Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

About kiyânaw

kiyânaw is a community-driven Indigenous language revitalization platform. This privacy policy describes how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use any kiyânaw application, including:

kiyânaw Transcribe - a collaborative audio transcription and analysis tool
kiyânaw Mentor - a question-and-response app for language learners and mentors

Our approach to privacy is guided by principles of data sovereignty and community ownership of language materials. All data within kiyânaw is private by default and requires explicit action to share.

Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

Display name - chosen by you, visible to other users when you contribute
Email address - used for authentication and password recovery
Language preferences - the languages and dialects you are learning or mentoring in

Content You Create

kiyânaw Mentor

When you use the mobile app, you may contribute:

Questions - phrases or words you would like translated
Responses - translations, including text and audio recordings
Comments - messages in question discussion threads
Playlists - personal collections of saved responses

kiyânaw Transcribe

When you use the transcription tool, you may contribute:

Audio files - recordings you upload for transcription
Transcriptions - metadata and settings for a transcription project, including title, language, and privacy settings
Regions - time-coded segments of audio with transcribed text, translations, and morphological analysis
Issues - flagged items within regions for review or discussion
Comments - threaded discussions on transcriptions, regions, or issues

Audio files and recordings are stored securely and associated with the transcription they belong to.

Transcriptions are private by default. You may choose to share a transcription with other users by inviting them as an editor (can modify content) or a viewer (read-only access). When you share a transcription:

We store the email address of the person you invite and the permission level you grant
Invited users can see the transcription title and your display name
You can revoke access at any time

We do not share your transcriptions with other users unless you explicitly invite them.

The Language Database

The kiyânaw Language Database is a searchable repository of words and phrases where learners can search and listen to fluent speakers. It is populated entirely from content that users choose to contribute.

Your transcription content is never added to the Language Database automatically. To contribute, you must explicitly enable the “Is Discoverable” setting on a transcription. When you enable this setting:

The transcribed text from your regions is indexed and becomes searchable by other authenticated users
The associated audio for those regions becomes listenable, so learners can hear fluent pronunciation
Your display name may be visible as the contributor

When “Is Discoverable” is disabled (the default), your transcription content remains completely private and does not appear in the Language Database.

You may disable “Is Discoverable” at any time, which will remove your content from the database index.

Information We Do Not Collect

We do not use analytics or telemetry services (with the exception of our main marketing site kiyanaw.net)
We do not track your location
We do not collect device identifiers for advertising
We do not sell or share your data with third parties for marketing

Automated Processing (kiyânaw Transcribe)

When you upload audio or work with transcriptions, our servers may automatically:

Generate audio waveforms - visual representations of your audio for the editing interface
Perform spellcheck and morphological analysis - text you enter may be processed against language-specific models to provide spelling suggestions and word breakdowns

This processing happens on our servers and is used solely to provide app functionality. We do not use your content to train general-purpose models or share it with third-party AI services.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect solely to:

Provide and operate the kiyânaw platform
Authenticate your identity and secure your account
Display your contributions to other users (e.g., your display name alongside a response you submit, or your name on a shared transcription)
Send you notifications about activity on your questions or discussions (if enabled)
Match you with relevant content based on your language preferences
Process audio and text to provide transcription, analysis, and spellcheck features

Data Storage and Security

All data is encrypted in transit and at rest using industry-standard AES-256 encryption
Audio and media file access requires cryptographically-signed, time-limited URLs from authenticated users
User authentication is managed through AWS Cognito
Our infrastructure is hosted on Amazon Web Services infrastructure

We have designed kiyânaw with security as a foundational principle. In practical terms, breaking into a system protected by these measures would require extraordinary effort, resources, and expertise — it is not something that happens casually or easily. That said, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure, and no organization — whether a small project like ours, a major technology company, or a government agency — can guarantee absolute security. This is a reality of all digital systems (not a limitation unique to us).

That said, because we take the safety of your data seriously, we’ve designed our systems to the standard of expectation required to pass industry certifications such as SOC2 Type II or ISO 27001 . We take every reasonable precaution to protect your data, and we are committed to responding quickly and transparently in the unlikely event that a security issue arises.

Your data is not shared with any third parties for marketing, advertising, or analytics purposes.

We may share information only in the following limited circumstances:

With other users - your display name and contributions (questions, responses, comments) are visible to other authenticated users of the platform as part of normal app functionality. In kiyânaw Transcribe, your transcriptions are only visible to users you have explicitly invited. If you enable “Is Discoverable” on a transcription, the transcribed text and audio from that transcription become searchable in the Language Database by other authenticated users
Legal obligations - if required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal process

Data Retention and Deletion

You may delete your questions, responses, transcriptions, and associated content at any time through the respective app
When you delete a transcription, all associated regions, issues, comments, invitations, and uploaded audio are also removed. If the transcription was discoverable, its content is removed from the Language Database index
When you delete content, it is removed from our databases and storage promptly
Automated backups containing deleted data expire within 7 days

If you wish to delete your account entirely, please contact us at the address below.

Children’s Privacy

kiyânaw is not directed at children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

Community and Data Sovereignty

kiyânaw was built in consultation with language revitalization and data sovereignty practicioners. We recognize that Indigenous language materials are cultural assets belonging to their communities. Our platform is designed to keep contributors in control of their data at all times, and this principle guides all current and future development.

We do not claim ownership over any content you contribute to kiyânaw. Your words, recordings, translations, and cultural knowledge remain yours. We are stewards of the platform, not owners of what it holds.

If a community or language group wishes to have their contributed materials removed from kiyânaw - whether contributed by an individual member or across multiple contributors - we will work with designated community representatives to fulfill that request. Please contact us at support@kiyanaw.net to begin that process.

Artificial Intelligence and Language Data

We will not use (or allow the use of) your data to train artificial intelligence or machine learning models unless explicitly requested and consented to by both the relevant community and all contributing individuals involved.

As a platform, we are cautious about the application of AI to Indigenous languages. The use of language data to train AI systems raises serious questions about consent, ownership, and the potential for cultural harm. Until communities themselves determine if, when, and how AI should interact with their languages, our default position is that it should not.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this document. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this privacy policy or your data, please contact us at:

Email: support@kiyanaw.net Website: https://kiyanaw.net