Privacy Policy

Last updated: [DATE]. Drafted from the app's actual data practices; have this reviewed by a lawyer familiar with your users' jurisdictions before relying on it.

1. Information we collect 2. How we use it 3. Who we share it with 4. How long we keep it 5. Your choices and rights 6. Children's privacy 7. Security 8. International users 9. Changes to this policy 10. Contact

1. Information we collect

Account information

When you register, we collect your username, email address, full name, date of birth, and password (we never store your password itself, only a one-way hashed form of it). We also send a one-time passcode to your email to verify it during registration and password resets.

Profile information

Anything you choose to add to your profile: a profile photo, a short bio, and up to three links. Profile photos are stored with our image hosting provider, Cloudinary. See Who we share it with.

Content you create

The Lines (posts) you publish: text, an attached image, replies, and relines (reposts or quotes), along with who you follow, who follows you, what you like and bookmark, and any hashtags or link previews associated with that content. If you paste a link into a Line, we fetch that page's public title, description, and preview image to show a link preview card.

Interactions with other users

Who you follow or block, the notifications generated from your activity (likes, follows, replies, relines), and any reports you file or that are filed against your posts, including report messages exchanged with our moderation team.

Device and push notification data

If you enable notifications, we store your device's push token and platform (Android or iOS) so we can deliver push notifications through Firebase Cloud Messaging. You can turn push notifications off at any time from Settings, then Notifications.

Usage data

When you open someone else's post, we record that a view happened, so the post's author can see aggregate reach and engagement numbers for their own posts (Settings, then Post Analytics). This is never shown to anyone but the post's author, and your own views of your own posts are never counted.

Invite and referral data

Your personal invite code, and, if you joined via someone else's invite link, a record of who invited you.

2. How we use it

To create and secure your account, and verify it's really you (login, OTP verification, password resets)
To operate the core features of the app: showing your Lines to your followers, powering feeds, search, and notifications
To show you post analytics for content you own
To review reports and enforce our Terms
To send you transactional email (OTP codes) and, if enabled, push notifications
To improve and maintain the app's reliability and security

We do not use your data to serve third-party advertising, and we do not sell your personal information.

We use a small number of service providers to run the app. Each only receives what it needs to do its job:

Cloudinary: hosts images you upload (profile photos, post images).
Zoho Mail: delivers our transactional email (OTP verification codes, password reset codes).
Google Firebase Cloud Messaging: delivers push notifications to your device.

Other than these service providers, we share information only when:

You choose to make it public. Your profile and Lines are visible to other users of the app by design
We're required to by law, or to respond to a valid legal request
It's necessary to investigate or act on a violation of our Terms, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Lines, our users, or the public

We do not sell your personal information to anyone.

4. How long we keep it

We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we permanently remove your profile and content. See exactly what's deleted and what's retained on our account deletion page. If you deactivate your account instead, nothing is deleted; see our deactivation page for what that does and doesn't do.

5. Your choices and rights

Access and update your profile information anytime from Profile, then Edit Profile.
Control notifications, including turning push notifications off entirely, from Settings, then Notifications.
Block anyone you don't want interacting with you, from their profile menu.
Deactivate your account (disables login, keeps your data) or delete it (permanently removes your data). See deactivation and deletion.
Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights, such as requesting a copy of your data, or objecting to certain processing. Contact support@linesapp.in to exercise them.

6. Children's privacy

Lines is not directed at children under 13 (or the minimum age required by your country to use online services without parental consent, if higher). If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact support@linesapp.in and we'll take appropriate action.

7. Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections between the app and our servers and hashed password storage. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we can't guarantee absolute security.

8. International users

Your information may be processed in a country other than the one you live in. By using Lines, you consent to that transfer. Add specifics here once hosting and service provider regions are finalized.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date above, and where appropriate, notify you in the app.

10. Contact

Questions about this policy or your data? Email support@linesapp.in.