Who we are and what Sokhan does
Sokhan is a small dictation app for the Mac, provided by Ayda Digital (United Kingdom). It sits in your menu bar; when you hold the dictation key it listens, turns what you said into text, and types that text into whatever app your cursor is in.
This policy explains what personal information Sokhan handles, why, and what your rights are. By using Sokhan you agree to this policy and to our Terms of Use.
What Sokhan handles
- Your speech — audio is captured only while you are holding the dictation key. Sokhan does not listen in the background and does not record you at any other time.
- The text produced from it — returned to your Mac and inserted where your cursor was.
- Your account — if you sign in, we receive your email address and display name from the sign-in provider you chose. We never see your password.
- Usage records — how many minutes of dictation you have used in the month (so we can apply your free allowance), plus sign-in times and IP address for security.
- Basic app settings — your chosen hotkey, microphone and language stay on your Mac.
Where your audio goes
To produce accurate text, the audio you dictate is sent over an encrypted connection to our servers, and on to specialist speech-recognition providers (and comparable services) working on our behalf. Once the text has been produced, the audio is deleted from our servers — we do not build a library of recordings.
Sokhan also offers an on-device English option that uses your Mac's own speech recognition. When that option is in use, the audio never leaves your Mac.
Because audio does leave your Mac in normal use, please do not dictate anything you are not entitled to share, and get people's consent before dictating their words or their personal details. See the Terms of Use.
Who else is involved
- Sign-in provider — to identify you when you sign in. They tell us your email address and name, nothing more.
- Speech-recognition providers and comparable services — to convert your audio into text on our instructions. They are not permitted to use it for their own purposes.
- Our hosting provider — to run the service.
We do not sell, rent or trade your information, and we do not share it with anyone else except where the law requires it (see "Lawful use" in the Terms).
Where it is stored, and for how long
Account and usage data are stored on our servers in the United Kingdom. Dictated audio is held only for as long as it takes to produce your text, then deleted. Account details are removed within 30 days of you closing your account. Security and access logs are kept for up to 90 days.
Security, and its limits
Connections are encrypted and your account is protected by the sign-in you chose. But please be realistic about what that protects:
- Anyone who can unlock your Mac can dictate as you and see text Sokhan has just typed.
- Anyone who can sign in as you — because they know your sign-in details or have your device — has your account.
- Text that Sokhan has typed into another app lives in that app from then on, under that app's own rules, and out of our hands.
Keep your Mac locked, use two-factor authentication on your sign-in account, and sign out on shared computers. We are not responsible for what other people do with information you dictated or shared, or for anyone who gains access to your account, your device, or anything you sent onward — whether that is a partner, a family member, an employer, or anyone else.
Data loss
Sokhan is provided free of charge and as-is. It keeps no archive of your dictations: once the text has been typed into another app, that copy is the only copy. We make no promise that any text is kept, saved or delivered, and we are not liable for lost, deleted or corrupted text or data. Save and back up your own work as you go.
Permissions Sokhan asks for — honestly
- Microphone — so Sokhan can hear you while you hold the dictation key. It is only opened during that hold.
- Accessibility (input monitoring) — in the direct-download edition, macOS requires this for two things: noticing that you are holding the dictation key anywhere on the system, and typing the finished text into the app you are using. Sokhan watches for that one key and does not record, store or transmit your typing, your screen, or the contents of other apps. The App Store edition does not use Accessibility at all — it places the finished text on your clipboard for you to paste.
You can withdraw either permission at any time in System Settings › Privacy & Security. Sokhan will simply stop dictating.
Children
Sokhan is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you can ask us for a copy of your data, ask us to correct or delete it, or object to how we use it. Write to us at the address below and we will reply within 30 days. If you are not satisfied, you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office. If you use Sokhan outside the UK, your local data protection rights still apply.
Changes
If this policy changes we will update this page and the date at the top. Continuing to use Sokhan after a change means you accept the updated policy.
Contact
admin@aydayazdani.com
Sokhan is also available from the Mac App Store. Apple's standard licence terms apply to copies downloaded there, alongside our own Terms of Use.