California Privacy Rights

At Dictionary (“we,” “our,” or “us”), we are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). This notice applies solely to visitors, users, and others who reside in the State of California (“Consumers” or “you”) and describes how we handle your personal information.

1. Information We Collect

Over the past 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information from California residents. The categories listed below correspond to those defined by the CCPA.

• Identifiers: Real name, alias, postal address, email address, IP address, account credentials, and unique device identifiers.
• Commercial Information: Search queries, word lookups, favorite words saved, subscription status, and purchase history.
• Internet/Network Activity: Browser type, operating system, pages visited, time spent on features, and referral URLs.
• Geolocation Data: General location inferred from IP address for language and localization preferences.
• Audio/Visual Information: Audio pronunciations selected or played (metadata only, no raw audio recording stored).
• Inferences: Predicted language proficiency level, learning patterns, and regional dialect preferences.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information collected for the following business and commercial purposes:

• Providing, maintaining, and improving our dictionary, translation, and pronunciation features.
• Processing transactions and managing subscriptions.
• Personalizing content, synonyms, and learning recommendations.
• Responding to customer support inquiries and providing technical assistance.
• Analyzing usage trends to develop new language tools and educational resources.
• Complying with legal obligations and protecting against fraud or abuse.

We do not sell your personal information. We share personal information only with service providers who perform business functions on our behalf (e.g., cloud hosting, analytics, payment processing) under strict confidentiality agreements.

3. Your California Privacy Rights

Under the CCPA/CPRA, California residents have the right to:

• Know: Request details about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
• Access: Obtain a copy of your personal information in a portable, readily usable format.
• Delete: Request that we delete the personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain legal exceptions.
• Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
• Opt-Out: Direct us not to sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising (we do not sell or share data).
• Limit Use of Sensitive Information: Restrict how we use certain sensitive personal information for inferring characteristics or targeted advertising.

4. How to Submit a Request

To exercise any of the rights described above, you or your authorized agent may submit a verifiable consumer request to us by:

• Email: privacy@dictionary.com
• Phone: +1 (800) 555-0199 (toll-free)
• Web Form: Submit a Privacy Request

Only you, or a person registered with the California Secretary of State as your authorized agent, may make a verifiable consumer request related to your personal information. If you use an authorized agent, you may need to provide them with written permission. We may also require additional documentation to confirm your identity.

5. Verification Process

We require verifiable consumer requests to ensure we are responding to the correct individual. Depending on the sensitivity of the information requested, we may verify your identity using one or more of the following methods:

• Matching provided information to the account credentials on file.
• Requiring a signed declaration under penalty of perjury.
• Using an independent verification service for high-sensitivity requests.

We will respond to verifiable consumer requests within 45 days. If we require more time, we will notify you in writing of the reason and extension period, not to exceed an additional 45 days.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting, or legal dispute requirements). When data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it using industry-standard practices.

7. Nondiscrimination

We will not discriminate against you for exercising your California privacy rights. We may offer financial incentives (such as discounted subscription tiers) related to the collection, deletion, or sale of your personal information only if the value provided to the consumer is reasonably related to the value of their data. Such incentives will be disclosed separately and require your opt-in consent.

This California Privacy Rights notice is incorporated into, and subject to, our main Privacy Policy. We reserve the right to update this notice at any time. Material changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date.