Privacy policy

Who we are

LaunchPad Labs (Company No. 17137093) ("we", "us", "our") operates Tonic Research, an academic document translation platform licensed to universities and research institutions.

For users signing in with a university Microsoft account, your institution is typically the data controller for research content you upload. We act as a data processor for that content under the institution's instructions.

Contact: hello@launchpadlabs.uk

What we collect

We may process the following categories of data:

• Account data: name, university email address, and authentication identifiers from Microsoft SSO.
• Uploaded documents: DOCX files and derived structure (headings, paragraphs, tables, equations) submitted for translation, including files you choose to import from OneDrive.
• Translation outputs: English versions, segment-level audit logs, and any quality reports you submit.
• Usage data: upload counts, translation progress, timestamps, and technical logs needed to operate the service.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, and device information collected in server logs for security and reliability.
• OneDrive access: when you sign in with Microsoft and use Import from OneDrive, we receive a short-lived Microsoft access token and read only the DOCX file (and folder listings) you select. We do not browse or store your OneDrive contents beyond the import you confirm.

How we use your data

We use personal data only to:

• Authenticate you and verify institutional licensing.
• Translate documents you submit and display results in the review interface.
• Store originals and translations for your account until deleted or as required by your institution.
• Enforce usage limits under your institution's licence.
• Maintain security, prevent abuse, and improve service reliability.

Legal basis (UK GDPR)

Where we act as processor, your institution determines the lawful basis (typically performance of a contract or legitimate interests for research support).

Where we act as controller for account and operational data, we rely on contract performance, legitimate interests in providing a secure licensed service, and legal obligations.

Sharing and subprocessors

We do not sell personal data. We share data only with subprocessors necessary to run the service, under written terms requiring appropriate safeguards:

• Supabase (authentication, database, file storage) — EU/US hosting per their configuration.
• Vercel (application hosting) — EU region where configured.
• Microsoft (identity provider) — when you sign in with your university account.
• Microsoft Graph / OneDrive — only when you choose Import from OneDrive, to list folders and download the selected DOCX.
• Translation infrastructure operated under contract for processing document content.

Retention

Documents and translations are retained for the period defined in your institution's agreement, or until you delete your account, or your institution requests deletion.

You can delete your account from Account in the product. That permanently removes your papers, translations, files, and account. It is not recoverable. Signing in again later creates a new empty account.

Account and audit logs may be kept longer where required for security, billing, or legal compliance.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you may have rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or object to processing, and to data portability where applicable.

Submit requests to your institution's data protection contact in the first instance, or to hello@launchpadlabs.uk. You may also complain to the ICO (ico.org.uk).

To erase the data we hold for your own account, use Delete account on the Account page. That deletion is permanent and not recoverable.

Security

We use encryption in transit (TLS), access controls, institutional licensing checks, and segregated storage. No system is completely secure; report concerns to hello@launchpadlabs.uk.

Changes

We may update this policy. Material changes will be communicated through the service or your institution. The "last updated" date appears at the top of this page.