Privacy Policy

Vyaasartha (“we”, “our”, or “the Platform”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information in compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA) of India and applicable international privacy regulations including the GDPR.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us:

• Account Information: Name, email address, profile photo, and bio when you create an account
• Content: Articles, comments, and other content you create on the Platform
• Preferences: Topics of interest, language settings, and reading preferences
• Usage Data: How you interact with the Platform (reading history, likes, bookmarks)
• Device Information: Browser type, IP address, operating system, and device identifiers

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve the Platform
• Personalise your experience and content recommendations
• Send you notifications about activity on your content
• Respond to your comments, questions, and requests
• Monitor and analyse trends, usage, and activities
• Detect, investigate, and prevent fraudulent or illegal activities
• Serve advertisements (personalised or non-personalised, based on your consent)

3. Cookies, Consent & Advertising

When you first visit Vyaasartha, we ask for your consent to use cookies for personalised advertising and analytics. Your choice determines how ads are served:

Essential cookies (for login sessions and security) are always used regardless of your consent choice, as they are necessary for the Platform to function.

You can change your cookie preference at any time from your Settings page. Your consent is stored locally on your device and is versioned — if we update this policy significantly, you will be asked to re-consent.

4. Information Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We may share information:

• With your consent or at your direction
• With service providers who assist in our operations (listed in Section 6)
• To comply with legal obligations or respond to lawful requests
• To protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (you will be notified)

5. Data Security & Retention

We implement appropriate security measures including encryption, secure servers (Firebase), and regular security assessments. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure.

Data retention: We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, your personal data will be removed within 30 days, except where retention is required by law. Published articles may be retained in anonymised form.

6. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• Google Firebase: Authentication, database, storage, and hosting
• Google AdSense: Advertising (personalised or non-personalised based on your consent)
• Google Analytics: Usage analytics (only when you accept cookies)
• Google Consent Mode v2: Manages your advertising and analytics consent preferences

These services have their own privacy policies governing their use of your information. We encourage you to review Google's Privacy Policy.

7. Your Rights

Under the DPDPA and applicable laws, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Correct inaccurate or incomplete information via your profile settings
• Erasure: Delete your account and all associated personal data
• Withdraw Consent: Change your cookie and ad personalisation preferences at any time
• Grievance Redressal: Contact our grievance officer for any data protection concerns
• Nominate: Nominate another person to exercise your rights on your behalf (as per DPDPA)

8. Children's Privacy

Vyaasartha is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete that information. As per the DPDPA, processing of children's data requires verifiable parental consent.

9. Cross-Border Data Transfer

Your data is stored on Google Firebase servers. Data may be processed in locations outside of India as permitted by Google's infrastructure. We ensure that any such transfers comply with applicable data protection laws, including the DPDPA's provisions on cross-border data transfers.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page, updating the “Last updated” date, and re-requesting your consent where required. Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Grievance Officer & Contact

If you have questions, concerns, or grievances about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact our Grievance Officer: