Last updated: September 2026 — How we collect, use, and protect your information.
This Privacy Policy explains how Public of Uttarakhand ("Platform", "we", "us", "our") — a private citizen newsroom and news-aggregation platform, not affiliated with any government body — collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal data when you use this website, submit content, register for membership, or take a Paid Membership subscription. This Policy is published in accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 ("SPDI Rules"), and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act") and rules made thereunder, once notified and in force. Under the DPDP Act, we act as "Data Fiduciary" and you are the "Data Principal" in respect of your personal data.
We collect and process personal data on the basis of your consent (given by registering, submitting content, or subscribing) and, where applicable, for performance of the membership/subscription contract with you and compliance with our legal obligations. We collect personal information solely for editorial verification, to operate and bill your membership, to communicate with you about your submissions or subscription, and to operate the website securely. We do not use your data for behavioural advertising or sell it to advertisers.
Where identity verification is requested for editorial purposes, it is used strictly for internal verification only. Please mask document numbers wherever possible (for example, do not upload an unmasked Aadhaar — the last four digits are sufficient in most cases, consistent with UIDAI guidance). Verification documents are stored securely, access is restricted to authorised editorial staff, and such documents are never published.
Paid Membership fees are processed through third-party, RBI-authorised payment gateway(s) and, where applicable, UPI Autopay/e-mandate for recurring billing. These payment processors independently collect and process your card/UPI/bank details under their own privacy policies and PCI-DSS-compliant systems; we only receive a payment confirmation, transaction reference, and, where relevant, a tokenised mandate reference — not your full payment credentials.
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data with advertisers or unrelated third parties. We may share limited personal data with: (a) payment gateway and billing service providers, solely to process your subscription; (b) hosting, email, and IT service providers who process data on our behalf under confidentiality obligations; and (c) government, regulatory, or law-enforcement authorities where required by law, a valid legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of individuals and the Platform. Any such service providers are contractually required to protect your data and use it only for the purpose for which it was shared.
Where our hosting or service providers process data outside India, we take reasonable steps to ensure such transfer is consistent with the DPDP Act, 2023 and applicable government notifications, and that the recipient maintains an adequate standard of data protection.
We use only essential cookies for session management, secure login, form handling, and site security, including for maintaining your logged-in state during a Paid Membership session. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings, though this may affect certain website functions (such as staying logged in).
We retain submission, account, and membership/billing records for as long as necessary for editorial, operational, tax/accounting, and legal purposes, and as required under Indian law (including applicable retention periods under tax and consumer-protection law for billing records). You may request deletion of your personal data where we are not legally required to retain it, subject to Clause 11.
Subject to applicable law, you may request: access to the personal data we hold about you; correction or updating of inaccurate or incomplete data; erasure of your personal data where retention is no longer necessary or required by law; and withdrawal of consent for processing that is based on consent (which may result in loss of access to member-only features, and does not entitle you to a refund of fees already paid, per our Terms of Use). To exercise these rights, contact us using the details in Clause 15. We will verify your identity before acting on a request and will respond within a reasonable time and in any event within the timelines prescribed under the DPDP Act, 2023.
In accordance with the DPDP Act, 2023 and the IT Rules, 2021, we have designated a point of contact to handle privacy-related grievances (see Clause 15). We will acknowledge grievances promptly and aim to resolve them within the timelines prescribed by applicable law. If you are not satisfied with our resolution, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India once constituted and operational, or such other authority as applicable law provides.
We apply reasonable security practices and procedures as required under Section 43A of the IT Act, 2000 and the SPDI Rules, including access controls, encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), and restricted internal access to sensitive data such as verification documents and billing information. However, no method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
This Platform, including membership registration and Paid Membership, is intended for users aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a minor, we will take steps to delete it promptly.
For privacy questions, data access/correction/deletion requests, billing-related data queries, or grievances, contact us at support@publicofuttarakhand.org. We aim to acknowledge your request within 24 hours and respond substantively within 48 hours, and in any event within the timeframes required under applicable Indian law.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our data practices. The "Last updated" date above reflects the latest revision. Material changes affecting how we process your data will be notified to registered/subscribed users by email or in-Platform notice where practicable.
