Privacy policy.

DeBabel is a project operated by an independent developer based in Switzerland. There is no company behind it at this time. References to "we", "us" or "DeBabel" refer to the developer in their personal capacity. Contact: privacy@debabel.org.

01What DeBabel does, briefly

DeBabel listens to messages posted in Discord channels where it has been installed by a server administrator, translates them into the languages configured for that server, and posts the translations as mirrored messages in the corresponding language channels. It also propagates edits, deletes, reactions and replies between mirrors, so that the original message and its translations stay in sync.

To do this, DeBabel needs to read message content, link mirrors back to their original author, and remember each user's language preference per server.

02What data we process

We process the following categories of data, all tied to your Discord user ID and the specific server (guild) where the activity happens:

• Message content you post in channels where DeBabel is active. Read in real time, sent to the translation provider (see Section 5), and stored as a "mirror" record so that edits and deletes can be propagated to the translated copies.
• Your language preference per server. When you choose a language via /debabel set-my-lang or accept the welcome DM, we store that choice so DeBabel knows which language channel to mirror your messages into.
• Translation feedback you provide. If you use the feedback buttons on a translated message ("good" / "bad" / report), we store your reaction along with a reference to the message it applies to. This helps us monitor translation quality.
• Short-term operational data. Recent translation calls and quality alerts are kept briefly to let the bot self-monitor and recover from errors. This data is automatically discarded after a few days.
• Server configuration. Each server admin provides a short server description and a channel-to-language mapping. This is configuration data about the server, not about you personally, but we mention it for completeness.

We do not process: payment information (no payments at this stage), voice content, attachments other than message text, your IP address beyond what Discord and our infrastructure providers see at the network layer, or any data outside the Discord servers where you have chosen to interact with the bot.

03Why we process it (legal basis)

For users in the EU, UK and other jurisdictions that require a legal basis under data protection law, the basis is one of:

• Performance of a service you requested. When you send a message in a channel where DeBabel is active, you are using the translation service by design — processing your message content is what makes the translation happen.
• Legitimate interest. Storing mirror records to propagate edits and deletes, and storing brief operational data to keep the service reliable, fall under our (and the server administrator's) legitimate interest in running the bot correctly.
• Consent. Your language preference is set by an explicit action on your part. You can change or remove it at any time.

If you don't want DeBabel to process your messages, the most direct option is to not post in channels where DeBabel is active. Server admins can also configure which channels DeBabel mirrors.

04How long we keep your data

We keep each category of data only for as long as it serves its purpose, and we apply automatic cleanup routines to enforce these limits.

• Message mirrors are retained for as long as needed to support edit, delete and reaction propagation between language channels — typically up to 12 months. After that, mirrors are unlinked from the original author and progressively cleaned up.
• Translation feedback is retained for as long as needed for quality analysis — typically up to 6 months.
• Short-term operational data (recent translation calls, quality alerts) is retained for a few days at most and then deleted.
• Your language preference per server is kept until you change it, remove it, leave the server, or use the data deletion command (see Section 7).

These windows reflect what we currently consider proportionate. We may adjust them — shorter rather than longer — and any change will be reflected on this page.

05Where your data goes

To deliver translations, DeBabel relies on a small number of third-party service providers, each with their own role.

DeBabel runs on a server hosted by Hetzner Online GmbH in Germany. Translation requests are processed in real time through Groq Inc.'s LLM inference API in the United States, which performs the actual translation of your message text. Network traffic between users and our infrastructure is routed through Cloudflare, Inc. for DNS resolution, edge protection and the secure tunnel that exposes the bot's management interface; Cloudflare also handles the DNS for debabel.org. Discord itself is the platform on which the bot operates and is, of course, the source and destination of all messages DeBabel reads and writes.

Where data is transferred from the EU/EEA, UK or Switzerland to the United States — which is the case for transfers to Groq Inc. and Cloudflare, Inc. — those transfers are governed by the Standard Contractual Clauses adopted by the European Commission, in line with each provider's published data processing terms. Groq processes message text only for the duration of the inference request and does not retain it for model training under its API terms. Cloudflare sees network traffic in transit but does not have access to message content beyond what is necessary to route it. Hetzner hosts the server but does not access application data.

You can find current information about each of these providers' security and privacy practices on their respective websites.

06Who can see your data

Within DeBabel:

• Other members of the Discord server where you post messages can see your translated messages in their respective language channels. This is the intended behavior of the bot — translations are delivered as Discord messages, not as private content. If you don't want a message to be translated and visible to others, don't post it in a DeBabel-active channel.
• Server administrators of the Discord server where you interact with the bot can configure the bot, manage which channels are translated, and receive operational notifications about the bot's activity in their server. They do not have access to historical translation records of individual users through the bot itself; they see only what is posted on Discord.
• The DeBabel developer has technical access to the underlying database and operational logs for the purpose of operating, debugging and improving the bot, including investigating reported translation quality issues. This access is used solely for those purposes and is not shared.

We do not sell, rent, or share your data with any party for advertising, profiling, or any commercial purpose unrelated to running the bot. There is no advertising in DeBabel.

If we are ever legally required to disclose data — for example in response to a valid legal request from a competent authority — we will do so only to the minimum extent necessary, and where permitted by law we will inform you.

07Your rights and how to exercise them

Regardless of where you live, DeBabel offers the same set of practical rights to all users. Depending on your jurisdiction (EU/EEA, UK, Switzerland, California, Brazil, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Australia and others), you may have additional statutory rights — the rights below are designed to satisfy the common core across these laws.

You can:

• Access your data. Use /debabel privacy export-my-data in any server where DeBabel is active. The bot will send you a JSON dump of your stored data for that server via direct message. For a complete cross-server export, write to privacy@debabel.org.
• Delete your data. Use /debabel privacy delete-my-data in any server where DeBabel is active. After explicit confirmation, your language preference and feedback for that server are permanently deleted, and your authorship link to existing mirrors is removed (mirrors themselves are kept anonymously for a short while to preserve edit/delete propagation of messages still alive on Discord, then cleaned up under the retention windows in Section 4).
• Get a summary of what we hold. Use /debabel privacy info to see a short, in-bot summary of categories, retention and rights in your language.
• Correct your data. Most data is either configuration you set yourself (your language preference — change it via /debabel set-my-lang) or message content posted on Discord (edit it on Discord and the mirrors will follow). For other corrections, write to privacy@debabel.org.
• Object or restrict processing. Stop using DeBabel-active channels, and/or use delete-my-data. For specific objection requests in legally defined cases, write to privacy@debabel.org.
• Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. Users in the EU/EEA can complain to their national data protection authority. Swiss users can complain to the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC). Users in other jurisdictions can refer to their local equivalent.

We will respond to written requests within the timelines required by the applicable law (typically 30 days under GDPR, 45 days under CCPA).

08Children

DeBabel is not directed at children. Discord's own Terms of Service require users to be at least 13 years old (or older in some jurisdictions). If you believe a child under the applicable age has provided data to DeBabel, write to privacy@debabel.org and we will remove it.

09Security

Data is stored on a single server in Germany with standard operating-system hardening, access restricted to the developer, and an encrypted management channel. Backups, when present, are kept on the same provider. We do not claim certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2, etc.) at this stage; we will update this page if and when that changes.

In the unlikely event of a personal data breach affecting you, we will notify you and the competent supervisory authority where required by law, within the applicable deadlines.

10Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as DeBabel evolves — for example, if we add new features, change sub-processors, or formalize the legal entity behind the project. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the date of the most recent change. Material changes will be announced through the bot (welcome DM and /debabel privacy info) before they take effect.

11Contact

For any privacy-related question or request, write to privacy@debabel.org. We aim to reply within a few days.

For general questions about the bot, see debabel.org or the configuration commands inside Discord.