Privacy Policy

We collect the following types of information:

• Phone Number: Collected solely for Firebase Phone OTP Authentication. See Section 5 for full details.
• Google Account (Name & Email): Collected only if you sign in with Google Sign-In.
• Topics & Bookmarks: Stored in Firestore for personalisation of your news feed only.
• Device Information: Device type, operating system version, and app version for crash reporting and ads (free users only).
• Usage Data: Topics you follow, articles you read, and app preferences (theme, language) for analytics via Firebase.

• To personalise your news feed based on topics you follow
• To sync your topics and bookmarks across devices
• To manage your Premium subscription status
• To send news notifications (only if you enable them)
• To improve app performance and fix bugs

Pulse uses Google AdMob to show ads to free users. AdMob may collect and use data to show personalised ads, including:

• Device advertising ID
• IP address and approximate location
• App usage data

Premium users do not see any ads. You can learn more about how Google uses data at policies.google.com/privacy.

We use Google Firebase for the following:

• Firebase Authentication: Secure login via Google or phone number (OTP)
• Cloud Firestore: Storing your topics, bookmarks, and premium status
• Firebase Cloud Messaging: Sending push notifications
• Firebase Analytics: App usage and crash reporting

Firebase's privacy policy: firebase.google.com/support/privacy

When you choose to sign in using Phone OTP, we collect your phone number solely for Firebase Phone Authentication. The following terms govern how your phone number is handled:

• Purpose: Phone number is used exclusively to verify your identity via Firebase Phone OTP. It is not used for any other purpose.
• Storage: Your phone number is not stored beyond what Firebase Authentication inherently requires to maintain your account session.
• No third-party sharing: Your phone number is never shared with any third party for marketing, advertising, analytics, or any other purpose whatsoever.
• No marketing use: We will never contact you via your phone number for promotional or marketing communications.
• Deletion: You can permanently delete your account (and associated phone number) at any time from Settings → Delete My Account.

Your data is stored securely on Google's Firebase servers. We use industry-standard security measures to protect your information. We do not sell your personal data to third parties under any circumstances.

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to provide the service. The following table outlines our retention periods:

Pulse News complies with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act). As a Data Fiduciary processing the personal data of Indian users, we are committed to upholding your rights under this law.

Your Rights Under the DPDP Act

Grievance Officer

In accordance with the DPDP Act 2023, we have designated a Grievance Officer to address concerns related to the processing of your personal data:

• Name: Pulse News Team (Grievance Officer)
• Email: team.pulsenews@gmail.com
• Response time: We will acknowledge your complaint within 48 hours and aim to resolve it within 30 days.

How to Raise a Complaint

To exercise any of your rights or raise a grievance under the DPDP Act 2023, please email us at team.pulsenews@gmail.com with the subject line "DPDP Privacy Request" and include:

• Your registered email address or phone number (for account identification)
• A description of your request or complaint
• Any relevant details or supporting information

We will verify your identity before processing any request to protect your data security.

Pulse News is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from persons under 18. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a minor, please contact us immediately at team.pulsenews@gmail.com.

• Access your personal data
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data (via Settings → Delete My Account)
• Opt out of personalised advertising via your device settings
• Withdraw consent at any time (by deleting your account)

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law (including the DPDP Act 2023). We will notify you of significant changes through the app. Continued use of Pulse after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.