Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Scope

Proud to Be Indian ("PTBI", "we", "us", or "our") is a civic information platform. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, process, and share information when you use our website and services.

This policy applies to all visitors, registered users, and individuals who submit reports or engage in discussions on PTBI. By using the platform, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy.

2. Information We Collect

Information Users Provide

• Account Information: If you create an account, we may collect your email address, chosen display name (which may be pseudonymous), and secure authentication credentials.
• Reports and Submissions: Information you submit in reports, including descriptions of events, targeted institutions, and requested amounts.
• Uploaded Media and Evidence: Images, documents, or other media you choose to attach to a report.
• Community Engagement: Comments, upvotes, downvotes, and discussion posts.

Information Collected Automatically

• Location Information: We do not collect precise GPS coordinates unless you explicitly provide them in a report. We may infer general geographic region (e.g., state or city) based on IP address for security and localized experiences.
• Device & Technical Information: Standard web analytics including browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and interaction data to maintain platform health.
• Cookies: Essential cookies are used to maintain your session and preferences.

3. How We Use Information

We use the collected information to:

• Operate, maintain, and secure the PTBI platform.
• Process, moderate, and publish user-submitted civic reports.
• Aggregate non-identifiable data to identify civic trends (e.g., reporting activity by state or department).
• Communicate with you regarding your account or submissions.
• Prevent fraud, spam, coordinated manipulation, and abuse.

4. Moderation & AI Processing

When you submit text or media, it may be processed by third-party AI services (such as Google Gemini APIs) strictly for the purpose of content safety analysis, categorization, and redaction of Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

5. Publication of Submissions

PTBI is designed for public transparency. When you submit a report, the content of that report (excluding your private account email) is intended for public display.

If you choose to submit anonymously, your display name will be hidden from the public report. However, PTBI may still retain internal logs connecting the submission to your session/account for abuse prevention and moderation purposes.

6. Data Sharing & Service Providers

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

• Service Providers: We use third-party infrastructure (including PostgreSQL for database hosting, NextAuth for authentication, and Vercel for web hosting) to operate the platform. These providers process data on our behalf.
• Legal & Safety: We may disclose information if required to do so by law, valid legal process, or to protect the safety, rights, or property of PTBI, our users, or the public.

7. Security & Retention

We implement commercially reasonable security measures to protect your information. However, no internet transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain your account information for as long as your account is active. Publicly published reports may remain visible indefinitely to preserve the historical civic record, unless removed due to a policy violation or user deletion request.

8. User Rights & Deletion

Depending on your jurisdiction (such as under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023), you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
• Account Deletion: You may request deletion of your account. Note that deleting your account may anonymize rather than completely erase previously published civic reports, to preserve the integrity of community discussions.
• Withdraw consent where applicable.

9. Contact & Grievance Mechanism

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us via our Contact Page.

[Note: Official Grievance Officer details will be published here upon formal corporate registration.]