Privacy Policy

Comprehensive data protection and transparency guidelines for Teerthak users worldwide.

1. Introduction

Teerthak ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Comprehensive Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and related services (the "App").

By using Teerthak, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. This App is designed for spiritual exploration in Braj Dham and requires certain data points to function optimally, including precise geolocation for temple discovery and navigation.

2. Data Collection Categories

We collect information that you provide directly to us, as well as information that is generated automatically when you use our App.

A. Information You Provide

  • Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, and profile picture provided during registration or via OAuth (Google/Apple).
  • User Preferences: Dietary preferences for Prasad, language settings (Hindi/English), and notification settings.
  • User Contributions: Reviews, photos, and ratings uploaded to temple or saint profiles.

B. Information Collected Automatically

  • Usage Data: Details of your interactions with the App, including search queries (especially via Teerthak AI), clicks, time spent on pages, and navigation paths.
  • Device Metadata: Device ID, IP address, operating system version, browser type, and hardware model.
  • Log Data: Server logs that record when you access the App and what actions you take.

3. Geolocation & Background Tracking

Teerthak is a location-centric utility. To provide our core services, we require access to your location data.

  • Precise Location: If you grant permission, we collect precise GPS data to show your position on the map, find nearby temples, and provide walking distances.
  • Background Location: We may request background location access to provide "Proximity Alerts" (notifying you when you are near a significant sacred site) even when the app is closed or not in use. This data is processed locally as much as possible and only transmitted to our servers to sync "Parikrama" progress.
  • Data Safety: We do not sell your location history to data brokers or advertisers.

4. Purpose of Data Processing

We process your data for the following lawful purposes:

  • Service Provision: To authenticate users, manage profiles, and process temple/ashram data.
  • AI Intelligence: To train and refine the "Teerthak AI" assistant based on user query patterns (anonymized).
  • Safety & Optimization: To detect fraud, troubleshoot technical issues, and optimize App performance for 10M+ concurrent users.
  • Personalization: To suggest temples and itineraries based on your past visits and expressed interests.

5. Third-Party Disclosures

We do not share your private personal data except in the following limited circumstances with trusted partners:

  • Cloud Infrastructure (Supabase/PostgreSQL): For secure data storage and authentication.
  • AI Services (AWS Bedrock): Processing natural language queries via Claude 3 models. Data sent to AWS is encrypted and governed by AWS enterprise privacy standards.
  • Mapping Services (Leaflet/MapLibre): To render maps. IP addresses may be visible to tile providers.
  • Analytics (Amplitude/ClickHouse): To analyze App usage trends. We use industry-standard hashing to protect user identity.
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose data if required by law or to protect the safety of our users.

6. Your Legal Rights (GDPR / CCPA / DPDP)

Regardless of your location, Teerthak provides all users with the following rights:

  • Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to Erasure (Forget Me): You can request that we delete your account and all associated personal data. This can be done via the "Account Settings" page in the App.
  • Right to Rectification: You can update your profile information at any time.
  • Data Portability: You can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

7. Data Security & Retention

We implement enterprise-grade security including AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3 for all data in transit. We retain your information for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we purge Identifiable Data within 30 days, though anonymized usage logs may persist for analytical purposes.

8. Cookies & Local Storage

We use Local Storage and IndexedDB (via localforage) to enable "Offline Mode," allowing you to browse Braj Dham even without an internet connection. We do not use tracking cookies for behavioral advertising across other websites.

9. Children's Privacy

Our App does not specifically target children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we discover such data, it is deleted immediately.

10. Policy Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date.

11. Contact Support

For any privacy-related inquiries or to exercise your data rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer:

privacy@teerthak.com

Address:Vrindavan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India