Privacy Policy
How the Samadhan app collects, uses, shares and protects your personal data.
At a glance
- You can use Samadhan without an account. We ask for your mobile number only when you file a complaint or want to see your complaints.
- We use your information to handle your complaints and keep you updated on them.
- We don't sell your data, show ads, or track you across other apps and websites.
- You can delete your account at any time, in the app or on this website.
1. Who we are
Samadhan is run by Team Akshay Sharma ("we", "us"). Team Akshay Sharma decides how and why your personal data is used, and is its data fiduciary (data controller) under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
Contact: teamakshaysharma@gmail.com
2. What we collect
When you use the app without an account
- An anonymous identifier, created when you first open the app so it can load reels, testimonials and photos. It isn't linked to your name or number.
- The reels you like, stored against that identifier, or your account once you have one.
When you file a complaint or sign in
- Your mobile number, to confirm it's you with a one-time code sent by SMS, and so we can contact you about your complaints.
- Your name.
- Your EPIC number (voter ID), if you give one. We check it against the constituency's electoral roll to confirm you are a voter there.
- Your home address, if you don't have an EPIC number. As you type it, we show matching addresses from Google Maps.
- The language you use the app in.
Your complaints
- The type of problem and your description of it, written or recorded as a voice note.
- Photos and videos you take in the app. Samadhan uses your camera only; it never reads your photo gallery.
- The precise location of the problem, taken when you take a photo or video, and the address your phone's map service gives for it.
- Each complaint's number, status and updates.
Kept only on your phone
Your name, number, EPIC number or address are also kept on your phone so the app opens quickly, even offline. They are removed when you log out or delete your account. Reels you watch are cached on your phone so they play smoothly. Photos and videos you take but don't send never leave your phone, and are deleted when you close the complaint form.
Permissions
- Camera: to take photos and videos of a problem.
- Microphone: to record a voice note, and the sound of a video.
- Location: to add where the problem is to your complaint, and to show complaints resolved near you. The "near you" list is worked out on your phone; your location isn't sent to us for it.
You can refuse or withdraw any of these in your phone's settings. The feature that needs it then won't work, but the rest of the app will.
3. How we use it
- To confirm your mobile number and keep you signed in.
- To receive, follow up and resolve your complaints, and to contact you about them.
- To confirm you're a voter in the constituency (EPIC number) or where you live (address).
- To show you the status of your complaints and updates on them.
- To show other people, without identifying anyone, which complaints were recently resolved near them.
- To keep Samadhan secure and prevent misuse.
- To understand, in total, what problems are reported and how quickly they're fixed.
We don't use your data for advertising, and we don't profile you.
4. Who we share it with
- Our team. Members of Team Akshay Sharma who handle complaints see what you send.
- Those who fix the problem. We may share a complaint's details, location, photos, videos and voice note with the government department, local body or official responsible for fixing it. We share your name and number with them only when they need to contact you about it.
- People nearby. Once a complaint is resolved, people using Samadhan near it may see its number, the type of problem, the neighbourhood and when it was resolved, for one day. They never see your name, number, photos or exact address. Medical, violence and legal-consultation complaints are never shown.
- Service providers who run parts of Samadhan for us and use your data only to provide that service:
- Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore and Cloud Functions), for sign-in, your account and your complaints. To send the one-time code, Firebase receives your number and may check that the request comes from the genuine app, using Google Play, Apple's push notification service or reCAPTCHA.
- Google Maps Platform, for address suggestions while you type your address.
- Cloudflare, which stores your photos, videos and voice notes.
- When the law requires it, for example in answer to a lawful request from the authorities.
We do not sell or rent your personal data to anyone.
5. Where it's stored and how we protect it
- Your account and complaints are stored with Google Cloud in Mumbai, India.
- Photos, videos and voice notes are stored with Cloudflare, which may keep them on servers outside India.
- Everything travels between the app and our servers encrypted (HTTPS).
- Photos, videos and voice notes are private. They open only through links that expire, given to you and to our team.
- Only our team can see complaints; the app lets you see only your own.
6. How long we keep it
| Your account | Name, number, EPIC number or address, and language: until you delete your account. |
|---|---|
| Your complaints | After you delete your account, we keep your complaints as a record of problems reported and resolved, with your name, number, EPIC number and address removed. Their description, location, photos, videos and voice notes stay with them unless you ask us to remove them. |
| "Resolved near you" entries | Deleted automatically after one day. |
| Reel likes | Kept in each reel's count. Once your account is deleted they are no longer linked to you. |
| Deletion requests | Requests made on this website are kept as a record that we acted on them. |
7. Your rights
Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you can:
- ask for a summary of the personal data we hold about you and how we use it;
- ask us to correct, complete or update it;
- ask us to erase it, or withdraw your consent, by deleting your account;
- nominate someone to exercise these rights for you if you die or can no longer do so;
- raise a grievance with us, and if you aren't satisfied with our answer, complain to the Data Protection Board of India.
To use any of these rights, email teamakshaysharma@gmail.com with the mobile number you use in Samadhan. We may contact you on that number to confirm it's you before acting on the request.
8. Deleting your account
- In the app: About Us → Delete account. It happens straight away.
- On the web: use the account deletion page, for example if you no longer have the phone.
Deleting your account removes your sign-in and your profile, and removes your name, number, EPIC number and address from your complaints. See how long we keep it for what stays.
9. Children
Samadhan is meant for people aged 18 and over. If you are under 18, please ask a parent or guardian to file the complaint for you. If we learn that we have collected a child's personal data without a parent's or guardian's consent, we will delete it.
10. This website
This website sets no cookies and uses no analytics or tracking. If you use the account deletion form, we store what you enter, as described on that page.
11. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will post the new version here and update the date at the top. If a change is significant, we will also let you know in the app.