This page explains what personal information this site collects, how it is used, and what choices you have.
I have tried to write this in plain language. If anything is unclear, you can reach me through the contact page.
Who I am
This site is tompham.ca, a personal publication operated by me, Tom Pham, based in Toronto, Canada.
What I collect, and why
Email addresses. If you subscribe to the newsletter, your email address is collected and stored so that I can send you new posts. The signup form is provided by Kit (formerly known as ConvertKit), which is based in the United States. Subscribing is optional. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of any email I send you.
Server logs. When you visit any page on this site, your browser sends information that is automatically logged by my hosting provider, Hostinger. This includes your IP address, browser type, the page you visited, and the date and time. This data is used by the hosting provider for security and operational purposes. I do not personally review or share this data.
Cookies. This site uses small files called cookies that are stored by your browser. These are used for basic site functions. The site does not currently use cookies for advertising or third-party tracking.
Member accounts and payments. If you buy one of my programs (such as The 30-Day Speaking Path or The First Stream), an account is created with your name, email address, and a password. Payments are processed by Stripe. Your card number goes directly to Stripe and never touches this site — I only see that a payment succeeded, and the last four digits Stripe shows me. Stripe’s privacy policy is available on their website.
Learning activity. The Speaking Path game stores your progress — completed days, scores, your mistake notebook — in your own browser and saves it to your account automatically, so you can continue on any device you log in from. When you practice pronunciation, your speech is scored by your device’s own speech recognition. Your voice is not recorded on or sent to my server.
AI feedback. Two features send content to Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI service, to generate your feedback: conversations with the AI practice partner, and photographs of your handwriting homework when you ask the teacher to review a page. This content is used to produce the feedback you asked for and is handled under Anthropic’s commercial data policies; I do not use it for anything else, and I do not sell or share it. These features send content only when you choose to use them, and the app asks for your permission before the first time. What is sent is the text of your conversation messages (never audio) and, only when you submit one, the photo of your handwriting page. Anthropic processes this content solely to return the response, does not use it to train its models, and is bound by commercial terms that protect it to the same standard as this policy.
Vietnamese Quest — Linh, the AI cousin. The free Vietnamese Quest game (on this site and in the iOS app) has an optional conversation partner called Linh. When you turn Linh on, the text of what you say or type in that conversation (a transcript, never your audio), the names and titles you entered in My Family, and which quest you are on are sent to my server, which forwards them to Anthropic to generate the reply. Nothing is sent until you read the notice inside the game and tap Agree, and you can switch back to the built-in partner at any time from the same button. My server does not store these messages; it only counts requests per day to prevent abuse. Anthropic processes the content solely to return the response and does not use it to train its models. Everything else in the game — your progress, Family Voice recordings, reminders — stays on your device and is never sent anywhere.
Vietnamese Quest — save codes. By default the game keeps your progress only on your own device. If you tap Create my save code on the Continue anywhere card, the game stores your progress (levels, learned words, stars, streak, review schedule) and the names you entered in My Family on my server under a random 12-character code, so you can continue on another device by typing that code. The code is the only key: no name, email, or device identifier is stored with it, and I cannot connect a code to a person. Anyone who has your code can load your progress, so keep it private. Stop syncing on this device forgets the code locally, and Delete my progress from the server removes the stored copy immediately; codes that have not been used for about a year are deleted automatically.
Vietnamese Quest — Family Voice and voice codes. Family Voice lets a relative record words in their own voice. Those recordings stay on the device that made them unless someone taps Share … voice with a code, which uploads the recordings to my server under a random 12-character voice code so a learner can download them on their own phone by typing that code. The recordings are stored only under the code, with the speaker name you typed (for example “Bà ngoại”); no email or device identifier is attached, and I cannot connect a code to a person. Anyone who has the code can download the recordings, so share it only with family. Remove from server deletes them immediately, and voice codes unused for about a year are deleted automatically.
Vietnamese Quest — member sign-in. Signing in is optional. If you choose it, you type your email address and we send a 6-digit code to that address; typing the code links this device to your save code. The server keeps only a one-way hash of your email (not the address itself) together with your game progress and family profile, so your progress can follow you to another device. Codes expire after 10 minutes. Your email is never used for marketing and never shared. You can sign out on a device at any time, and “Delete my account” on the Member card erases the member record and the saved progress from the server immediately.
French Quest — Camille, the AI friend. The free French Quest game (on this site and in the iOS app) has an optional conversation partner called Camille. When you turn Camille on, the text of what you say or type in that conversation (a transcript, never your audio), the name you entered in My profile, and which quest you are on are sent to my server, which forwards them to Anthropic to generate the reply. Nothing is sent until you read the notice inside the game and tap Agree, and you can switch back to the built-in partner at any time from the same button. My server does not store these messages; it only counts requests per day to prevent abuse. Anthropic processes the content solely to return the response and does not use it to train its models. Everything else in the game — your progress, Native Voice recordings, reminders — stays on your device unless you use the two optional features below.
French Quest — save codes. If you tap Create my save code, your game progress and your profile (the name and choices you typed) are stored on my server under a random 12-character code — no name, no email, no device identifier. Typing the code on another device loads that progress. Stop syncing on this device forgets the code on that device; Delete my progress from the server erases it from my server immediately; codes untouched for about a year are deleted automatically.
French Quest — Native Voice and voice codes. Native Voice lets a French-speaking friend record words in their own voice. Those recordings stay on the device that made them unless someone taps Share … voice with a code, which uploads the recordings to my server under a random 12-character voice code so a learner can download them on their own phone by typing that code. The recordings are stored only under the code, with the speaker name you typed (for example “Camille”); no email or device identifier. Remove from server deletes them immediately; codes untouched for about a year are deleted automatically.
French Quest — member sign-in. Signing in is optional. If you choose it, you type your email address and we send a 6-digit code to that address; typing the code links this device to your save code. The server keeps only a one-way hash of your email (not the address itself) together with your game progress and profile, so your progress can follow you to another device. Codes expire after 10 minutes. Your email is never used for marketing and never shared. You can sign out on a device at any time, and “Delete my account” on the Member card erases the member record and the saved progress from the server immediately.
Member emails. During your program I send a small number of emails tied to your progress — a check-in near the start, milestone notes, and a gentle nudge if you have been away a few days. These stop when your program ends or your membership does. Every one of these emails carries a one-click link that stops them instantly, and your membership is not affected. Replying to tell me works too.
Cancellation feedback. If you cancel a membership and choose to tell me why, I keep that answer so I can improve the program. Leaving it blank is completely fine.
What I do not do
I do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.
I do not run advertising or share data with advertisers.
I do not use analytics tools that follow individual visitors across the web.
Third parties
The following services may process limited data when you interact with this site:
Kit stores your email address when you subscribe to the newsletter. Their privacy policy is available on their website.
Hostinger stores server logs as part of providing hosting services. Their privacy policy is available on their website.
Stripe processes payments for my programs and stores what is needed to do that, including your card details, which never pass through this site. Their privacy policy is available on their website.
Anthropic processes AI practice conversations and homework photographs from program members, only to generate the feedback described above. Their privacy policy is available on their website.
Amazon. If you click on an Amazon affiliate link and visit Amazon, Amazon will collect data according to its own privacy policy. I do not see your Amazon activity. I only see anonymous reports about whether a purchase was made through one of my links.
Your rights
You can ask me at any time to:
Tell you what personal information I have about you. Correct any information that is inaccurate. Delete your information. For program members, deleting your account also deletes your saved game progress from my server.
To make any of these requests, contact me through the contact page.
You can also unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time using the link at the bottom of any email I send.
Children
This site is not directed at children under thirteen. If you are under thirteen, please do not submit any personal information through this site.
Changes
I may update this policy from time to time as the site evolves. The date below shows when it was last changed. Significant changes will be noted at the top of the page.
Contact
If you have any questions about this policy or how your information is handled, you can reach me through the contact page.
Last updated: July 22, 2026