Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

AquaSangham ("Platform", "App", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy ("Policy") describes how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your information when you use our mobile application, websites, and associated services.

This Policy is issued in compliance with the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and all other applicable data protection laws of India ("Applicable Laws").

By accessing or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and consent to the collection and processing of your personal information as described in this Policy. If you do not agree to this Policy, please do not use the Platform.

2. Data Controller

AquaSangham is the data controller responsible for the collection, processing, and protection of personal information collected through the Platform. For any queries regarding your personal data, please contact us using the details provided in Section 16 of this Policy.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you create an account or use our services, you may provide us with the following information:

• Account Information: Full name, mobile phone number, profile photograph, business/farm name, and role (buyer, seller, trader, or viewer).
• Location Data: State, district/city, street address, village/mandal, and pincode.
• Business Information: Species traded or farmed (e.g., Vannamei, Tiger Prawn, Rohu, etc.), farm details, and business description.
• KYC/Verification Documents: Government-issued identity documents (Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID, etc.), business registration documents, and bank account details as required for verification purposes.
• Transaction Data: Details of trades, deals, listings, offers, and other transactions conducted on the Platform.
• Communications: Messages sent through the Platform's chat or community features, support requests, feedback, and reports.
• User Content: Listings, posts, comments, questions, images, and other content you create on the Platform.

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Platform, we automatically collect certain technical and usage information:

• Device Information: Device model, operating system and version, unique device identifiers, screen resolution, and app version.
• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent on screens, navigation patterns, search queries, and interaction data.
• Log Data: IP address, access timestamps, error logs, crash reports, and performance data.
• Location Data: Approximate location based on IP address. We may also collect precise geolocation data with your explicit consent to provide location-based services (such as nearby listings).
• Network Information: Mobile carrier, network type (Wi-Fi, cellular), and connection quality.

3.3 Information from Third Parties

• Firebase/Google Services: Authentication tokens, push notification tokens, and analytics data provided by Google Firebase.
• Payment Processors: Transaction confirmation data from third-party payment processors (we do not store full payment card details).

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information collected for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: To create and manage your account, facilitate marketplace transactions, connect buyers with sellers, display listings, and provide the core features of the Platform.
• Verification and Trust: To verify your identity through KYC processes, prevent fraud, enforce our Terms, and maintain the safety and security of the Platform community.
• Communication: To send you transaction updates, deal notifications, community activity alerts, security alerts, and important service announcements. With your consent, we may also send promotional communications.
• Analytics and Improvement: To understand usage patterns, improve Platform features, fix bugs, optimize performance, and develop new functionality.
• Customer Support: To respond to your queries, complaints, and support requests.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, and governmental requests.
• Safety and Integrity: To detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, security incidents, and violations of our Terms.
• Market Insights: To generate aggregate, anonymized statistics about market trends, pricing patterns, and industry data that may be shared publicly or with partners.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• With Other Users: Your public profile information (name, location, photo, species, ratings) is visible to other Platform users to facilitate marketplace interactions. Your phone number may be shared with users you enter into a trade with, subject to your settings.
• Service Providers: With third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Platform, including cloud hosting (Google Cloud/Firebase), analytics (Firebase Analytics), push notifications (Firebase Cloud Messaging), image storage, and payment processing. These providers are contractually bound to protect your data.
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, regulation, court order, subpoena, or governmental authority. When we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, the safety of others, or to investigate fraud.
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, or bankruptcy, your information may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to the same privacy commitments.
• Anonymized Data: We may share aggregated, anonymized data that cannot be used to identify you individually for research, analytics, industry reports, and marketing purposes.

6. Data Storage and Retention

• Your data is primarily stored on Google Firebase/Google Cloud servers, which may be located in India and other jurisdictions where Google operates data centers.
• We retain your personal information for as long as your Account is active and for a reasonable period thereafter to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our Terms, and for legitimate business purposes.
• Account data is retained for a minimum of 3 (three) years after account deactivation to comply with financial record-keeping and legal requirements.
• Transaction records are retained for a minimum of 8 (eight) years as required by Indian tax and commercial laws.
• You may request deletion of your data, subject to our legal and contractual retention obligations.

7. Data Security

• We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information, including encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL), secure authentication (Firebase Auth), access controls, and regular security audits.
• KYC documents and sensitive personal data are stored with additional encryption and access restrictions, available only to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis.
• Despite our best efforts, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information.
• In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by Applicable Laws.
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your device and Account credentials. Please notify us immediately at support@aquasangham.com if you suspect unauthorized access.

8. Your Rights

Under Applicable Laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to Correction: You may request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal information. You can also update your profile information directly through the app settings.
• Right to Deletion: You may request deletion of your personal data, subject to our legal retention obligations and legitimate business interests.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw your consent for data processing at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
• Right to Data Portability: You may request your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Right to Grievance Redressal: You have the right to lodge a complaint with us or with the relevant Data Protection Authority if you believe your data has been mishandled.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@aquasangham.com. We will respond to your request within 30 (thirty) days.

9. Push Notifications

With your consent, we may send push notifications to your device for transaction updates, deal activity, community interactions, price alerts, and promotional content. You can manage or disable push notifications through your device settings at any time.

10. Children's Privacy

The Platform is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 18, we will take immediate steps to delete such information. If you believe a child has provided us with their personal data, please contact us immediately.

11. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our web applications may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (such as local storage and session storage) to enhance your experience, remember your preferences, and collect usage analytics. You may manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect certain functionality of the Platform.

12. Third-Party Analytics and Advertising

We use third-party analytics services (such as Firebase Analytics and Google Analytics) to understand how users interact with the Platform. These services may collect information about your usage patterns using cookies, log data, and device identifiers. This data is processed in aggregate form and is used solely for improving the Platform. We do not currently display third-party advertisements, but may introduce advertising in the future with appropriate notice and controls.

13. Cross-Border Data Transfers

Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in jurisdictions outside India where our service providers (such as Google Cloud) operate data centers. Such transfers are conducted in compliance with Applicable Laws and with appropriate safeguards, including contractual protections and adherence to recognized data protection standards.

14. User Obligations

• You must ensure that all information you provide is genuine, accurate, and up to date.
• You must keep your Account credentials confidential and must not share them with anyone.
• You must not upload content that violates the privacy rights of others, including posting personal information of third parties without their consent.
• You must respect the intellectual property rights of AquaSangham and other users.
• Any violation of this Policy may result in restriction, suspension, or termination of your Account.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or business operations. Any material changes will be communicated through in-app notifications or by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.

16. Grievance Officer and Contact Information

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made thereunder, the contact details of the Grievance Officer are provided below: