Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 30, 2026
Last Updated: October 30, 2026
Website: https://tathyansh.com
Application Name: Tathyansh
Package Name / Application ID: org.aksharayush.tathyansh

1. Introduction

Welcome to Tathyansh ("we," "our," "us," or "the Platform"). Tathyansh is an independent digital news and media publication accessible via https://tathyansh.com and the Tathyansh mobile application for Android and iOS.

We are deeply committed to protecting your personal data, upholding journalistic transparency, and respecting your privacy rights. This Privacy Policy describes what information we collect when you browse our website, read news articles, view our digital E-Paper editions, participate in polls, use our mobile application, or interact with our services, and how that information is handled, secured, and shared.

By using the Tathyansh website, mobile application, or any associated service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please discontinue use of our services.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in three ways: information you provide directly, information collected automatically, and information collected through third-party partners (such as advertising networks and analytics).

A. Information You Provide to Us

1. Account Registration & Profile Information:
   • When you create an account on Tathyansh, we collect your Name, Email Address, Password (stored only as a secure cryptographic hash), and optional Phone Number.
2. User-Generated Content & Interactions:
   • Comments you post on news articles.
   • Reactions (e.g. emoji reactions on stories).
   • Responses to reader polls and interactive quizzes.
   • News tips, editorial feedback, or customer support inquiries sent to our editorial desk.
3. Subscriptions & Purchases:
   • When you purchase an ad-free membership or individual article access, transaction orders are processed through authorized, PCI-DSS compliant third-party payment gateways. Tathyansh does not collect, process, or store raw credit/debit card numbers or bank credentials on our servers.
4. Newsletter Subscriptions:
   • If you opt in to our newsletters, we collect your email address and chosen topic categories.

B. Information Collected Automatically

When you navigate the Tathyansh website or use the mobile app, certain data is recorded automatically:

1. Device & App Information:
   • Device model, manufacturer, operating system version (e.g., Android, iOS).
   • App version, preferred locale/language (e.g., Hindi, English, Bengali).
   • Screen resolution, layout orientation, and dark/light display mode.
2. Log & Network Data:
   • Internet Protocol (IP) address.
   • Browser type and standard HTTP request headers.
   • Date and time stamps of requests, pages viewed, and referring URLs.
3. Local App Storage & Preferences:
   • Bookmarks: Articles you save to read later.
   • Reading History: Articles you have recently viewed (stored locally on your device for quick access, and synced if signed in).
   • Offline Reading Cache: Article text, images, and E-Paper thumbnails cached locally on your device to enable reading in low-connectivity environments.

C. Information Collected by Third-Party SDKs & Services

To deliver fast media, push notifications, and advertising, our mobile application integrates vetted third-party service providers:

1. Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK):
   • We use Google AdMob to serve advertisements (Banners, Interstitial ads, Rewarded Video ads, and App Open ads).
   • AdMob may collect and process:
     • Google Advertising ID (AAID) on Android or Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) on iOS.
     • Coarse location (derived from IP address for regional ad relevance).
     • Ad performance, viewability data, and user interaction metrics.
     • Device identifiers, app diagnostic logs, and cookies/local identifiers.
2. Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM by Google):
   • Used to deliver breaking news alerts and editorial updates.
   • Collects a unique FCM Registration Token associated with your device to deliver push notifications.
3. Content Delivery Network (Bunny.net):
   • We utilize Bunny.net CDN to deliver high-resolution news photographs, audio, and daily E-Paper PDF editions with minimal latency. Standard network request logs (IP address, user-agent) are processed at CDN edge servers for caching and security.

3. How We Use Your Information

We process personal and non-personal data for legitimate operational, editorial, and legal purposes:

• Editorial Delivery: To curate, format, and present breaking news, category feeds, and digital E-Paper editions.
• Personalized Experience: To remember your preferred language, reading history, saved bookmarks, and custom "For You" category preferences.
• Account Maintenance: To authenticate your login sessions, manage your profile, and synchronize bookmarks across devices.
• Push Notifications: To alert you to critical breaking news, trending developments, or editorial bulletins (you can turn notifications on or off at any time).
• Service Monetization & Free Access: To display non-intrusive advertisements and allow free readers to unlock premium articles or E-Paper PDF downloads by watching rewarded sponsor videos.
• VIP Subscriber Recognition: To automatically disable all third-party advertisements across the application for paid members.
• Platform Security & Spam Prevention: To monitor for fraudulent activity, unauthorized access, denial-of-service attacks, and automated comment spam.
• Legal Compliance: To fulfill obligations under applicable Indian media laws, digital broadcasting guidelines, and taxation requirements.

4. Advertising & Google AdMob Disclosures

Advertising allows Tathyansh to provide timely, high-quality journalism to readers at no cost.

1. Ad Formats Used:
   • Adaptive Banners: Displayed in feeds, between article paragraphs, and at the bottom of category screens.
   • Interstitial Ads: Displayed at natural transition points (e.g. after reading multiple articles when returning to the feed), subject to strict frequency capping (maximum 1 ad per 3 minutes).
   • App Open Ads: Displayed when opening or resuming the app from the background, with a multi-hour cooldown.
   • Rewarded Ads: 100% user-initiated. Readers voluntarily choose to watch a video ad to unlock a premium paywalled article, download a daily E-Paper PDF, or activate a temporary ad-free reading pass.
2. Personalized vs. Non-Personalized Ads:
   • Depending on your device settings and consent, Google AdMob may serve personalized ads (based on your interests) or non-personalized ads (contextual to the content you are viewing).
3. Opting Out of Personalized Advertising:
   • On Android: Go to Settings > Google > Ads > Delete advertising ID or Opt out of Ads Personalization.
   • On iOS: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking and disable tracking permissions.
   • Web / Google Account: Visit Google Ad Settings or read Google's Advertising Privacy & Terms.

5. Device Permissions Requested by the Mobile App

The Tathyansh mobile app requests only the minimum essential device permissions:

• android.permission.INTERNET: Required to download news articles, E-Papers, images, and interact with the news API.
• android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS: Required on Android 13+ to send you breaking news notifications (requested with an explicit prompt; optional and toggleable).
• android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE: Used to detect offline conditions so the app can switch to cached articles and avoid unnecessary network requests.

We do NOT request or access sensitive permissions such as precise GPS location, Camera, Microphone, Contacts, Call Logs, or SMS.

6. Data Sharing & Disclosure

Tathyansh does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties or data brokers.

We only disclose data under the following limited circumstances:

1. Authorized Service Providers: Trusted technical vendors who assist in operating our infrastructure (cloud hosting, Bunny.net CDN, Google Firebase, Google AdMob, email delivery). These providers have access only to data necessary for their specific tasks and are contractually bound to maintain strict confidentiality.
2. Payment Gateways: During purchases, payment data is processed directly by authorized payment processors.
3. Legal & Regulatory Obligations: We may disclose information if required to do so by a valid court order, government subpoena, or legal investigation under the laws of India.
4. Safety & Protection: To protect the legal rights, safety, and security of Tathyansh, our readers, journalists, or the public against imminent harm.

7. Data Security & Retention

• Encryption in Transit: All communications between your device, the Tathyansh website, and the mobile application are encrypted using modern Transport Layer Security (TLS/HTTPS).
• Secure Token Storage: Authentication tokens are stored on mobile devices using hardware-backed cryptographic keystores (Android Keystore / iOS Keychain).
• Password Protection: Account passwords are never stored in plain text; they are protected with salted one-way hashing algorithms (bcrypt).
• Data Retention: We retain your account data for as long as your account remains active. If you delete your account, your personal identification data is permanently expunged from our operational databases.

8. Your Privacy Rights & Self-Service Account Deletion

You retain full sovereignty over your personal data:

1. Self-Service Account Deletion (Google Play / Apple Compliant):
   • You can permanently delete your Tathyansh account and all associated personal data directly within the app at any time:
     • Navigate to More (or Bottom Navigation) > Profile > Delete Account.
     • Confirm your choice when prompted.
   • Alternatively, you can email us at privacy@tathyansh.com with the subject "Account Deletion Request" from your registered email address, and your account and data will be permanently purged within 30 days.
2. Access & Correction:
   • You can update your display name, email, or phone number directly in your account profile screen.
3. Local Cache & History Clearing:
   • You can clear your in-app reading history and saved bookmarks at any time from the Library / History screen.
4. Push Notification Opt-Out:
   • You can disable breaking news notifications at any time via the app's Settings > Notifications screen or directly in your device’s system application settings.

9. Children's Privacy (COPPA & DPDP Act Compliance)

Tathyansh is a general-interest news publication intended for readers aged 13 and above (or the legal age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly solicit or collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If you believe that a child under 13 has registered an account or provided personal information, please notify us immediately at privacy@tathyansh.com, and we will promptly delete the data.

10. Compliance for International Readers

• Indian Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act 2023) & IT Act 2000: We process data in compliance with Indian personal data protection standards, upholding the rights of data principals to access, correct, and erase their personal information.
• European Economic Area (GDPR): Readers residing in the EEA hold rights to access, rectification, portability, restriction of processing, and erasure under the General Data Protection Regulation. The legal basis for processing includes user consent, contract fulfillment (e.g. delivering purchased subscriptions), and legitimate interest in publishing news.
• California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA): California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, request its deletion, and opt out of the sale or sharing of personal data (which Tathyansh does not engage in).

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect enhancements to our news platform, changes in statutory requirements, or updates to mobile operating system guidelines. Any modifications will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website or app following changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.

12. Grievance Officer & Contact Information

In accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and data protection regulations, the details of our designated Grievance Officer and Privacy Contact are provided below:

• Publication: Tathyansh Digital News
• Website: https://tathyansh.com
• Grievance Officer: Editorial & Compliance Desk
• Email for Privacy Inquiries & Account Deletion: support@tathyansh.com
• General Support & Contact Email: support@tathyansh.com
• Official Address / Headquarters: Tathyansh Newsroom, India