Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how the Court Transcript Platform ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects information when you visit courttranscripts.app, request early or beta access, or use our transcript preparation service (together, the "Service"). It applies to everyone who uses the Service in the United States.

By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

Information you give us

Account information. When you create an account, we collect your email address and a password. We store your password only as a cryptographic hash; we cannot read it.

Access requests. When you request early or beta access, we collect your email address and, if you choose to provide them, your phone number, the date you need a transcript by, what the transcript is for, and whether you need certification. Only your email is required.

Case content. To prepare a transcript, you upload audio recordings, existing transcript files, or both, and enter case details such as the court, case number, case name, judge, hearing dates, and speaker names. We also keep a log of the edits you make and the documents you export, so your work is reviewable and undoable.

Communications. If you email, call, or message us, we keep the correspondence so we can help you.

Information collected automatically

Like most online services, our servers automatically record limited technical information when you use the Service: your IP address, browser type, the pages you request, and timestamps. We use these logs to operate the Service, prevent abuse, and diagnose problems. We use one essential, HTTP-only cookie to keep you signed in.

We also use the Google tag (Google Ads and Google Analytics) on our pages. It collects usage information such as the pages you visit, your approximate location, and device identifiers, and sets Google cookies, so we can measure our advertising and understand how the site is used. The Google tag never receives the contents of your recordings, transcripts, or case files. See Section 7 for the cookies involved and how to opt out.

Court recordings and transcripts can contain sensitive information about you and other people. We treat everything you upload as confidential. We use your case content only to provide the Service to you: to process, format, and store your transcripts and to support you when you ask for help. We do not use your case content for advertising, and we do not sell it.

You are responsible for making sure that your recording, upload, and use of any court record complies with applicable law and the rules and orders of your court, including rules about recording proceedings and about sealed or confidential records.

We use the information we collect to:

• provide, operate, and maintain the Service;
• process your uploads and produce formatted transcripts and exports;
• respond to your access requests, including contacting you by email and, if you gave us your phone number, by call or text about your transcript and deadlines;
• provide customer support and respond to your questions;
• secure the Service, prevent fraud and abuse, and debug problems;
• improve the Service and develop new features;
• comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms.

We also use Google tag data to measure our advertising and understand site usage (Sections 2 and 7). We do not use your case content for advertising, and we do not send marketing on behalf of third parties.

We do not sell your personal information, and we never have. Our use of the Google tag for advertising measurement may count as "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising under the California Consumer Privacy Act and similar state laws. You can opt out of that at any time: we honor the Global Privacy Control browser signal (Section 7), which disables the Google tag entirely. Your case content is never sold, shared, or used for advertising, period.

We disclose information only in these limited circumstances:

Service providers. We use a small number of vendors that process data on our behalf to run the Service: cloud hosting, encrypted file storage, and email delivery. They may access information only to perform services for us and are bound by confidentiality and data-protection obligations.

Advertising and analytics. Google receives usage data through the Google tag described in Sections 2 and 7, which we use to measure our ads and understand site usage. Google processes this data under its own terms; it never receives your case content.

At your direction. If you ask us to arrange something that requires sharing your information, such as certification of a transcript by a certified court reporter, we share what is needed to fulfill your request.

Legal requirements. We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or court order, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect the rights, property, or safety of our users or others, or investigate fraud or abuse. Where the law allows, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you before disclosing your case content in response to legal process.

Business transfers. If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction. This policy will continue to apply to your information, and we will notify you of any change in ownership or in how your information is handled.

The Service uses two kinds of cookies. First, a single first-party session cookie that is strictly necessary to keep you signed in; it is HTTP-only and is not used for advertising or cross-site tracking. The Service will not work without it while you are signed in. Second, Google cookies set by the Google tag, used for advertising measurement and analytics as described in Section 2.

You can opt out of the Google cookies without losing any functionality: we honor the Global Privacy Control, so if your browser sends the GPC signal we do not load the Google tag at all. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or manage ad personalization at adssettings.google.com. The Service does not respond to the older "Do Not Track" signal; use GPC, which has legal effect in California and other states.

We keep your account information and case content for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service to you. We keep access-request information so we can follow up with you about the Service. Server logs are kept for a limited period for security and operations. When you delete content or ask us to delete your account, we delete the associated information within a reasonable time, except where we must retain it to comply with a legal obligation, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements. Copies may persist briefly in encrypted backups before being purged on our normal backup cycle.

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information: encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256), passwords stored only as cryptographic hashes, session cookies inaccessible to scripts, and access controls that limit who can reach production systems. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we learn of a breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the relevant regulators as required by law.

You can, at any time:

• access the personal information we hold about you and ask for a copy;
• correct inaccurate information;
• delete your account, your case content, or specific information;
• ask what categories of information we collect and why.

Depending on where you live, these may also be legal rights under your state's privacy law, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act or the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act. We extend the same rights to all of our users regardless of state.

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@courttranscripts.app from the address associated with your account, or include enough information for us to verify who you are. You may use an authorized agent where your state's law provides for one; we will ask the agent for proof of authorization. We will respond within the time required by applicable law (generally 45 days). We will never discriminate against you, deny you the Service, or charge you a different price for exercising your privacy rights. If we decline a request, we will explain why, and where state law provides an appeal process you may appeal by replying to our decision; if the appeal is denied, you may contact your state attorney general.

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us at privacy@courttranscripts.app and we will delete it.

The Service is operated from the United States, and your information is stored and processed in the United States. If you use the Service from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those of your jurisdiction.

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated policy on this page and revise the effective date above. If a change materially affects how we handle information we have already collected, we will notify you by email or by a prominent notice in the Service before the change takes effect. Your continued use of the Service after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Questions, requests, or concerns about this policy or your information can be sent to privacy@courttranscripts.app. We are happy to help.

This policy is provided for transparency and does not create contractual rights beyond those required by applicable law. It is not legal advice to you about your own case or your court's rules.