Imphere — Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data Imphere collects, why, and the rights you have over it. It is written to be readable, but it is a real legal document — the Terms and Conditions apply alongside it. If anything here conflicts with a shorter in-app summary, this full policy is what governs.

Who we are. Imphere ("we," "us") operates this app. For anything about your data, contact us (details at the end).

1. Who can use Imphere

Imphere is for people 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If we learn an account belongs to a minor, we remove it.

2. What we collect

You give us:

Account details — your name and email (your password is stored securely, in hashed form, by our authentication provider; we never see it).
Profile information — display name, photo, city, and any interests or Circles you choose.
Content you post — challenge proof photos, casual photos/videos, captions, comments, and messages.

We collect automatically when you use the app:

Location data — your device location (and the location attached to a photo) when you complete a challenge, browse local offers, or use air-quality tasks.
Photo metadata — technical details of a submitted photo (such as timestamp and capture data) used to confirm an action is genuine.
Activity data — challenges done, Impact Score and Credits, streaks, redemptions, votes you cast as a reviewer, reports you file, and general app usage.
Device & technical data — device type, app version, and basic diagnostic logs used to fix problems. We do not use session-replay recording.
Product analytics — privacy-friendly, aggregated usage analytics (via PostHog) to understand how the app is used and improve it. These are set only if you accept the cookie banner; we send only your user ID (never your email or exact location), there is no session-replay recording, and you can decline at any time.

We do not collect payment card details for in-app rewards, because rewards are redeemed with Points, not money.

3. Why we use your data (and the legal basis)

We only use your data for clear purposes. Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP), we rely on your consent (given at signup and when you grant location/camera permissions) and on the necessity of providing a service you asked for.

What we use	Why
Location + photo metadata	To verify that a real-world action really happened, and paint the impact map.
Your proof photo + approximate location	Shown to a small group of anonymous reviewers so the community can confirm your action (see Section 4).
Activity, Score, Credits	To run challenges, leaderboards, streaks, rewards, and Circles.
City / location	To show local challenges, offers, and air-quality tasks near you.
Content you post	To display it in the app and, with the permission you grant in the Terms, in our marketing and impact reporting.
Email / notifications	To secure your account and send service and challenge notifications.
Device & diagnostic data	To keep the app stable and fix problems.

We use AI to help suggest challenges and improve search and recommendations. AI suggestions are ideas, not professional advice.

4. The part that's specific to Imphere — community verification

Because real people (not a machine) confirm each other's actions, when you submit a challenge proof, your photo and the general location of the action are shown to a small, random group of other users so they can approve or reject it. Reviewers are anonymous to you, and you are identified to them only as needed to judge the proof. Please keep this in mind and avoid capturing sensitive details or other people in your proof photos.

Once verified, your approved proof becomes a public post in the app. Rejected proofs stay private to you.

5. When we share data — and when we don't

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only in these limited ways:

With other users — your public profile, posts, verified proofs, and (during review) your submission, as described above.
With local shops — when you redeem an offer, the shop receives only what's needed to honour it (such as your redemption code). Shops are independent businesses; their own handling of any data is their responsibility.
With service providers who run the app for us — for example hosting, database, and authentication (Supabase), photo and video hosting (Bunny.net), caching (Upstash Redis), and the AI, air-quality, and news providers that power challenge suggestions. They may process data only on our instructions.
For legal reasons — if required by law, or to protect users, the public, or Imphere from harm or fraud.
In a business transfer — if Imphere is involved in a merger or acquisition, data may transfer as part of it (you'll be notified).

Some providers may process data outside India; where they do, we take reasonable steps to protect it consistent with applicable law.

6. How long we keep it

We keep your data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymise your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we must keep certain records for fraud prevention, legal, or accounting reasons. Aggregated or anonymised impact statistics (which no longer identify you) may be kept.

7. Your rights

You can, at any time:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Correct anything inaccurate.
Delete your account and personal data.
Withdraw consent (for example, turn off location) — some features may stop working as a result.
Nominate someone to exercise your rights if you are unable to (as provided under the DPDP Act).
Complain to us, and to the Data Protection Board of India if unsatisfied.

To exercise any of these, use the in-app controls or contact our Grievance Officer below.

8. How we protect your data

We use industry-standard measures — encrypted connections, access controls, and trusted infrastructure providers. No system is perfectly secure, but if a data breach affects you, we will act and notify you and the authorities as required by law.

9. Your responsibilities

Keep your login secure and don't share it. Only upload content that is genuinely yours, and don't photograph other people without their consent. You're responsible for activity under your account.

10. Cookies and similar tech

Our app and website use minimal cookies/identifiers needed to keep you signed in and to understand basic, non-identifying usage. We don't use them to sell your data or for third-party ad tracking.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. We'll post the new version here with a fresh "last updated" date and, for significant changes, notify you in the app. Continuing to use Imphere after an update means you accept it.

12. Contact & Grievance Officer

Questions, requests, or complaints about your data? Our support and Grievance Officer contact details (as required under Indian law) will be published here soon.

We aim to acknowledge grievances within 24 hours and resolve them within 15 days, in line with the IT Rules.