For churches, communities and everyone whose words matter.
Espero is used in services, events and conversations where trust is everything. So we say plainly where the data is, who processes it and how long it is kept.
Your data, your decision
When a church or another organisation runs an event with Espero, it is the controller, and Espero processes the data on its behalf. Our data processing agreement is part of the Terms of Service and needs no separate signature.
For events run by a private individual and for ordinary conversations, Espero is the controller. The service is provided by Quiet North, Inc.
Data Processing AgreementWhere the data is
Our primary database is currently in the EU, in Ireland. Speech recognition, translation and reading aloud are done by service providers bound by contract, and some of the processing happens in the United States under transfer mechanisms approved by the EU.
| Task | Where | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Database | EU (Ireland) | EU Standard Contractual Clauses for any processing by the provider from the United States |
| Sign-in codes by email | Sent from the EU; account and log data in the United States | EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework |
| Files and caption delivery | Files in the EU; delivery over a global network | EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework; Standard Contractual Clauses as fallback |
| Translation and AI | The United States or another country where the provider operates | EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or Standard Contractual Clauses |
| Speech recognition and read-aloud | United States | EU Standard Contractual Clauses |
More detail is in our Privacy Policy, and a named list of providers is available on request.
Privacy PolicyNo training, no ads, no selling
We do not use your messages or captions to train AI models. If we ever wanted to, we would first ask for your separate consent.
We use the paid APIs of AI services whose terms state that the providers do not use your content to train their own models. They may keep requests for a limited period for abuse monitoring, under their current terms at most about two months.
We do not sell data, show ads or build advertising profiles.
How long data is kept
- An event’s captions and listener data are kept for 30 days from the start of the broadcast and then deleted automatically. The group’s owner or an admin can delete the text of an ended broadcast earlier.
- Spoken audio is deleted within a day.
- Song lyrics saved for an event are deleted 30 days after the last save: at the earliest a week after the event, and at the latest after a year.
What the server sees
To translate a message into each reader’s language, the server has to see its text. That is why we do not call ordinary conversations end-to-end encrypted. Instead, we tell you exactly what the server sees and what it does not.
The server sees
- the text of your messages and the photos, videos, voice messages and files you send
- who sent a message, to whom and when
It needs them to translate, deliver and search messages and to keep your conversations the same on all your devices.
The server does not see
- your card details: the app store or the payment service handles payment
- a password: Espero does not use passwords; you sign in with a one-time code or with Apple
- your address book: it is never uploaded or kept
We do not read your conversations
A message is read by a person only if someone in the conversation sends it to us themselves, for example as a report or as translation feedback. Messages travel over an encrypted connection and are stored encrypted. Only authorised staff can access the data, and we disclose data to authorities only when the law requires it.
No one listening in
Your words are processed only by service providers chosen for the task and bound by contract to EU data protection. A named list is available on request. We also say plainly what the server sees in an ordinary conversation.
Security is where we start
Secure communication is not an add-on at Espero; it is the foundation. We do everything we can so that a confidential word stays confidential. We keep reducing what outside services see, and we report changes openly on this page.
The technical details and how to report a vulnerability are in our security description.
Security descriptionQuestions?
Write to hello@espero.live. We answer every privacy question.