The short version
- We collect only what the app needs to work, such as a sign-in, your check-ins and what you choose to share.
- Your precise location is read only when you ask for it, for example to check in or find nearby places. We never track you in the background.
- Precise check-in coordinates are deleted after 30 days.
- Live location for a circle plan is off by default, kept for 15 minutes at a time and deleted when the plan ends.
- Tradition preferences are optional, encrypted and never used for ads or shown to anyone.
- We do not sell your data and the app contains no advertising.
- You can export or delete your data from Settings at any time.
What we collect and why
We collect the following, each for the purpose stated next to it.
- Phone number: to sign you in with a one-time code. It is stored encrypted and as a one-way hash for lookup. Other users never see it.
- Google account: if you sign in with Google, we receive an identifier and, when Google has verified it, your email address. We store the identifier as a one-way hash and the email encrypted, and use the email only to help you recover your account.
- Profile: your display name, language and app settings.
- Device identifier: a random ID created by the app so you can browse before signing in.
- Location: read on your phone when you check in, look for nearby places, plan a route or verify a venue as an organiser. It is not collected continuously and the Android app does not ask for background location. A route's starting point is used for that one route and never stored.
- Check-ins: the place, the time, the method (GPS or QR code) and the result. We keep the precise coordinates and their accuracy only to check that the visit is genuine.
- Tradition preferences (optional, with your consent): to show festivals and events from your traditions first. They are encrypted, never shown to other people, never used for ads and never shared.
- Circles and plans: the circles you join, reactions you post and, only if you turn it on during a plan, your live location for circle members.
- Photos: pictures you upload of places. We remove all metadata, including GPS and camera details, before any copy is stored.
- Crowd reports: if you report how crowded a place is, the level and wait time you report.
- Votes: your choice in each category, which you can cast only after a verified check-in.
- Recaps: your stamps, counts and a route drawn between the places you visited, so you can share your night.
- Notifications: a push token for your phone and a record of which notifications we sent.
- Pandal committees: the WhatsApp number used to list a pandal, the listing conversation and any public contact numbers the committee chooses to show on its page.
- Technical logs: IP address, request path and status for security and troubleshooting. Phone numbers, coordinates, codes and tokens are removed from logs before they are stored.
What we do not do
- No background or continuous location tracking.
- No face recognition, anywhere in Parikrama.
- No advertising, no ad SDKs and no sale of personal data.
- No targeting of individuals based on their traditions.
- No reading of your contacts, messages or other apps.
Service providers
We use these companies to run Parikrama. Each receives only what it needs for its task and processes it on our behalf.
- Microsoft Azure (India): hosting, database, storage, logs and security. Data is stored in the Central India region.
- Azure AI Content Safety (South India region): checks photos before they are published. It receives only the metadata-free photo, with no user details. Photos from users under 18 are never sent to it and never made public.
- Fast2SMS (India): sends the sign-in code to your phone number.
- Google Firebase Cloud Messaging: delivers notifications. It receives your push token and the notification text.
- Google Sign-In: confirms your identity when you choose to sign in with Google.
- Meta WhatsApp Business: carries the conversation when a committee lists its pandal on WhatsApp.
- Map provider: the map style, images and labels come from a map provider, which receives your IP address and the area of the map you view, not your account. City packs for offline use come from our own servers.
- Apps you share to: when you share a recap, the app you pick (for example WhatsApp or Instagram) receives the card and link. Parikrama never shares on its own.
Directions open in the Google Maps app with the destination only. Your starting point is not sent by us.
How long we keep it
- Precise check-in coordinates: 30 days, then deleted. The place and result stay in your passport.
- Live location: 15 minutes at a time, deleted when the plan ends.
- Crowd reports: 7 days.
- Vote fraud signals (hashed device and network): until 30 days after voting closes.
- Recaps: 1 year.
- Circle leaderboard standings: 120 days.
- Notification delivery records: 30 days.
- Technical logs: 30 days.
- Original photos: deleted after processing, or after 24 hours if processing fails.
- Committee WhatsApp conversations: 30 days after the last message.
- Everything else: while your account is open. When you delete your account, your personal data is erased and the account record is removed within 30 days.
Your rights and choices
- Access: download everything we keep about you from Settings, Your data, Export my data.
- Correction: change your name, language and preferences in Settings, or write to us.
- Erasure: delete your account from Settings, Your data, Delete account. See /delete-account for other ways.
- Withdraw consent: delete your tradition preferences in Settings at any time. Turn off notifications or live location whenever you like.
- Nominate: you may nominate a person to exercise these rights for you in case of death or incapacity by writing to us.
- Grievance: write to info@neurabitsolution.com. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India.
Children
Under Indian law a child is anyone under 18. A child may use Parikrama only with a parent or guardian, who sets up and manages the account and gives consent. Accounts of children are never shown in discovery, their photos are never public, and we do not track them or show them targeted content. If you believe a child is using Parikrama without a parent's consent, write to info@neurabitsolution.com and we will act on it.
Security
Data travels over encrypted connections. Phone numbers, emails, tradition preferences and committee contacts are encrypted in our database. Secrets are kept in a key vault, access is limited to the people who need it and every organiser and staff action is logged. If a personal data breach happens, we will inform the Data Protection Board of India and the people affected, as the law requires.
Where your data is stored
Parikrama stores personal data in India. Notifications and Google Sign-In are handled by Google's global services.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we use your data, we will update this page and the date at the top. For significant changes we will also tell you in the app before they take effect.
Contact and grievance officer
Neurabit Solution, India. Email info@neurabitsolution.com for any privacy question, request or complaint.