with the end-users and to respond to end-user inquiries
To refine and improve Service Provider’s audio recognition capabilities, and to respond to requests, searches, or commands the end-users speak into the Voice Services.
To enforce legal rights and to comply with the law.
To comply with an order from a government entity or other competent authority.
To prevent or address potential or actual injury or interference with Service Provider’s rights, property, operations, customers or others who may be harmed or may suffer loss or damage.
To protect Service Provider’s rights, prevent fraud and/or comply with any judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process served on SoundHound.
For other purposes above which Service Provider provides specific notice at the time of the collection of the information.
III. How Information May Be Shared
Service Provider does not share or otherwise disclose information it collects from or about the end-users, except as instructed by the Third-Party Controller, described below or otherwise disclosed to the end-users at the time of the collection. Service Provider may share the information it collects from or about the end-users with:
Service Provider’s affiliates.
Third party service providers performing services on Service Provider’s behalf (e.g. Domain Partners requiring end-users’ location to look up local weather info, Site hosting providers and other parties who assist Service Provider in conducting its business, or serving its customers).
Service Provider may also share end-user voice or audio interactions with third-party contractors for quality control purposes. These contractors are under a duty of confidentiality and, in such cases, Service Provider uses technology to morph the audio.
Service Provider may share certain usage and limited voice and audio information with the Third-Party Controller to help it provide or improve their product.
Third parties, such as law enforcement entities or parties involved in a corporate transaction (i) if Service Provider is required to do so by law or in response to legal process, (ii) to enforce Service Provider’s policies, (iii) to protect Service Provider’s or others’ rights, property, or safety or (iv) in the event Service Provider is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing due diligence, reorganization, bankruptcy or liquidation where the business will not continue as a going concern, receivership, sale of assets, or transition of Service Provider’s Voice Services to another provider; in any of the above cases, any information Service Provider collected may be sold or transferred as part of such a transaction as permitted by law and/or contract.
IV. Security and Data Retention
Service Provider maintains an information security program designed to safeguard the systems that collect, process, and store the information it collects from or about the end-users or their devices, including against threats of compromise, theft, or destruction. Unfortunately, no information storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, and Service Provider cannot ensure or warrant against all forms of attack or compromise caused by unintentional errors, omissions, or malicious actors.
Service Provider retains information from or about the end-users or their devices for so long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined by the Third-Party Controller (typically five years). When the information is no longer necessary for these purposes, Service Provider deletes it or anonymizes it to place it in a form that removes all identifiable information about the end-users, unless Service Provider is required by law to keep this information for a longer period. When determining the retention period, Service Provider takes into account various criteria, such as the type of products and services requested by or provided to the end-users, the nature and length of the relationship with the end-users, possible re-enrollment with products or services, the impact on the Voice Services provided to the end-users if information from or about the end-users is deleted, mandatory retention periods provided by law and any applicable statutes of limitations.
V. Children 13 and Under
The Voice Services are not meant for children under age 13. For our Houndify-Enabled Products, Service Provider may collect personal information from individuals under the age of 13 on the behalf of Third Party Controllers. Parents have a right to review the information collected about their children, and to delete it, and stop its use. To exercise these rights, parents may contact the appropriate Third-Party Controller who will instruct Service Provider.
Updated March 2022
