Privacy Policy
OralHistory.app — Operated by Align Kaizen Publishing LLC
Effective: March 2026 | Last updated: March 2026
1. Who We Are
OralHistory.app ("we," "us," or "our") is a research platform for oral history capture and preservation, operated by Align Kaizen Publishing LLC. Our platform is designed for researchers, institutions, and organizations working with oral histories across any domain. Contact: research@oralhistory.app
2. Information We Collect
Account Information
- Name, email address, and username when you register
- Password (stored as a one-way cryptographic hash — never in plain text)
- Optional profile information (biography, affiliation)
Research Data You Enter
- Narrator records, consent forms, interview transcripts, audio recordings, and thematic annotations that you create within the platform
- This data belongs to you and your research team
- We process this data solely to provide the platform services
Usage Data
- Standard server logs (IP address, browser type, pages visited, timestamps)
- We do not use third-party analytics trackers on the platform
3. How We Use Your Information
- To provide, maintain, and improve the platform
- To authenticate you and secure your account
- To respond to your support requests
- To send critical platform notices (security, service changes)
- We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data or research data with third parties for commercial purposes
4. Narrator Data and Consent Records
Narrator records — including legal names, consent tier selections, and interview content — are stored in your team's private database partition. Only members of your research team (as you define them) have access to this data. Narrator legal names are never exposed in exports or publications; only the publication name you designate is used.
Blockchain consent anchoring: when you finalize a consent record, a SHA-256 hash of the consent data is submitted to the Algorand blockchain. The hash is a one-way digest — it does not contain the narrator's personal information. Only the transaction ID is stored externally.
5. Data Security
- All data is transmitted over TLS (HTTPS)
- Passwords are hashed with bcrypt
- Authentication tokens expire and are rotated on each session
- Database access is restricted to platform infrastructure
- We do not guarantee absolute security, and you should apply appropriate data minimization practices for sensitive research
6. Data Retention
Your account data is retained for as long as your account is active. Research data is retained indefinitely to support archival purposes, unless you explicitly request deletion. You may request deletion of your account and associated data by emailing research@oralhistory.app.
Note: Blockchain-anchored consent hashes cannot be deleted from the Algorand ledger. The hash does not contain personal information and its removal is not technically possible by design.
7. Your Rights
- Access: you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Correction: you may update your account information at any time within the platform
- Deletion: you may request deletion of your account
- Portability: research data can be exported in open formats (JSON, OHMS XML) at any time
8. Children's Privacy
This platform is intended for researchers, academics, and institutional professionals. We do not knowingly collect information from persons under 18 years of age.
9. Changes to This Policy
We will notify registered users of material changes by email and will update the effective date above. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance.