Privacy Policy – Guru AI (Edvand)

1. General Principles

• We will not sell, share, or rent your personal information to third parties unless expressly authorized by you in writing or electronically.
• We will not use your email address or mobile number for unsolicited communication. Communications will only relate to services and products you have chosen.
• We may disclose general statistical information (e.g., number of users, services used) without revealing identifiable user data.
• We may contact you periodically with essential service updates, notices, or relevant offers.
• We may disclose personal information to third parties if legally required (e.g., government or court orders).
• You may review or request correction of the personal information you have provided.
• Access to your personal information is restricted to authorized employees who need it for service delivery.

2. Personal Information Collected

• Information such as name, address, mailing address, phone number, email ID, password, and educational interests.
• Transaction data (e.g., purchases, subscriptions, downloads, offers availed).
• Information provided when contacting support.
• Data entered while using Applications (queries, discussions, assessments, tests).
• Categories may include "Personal Information," "Sensitive Personal Information," and "Associated Information" as defined under the Information Technology Rules, 2011.

3. Automatically Collected Information

• Device details such as type, ID, operating system, IP address, and browser.
• Mobile internet usage details and Application usage patterns.
• Relevant information collected with permissions granted by you.
• Billing data is processed via third-party payment processors (e.g., credit card companies) who do not store or misuse the data.

4. Use of Personal Information

• Provide educational services and products requested by you.
• Resolve disputes, troubleshoot issues, and ensure safe services.
• Collect payments and measure interest in our services.
• Inform you about offers, products, services, and updates.
• Customize your experience and improve pedagogy.
• Detect, prevent, or investigate fraud, abuse, or criminal activity.
• Enforce our Terms of Use and other policies.
• Transmit data to third-party service providers for operational improvements, under confidentiality agreements.
• Share information with trusted partners for personalization and behavioral analysis.
• Aggregate statistics may be shared with reputable third parties, without including personally identifiable information.
• Disclosure may occur as required by law, or to protect rights, property, and safety of Edvand, its users, or the public.
• Any information relating to minors is deemed to be shared with the consent of their legal guardian.

5. Withdrawal of Consent and Data Deletion

• Users may request account and data deletion at any time via an Account/Data Deletion Request Form.
• We will verify identity before acting on such requests.
• Data will be deleted permanently within 15 days, except where retention is required by law or for legitimate purposes (fraud prevention, dispute resolution, etc.).
• Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of prior data processing.

6. Children's Privacy

The Guru AI mobile app is designed for students ages 6 to 18, including children under the age of 13. We take children's privacy seriously and comply with applicable laws including India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) and, where applicable to users outside India, the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

For users we know to be under 13:

• We collect only the personal information reasonably necessary for the educational activity the user is participating in.
• Sensitive device permissions (camera, microphone, contacts, precise location) are not accessed without an explicit prompt and may be declined without losing access to age-appropriate learning content.
• In-app purchases are restricted to verified parent or guardian accounts. A child cannot complete a purchase without parental authorization.
• We do not knowingly serve targeted or behavioral advertising to users under 13. The Guru AI app is currently ad-free.
• We do not require a child to disclose more personal information than is reasonably necessary in order to participate in any activity.
• We do not condition a child's participation in an activity on the disclosure of more personal information than is necessary.

Parental rights

• Parents and legal guardians may, at any time, review the personal information collected from their child, request correction or deletion, refuse to permit further collection, and withdraw consent for use of the child's information.
• To exercise any of these rights, parents may contact our Grievance Officer at support@edvand.com. We will respond within fifteen (15) business days.
• If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will delete that information promptly and notify the parent or guardian.

Schools and teachers

When Guru AI is used in a school setting and a school provides student information to us on behalf of parents, the school is deemed to have obtained parental consent for the educational data processing described in this Policy, in accordance with applicable law.

7. Cookies

• A "cookie" is a small piece of information stored by a web server on your browser.
• Edvand uses cookies and tracking technologies depending on the features offered.
• No personal information is collected via cookies unless voluntarily provided.
• Cookies may be tied to identifiable data if you previously shared personal details.
• Cookies are used only on the website.

8. Third-Party Links

• Applications may contain links to third-party websites.
• Edvand is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites.
• Users are solely responsible for accessing third-party websites.

9. Public Forums

• Any personal information shared in discussion forums, comments, or profile sections may become publicly visible.
• Such information sharing is at your own risk.

10. Security

• We implement stringent measures to protect against loss, misuse, or alteration of data.
• Account access and changes are secured via a secure server.
• Strict security guidelines are followed to prevent unauthorized access.
• While we use reasonable safeguards, no system is entirely immune to breaches.

11. Data Retention

• User data will be retained during the term of account activity and for at least three years thereafter.
• Retention practices may vary based on legal and business requirements.

12. Consent

• By using Edvand Applications, you consent to the collection, processing, and disclosure of your information as outlined in this Privacy Policy.
• You may withdraw consent by contacting us. However, withdrawal may result in denial of access to Edvand services.

13. Payment Options

• Edvand offers multiple payment modes, including debit card, credit card, UPI, net banking, wallets (PayTM, GooglePay, PhonePe), Cashfree, financing options, and swipe machines.
• Payments are processed securely through authorized gateways.

14. Contact Us

For grievances or privacy-related queries, please contact our Grievance Officer:

15. Dispute Resolution

• This Privacy Policy shall be governed by the laws of the Republic of India.
• Any disputes shall fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in New Delhi, India.