Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Data Fiduciary / Operator: Around You (trade name), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

App / Service: Around You mobile application (Android / iOS) and Around You AI at aroundyou.co.in

Under the DPDP Act, 2023, Around You acts as the Data Fiduciary for personal data processed through the app and website, except where a third party acts as an independent controller (for example, when you use Google Maps directly).

Our collection, use, and storage of personal data is governed by applicable Indian law, including the DPDP Act and the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Privacy contact: support@aroundyou.co.in — we aim to respond within 72 hours on business days.

Grievance Officer (IT Act / intermediary matters): Around You, support@aroundyou.co.in, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

2. Around You Mobile App

This section applies when you use the Around You mobile app (Android / iOS).

Around You supports personal accounts, organization accounts, and blogger accounts. Each type collects profile and content data relevant to that role — for example organization name, handle, and business contact details for organizations; blogger name and handle for bloggers.

Information we collect

• Account details: Name, username, handle, date of birth, and contact information you provide when you register (including organization or blogger profile fields where applicable).
• Location data: See “How we use location” below. We do not continuously track your device location in the background during normal app use.
• Content: Posts, comments, reactions, and media you share within the app.
• Device information: Basic technical data (such as device type and app version) to improve performance, security, and reliability.
• Notifications: If you enable push notifications, we use a device token to deliver alerts relevant to your activity.

How we use location

• When you sign in / set up your profile: We may ask for your location once (with your permission) to assign your home area and show hyperlocal posts near you. After that, normal home feed use relies on the location stored on your profile — we are not tracking your live GPS in the background.
• Travel mode: If you turn on Travel mode, we collect your current location at that time to show posts and travel-related updates for the area you are visiting. We may store travel notification state (including location, area/community, and last-checked time) so we can send you relevant updates and avoid repeating the same alerts.
• Organization accounts: Business location may be stored from registration to show your organization in the correct local area.
• Device control: You can change or revoke location permission in your device settings at any time. Some features (hyperlocal feed, Travel mode) may not work without location when those features are used.

How we use it

• To provide personalized, hyperlocal content and improve your experience.
• To maintain community safety by detecting spam, abuse, or policy violations.
• To send notifications and updates relevant to your activity (where you have opted in).
• To comply with legal requirements under Indian law, including the DPDP Act, 2023.

Third-party services & SDKs (app)

We use service providers to operate the app. They process data on our behalf under contractual safeguards. Their own privacy policies also apply:

• Firebase / Google: account authentication; push notifications (FCM); in-app notification storage (Cloud Firestore).
• Google Cloud Vision: automated checks on photos and videos you upload to help detect explicit or unsafe content.
• Google Maps Platform (Routes / Geocoding): distance and place-related calculations for nearby content and notifications (coordinates may be sent to Google for this purpose).
• Amazon Web Services (AWS): secure storage of photos and videos you upload (S3); account, posts, comments, and travel notification data in our production database (Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL).

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use third-party advertising SDKs in the Around You app for cross-app tracking.

Data protection

• We do not sell your personal information to third parties.
• Data transmitted between the app and our services is protected using HTTPS/TLS.
• Personal data stored in our production database is hosted on Amazon RDS with encryption at rest enabled. We use appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.
• Media files uploaded to our storage (AWS S3) are stored using AWS security and access controls.
• You control what you share in the app and can request deletion of your account and associated data at any time (see Section 4).

Your rights (DPDP Act, 2023)

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

• Access your personal data.
• Correct inaccurate information.
• Request deletion of your account and associated personal data.
• Withdraw consent for data processing where consent is the legal basis.
• Nominate another person to exercise your rights in the event of death or incapacity, as permitted by law.

3. Around You AI Website (aroundyou.co.in)

This section applies when you use Around You AI on aroundyou.co.in. There are no accounts, no login, no date of birth, no gender, no phone number, and no payments on the current AI experience.

Information we process

• Your questions / search text — to answer your query.
• Location — only if you grant browser location access, to contextualise nearby food results for that session. We do not continuously track you.
• Session cookie — aroundyou_sid (about 30 minutes) so follow-up questions in the same conversation work.
• IP address — only to enforce rate limits and protect the service from abuse.

Third-party services (AI website)

To answer your query, information may be processed by:

• OpenAI — AI-generated responses.
• OpenSearch / Aiven — food search and retrieval.
• Google Maps — when you open a map link from a result.

Map links redirect to Google Maps, governed by Google’s own terms and privacy policy. Around You is not responsible for Google’s data handling.

We do not sell your personal data from AI use. For AI-related access, correction, or deletion requests, email support@aroundyou.co.in.

Additional disclaimers about AI accuracy appear in our Terms & Disclaimer.

4. Account Deletion & Data Retention

When you delete a personal, organization, or blogger account (in-app or by contacting us), the following applies:

Immediate effect

• Your account becomes unusable and you cannot sign in, including removal from our authentication provider (Firebase).
• Your profile is hidden; others cannot view your profile as before.
• Your name and photo on comments and replies may show as “Deleted User,” “Deleted Organization,” or “Deleted Blogger” (as applicable) rather than your name or profile.
• Posts you already deleted (before account deletion) are not visible in the app — they are removed from normal app use as soon as you delete them.
• Posts you did not delete may remain visible in community feeds for a limited time, shown under the matching deleted label above, until they are removed from our active systems (see below).
• Travel mode data: Travel notification history linked to your account (including stored travel locations and notification check timestamps) is deleted when you delete your account, or within 30 days as part of our active-system cleanup.

Within 30 days

We delete or anonymize your personal data and remaining content from our active production systems, including identifiable account records, profile fields, posts still linked to your account (personal posts, organization posts, or blogger posts), and Travel mode notification history, except where we must retain specific records to comply with law (for example tax, fraud prevention, or valid legal requests).

Backups

Encrypted backups may retain copies until their normal backup cycle expires (typically up to about 90 days). Those copies are not used to restore your account or make your data visible again in the app.

AI & place signals (not deleted)

When posts from personal, organization, or blogger accounts mention places, food, offers, or events, we may update aggregated place-level signals used for Around You search and AI (for example popularity or trending scores for a venue or dish). These signals reflect community knowledge about places, not your personal profile or account identity, and are not reversed or deleted when your account is removed, because they cannot reasonably be used to identify you after deletion.

How to request deletion

• Use Delete account in the app settings for your personal, organization, or blogger account, or
• Email support@aroundyou.co.in from the address linked to your account with the subject “Account deletion request” (include whether it is a personal, organization, or blogger account).

5. Children & Minimum Age

Around You is intended for users aged 13 and older. The app is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly allow registration or collect personal data from anyone under 13.

If you are between 13 and 17, you may use Around You only with the knowledge and permission of your parent or legal guardian. Parents and guardians are responsible for supervising a minor’s use of the app. We do not provide a separate parental consent button in the app.

If a parent or guardian wants a minor’s account or data removed, they may use Delete account in the app or email support@aroundyou.co.in with the subject “Child account deletion request.”

If you believe someone under 13 has registered, contact us at the same address and we will take reasonable steps to delete that data.

6. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of Around You after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy where permitted by law.

7. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of India. Disputes relating to privacy shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the competent courts in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, unless applicable law requires otherwise.