VoiceBridge Terms of Service

Welcome to VoiceBridge. These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you (or the school district, educational institution, or organization on whose behalf you act) and the maintainers of the open-source VoiceBridge Project ("VoiceBridge", "we", "us", or "our").

By installing, accessing, or using the VoiceBridge Chrome extension, our website (https://voicebridge-ext.web.app), or any associated software, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Student Data Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not install or use VoiceBridge.

1. Educational Purpose & Authorized Minor Use

VoiceBridge is an assistive educational technology tool designed to support Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Special Education (SpEd) accommodations by enabling students to record audio responses directly in Google Classroom, Google Docs, and Google Slides.

• School & Institutional Authorization: When VoiceBridge is deployed or made accessible to K-12 students under 18 (including children under 13), the deploying school district, educational agency, school, or educator represents and warrants that:
  (a) It designates the VoiceBridge Project and its maintainers as an authorized "School Official" with a legitimate educational interest under FERPA (34 CFR § 99.31(a)(1)(i)(B));
  (b) It possesses full lawful authority under COPPA (16 CFR Part 312) and applicable state student privacy laws to authorize student access and grant consent for student educational use on behalf of parents or legal guardians; and
  (c) It remains the sole custodian and administrator of all student accounts and education records created.
• Independent & Home Users: If you are a parent or legal guardian enabling VoiceBridge for personal or home use by a minor under 18, you consent to these Terms on their behalf.

2. Decentralized Architecture & Zero-Storage Model

3. User Content & 100% Student/District Ownership

You and your educational institution retain 100% ownership, title, and all intellectual property rights in and to all audio recordings, oral submissions, transcripts, comments, and media created through VoiceBridge ("User Content").

• No License Granted: VoiceBridge does not claim, seek, or receive any license, copyright interest, or right of access to User Content.
• Data Custody: All recordings remain under the direct custody and control of the student and their authorized school district in their native Google Workspace environment.

4. Zero Biometric Data & Strict Prohibitions

In alignment with our privacy covenants and statutory protections:

• Zero Biometric Identifier Collection (BIPA Disclaimer): VoiceBridge generates standard acoustic audio recordings solely for human educational playback. VoiceBridge DOES NOT extract, generate, scan, process, or store "voiceprints", vocal geometries, voice biometric templates, or any biometric identifiers or biometric information as defined under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS 14/1 et seq.), the Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 503.001), or any other state or federal biometric privacy statute. You agree not to use or attempt to extract biometric data from any audio recorded using VoiceBridge.
• Zero AI/ML Training: Audio recordings, voice patterns, and user interactions are never collected, retained, or utilized to train, tune, or evaluate artificial intelligence, speech recognition models, or machine learning algorithms.
• Zero Advertising or Profiling: VoiceBridge does not serve advertisements, build student profiles, or monetize student or educator data in any manner.

5. Third-Party Integrations & Google Workspace Disclaimer

VoiceBridge interacts with third-party software and APIs, primarily Google Chrome, Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Slides, and the Google Drive API.

• Independent Project: VoiceBridge is an independent open-source project and is not endorsed by, affiliated with, sponsored by, or partner-associated with Google LLC or Alphabet Inc. Google, Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Drive, and Chrome are trademarks of Google LLC.
• Third-Party Compliance: Use of VoiceBridge requires adherence to Google's applicable Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policies. VoiceBridge is not responsible for outages, API deprecations, or service interruptions caused by third-party platforms.

6. Acceptable Use & Audio Recording / Wiretap Consent

You agree to use VoiceBridge strictly for lawful, educational, and instructional purposes. You agree not to:

• Record individuals without lawful authorization or notice. You acknowledge that federal, state, and local laws govern the recording of oral communications. You and your deploying educational institution are solely responsible for providing any required advance notice and securing all necessary consents required under applicable wiretapping, eavesdropping, and audio recording statutes (including two-party or all-party consent states such as California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts) prior to initiating any recording;
• Record, upload, or transmit any unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or harmful content;
• Interfere with, disrupt, or attempt to circumvent the security mechanisms or least-privilege permission model of VoiceBridge or Google Workspace;
• Use VoiceBridge in any manner that violates FERPA, COPPA, or state student data privacy laws.

7. Intellectual Property & Open-Source License

The VoiceBridge extension source code and documentation are provided as open-source software under applicable open-source license terms (available in the GitHub repository). All trademarks, logos, brand names, and visual designs associated with VoiceBridge remain the property of the VoiceBridge Project maintainers.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties, IEP / 504 Accommodations & Data Loss

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, VOICEBRIDGE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

NO GUARANTEE OF IEP OR 504 ACCOMMODATION COMPLIANCE: VOICEBRIDGE IS AN ASSISTIVE AID AND DOES NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE, OR CERTIFY LEGAL COMPLIANCE WITH ANY INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM (IEP), SECTION 504 PLAN, BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PLAN (BIP), OR AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) MANDATE. THE DEPLOYING EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION REMAINS SOLELY AND EXCLUSIVELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT ITS LEGAL AND STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE INDEPENDENTLY SATISFIED.

DISCLAIMER OF DATA LOSS & TECHNICAL DISRUPTIONS: VOICEBRIDGE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY UNRECORDED, CORRUPTED, LOST, TRUNCATED, INCOMPLETE, OR DELETED AUDIO RECORDINGS, COMMENTS, ASSIGNMENTS, OR STUDENT WORK PRODUCT RESULTING FROM NETWORK INTERRUPTIONS, HARDWARE FAULTS, GOOGLE WORKSPACE API CHANGES OR DOWNTIME, BROWSER CRASHES, OR FULL GOOGLE DRIVE STORAGE QUOTAS.

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE VOICEBRIDGE PROJECT, ITS AUTHORS, MAINTAINERS, CONTRIBUTORS, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR STATUTORY DAMAGES, OR FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, REPUTATION, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF (OR INABILITY TO USE) VOICEBRIDGE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SOFTWARE EXCEED FIFTY US DOLLARS ($50.00 USD) OR THE TOTAL AMOUNT ACTUALLY PAID BY YOU TO VOICEBRIDGE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

10. Indemnification & Hold Harmless

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law (and, in the case of public school districts or educational agencies, to the extent permitted by applicable state constitutional and statutory limits governing indemnification by public entities), you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the VoiceBridge Project, its author(s), maintainers, contributors, and agents from and against any and all claims, demands, suits, proceedings, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and litigation expenses) arising out of or relating to:

• Your or your authorized users' (including students') access to or use of VoiceBridge;
• Any User Content, audio recordings, or comments created, submitted, or shared through VoiceBridge;
• Any breach or violation by you of these Terms, student data privacy laws (including FERPA, COPPA, and state student privacy acts), or state audio recording/wiretapping consent laws;
• Any claim that recordings or content created using VoiceBridge infringed or violated any third-party privacy, publicity, defamation, or intellectual property rights; or
• Any claim relating to the failure of an educational institution to fulfill a student's IEP, Section 504 plan, or academic accommodation.

11. Governing Law, Dispute Resolution & Class Action Waiver

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado, United States, without giving effect to conflict of laws principles. Any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to these Terms shall be instituted exclusively in the state or federal courts located in the State of Colorado.

12. Severability & Entire Agreement

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed severable from these Terms and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. These Terms, together with our Student Data Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and VoiceBridge regarding your use of the software.

13. Modifications to Terms

We reserve the right to modify or update these Terms at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Effective Date" at the top. Your continued use of VoiceBridge following the posting of revised Terms signifies your acceptance of the changes.

14. Contact Information

If you have questions, feedback, or legal inquiries regarding these Terms of Service: