This Privacy Policy explains how Himachal News ("the App", "we", "us") collects, uses, and protects information when you use our Android application, available on Google Play.
1. Information We Collect
We aim to collect as little personal information as possible. Depending on how you use the App, we may collect:
- Preferences: your selected home district, language preference, and notification settings, stored on your device and/or linked to an anonymous device identifier.
- Device & usage data: device model, OS version, app version, and crash/performance diagnostics, used to fix bugs and improve stability.
- Push notification tokens: used only to deliver breaking news alerts you have opted into.
We do not require account creation, and we do not knowingly collect sensitive personal information such as financial details, precise location, or government ID numbers.
2. How We Use Information
- To show you relevant, district-wise news content.
- To send breaking news notifications you've enabled.
- To diagnose crashes and improve app performance.
- To understand aggregate, anonymized usage trends (e.g. which districts or categories are most read).
3. News Content & Third-Party Sources
Himachal News aggregates and summarizes publicly available news from third-party publishers (such as Amar Ujala and other regional outlets), with source attribution shown on every story. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or privacy practices of the original publishers; tapping a source link may take you to their website, which is governed by their own privacy policy.
4. Data Sharing
We do not sell your personal information. We may share limited, non-identifying technical data with service providers who help us operate the App (such as crash reporting, analytics, or push notification delivery), solely to provide and improve the service.
5. Data Retention & Security
We retain data only as long as necessary for the purposes described above and take reasonable technical measures to protect it from unauthorized access, alteration, or loss. No method of electronic storage is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. Children's Privacy
Himachal News is rated for general audiences (3+) and does not knowingly collect personal information from children. The App does not require any personal sign-up to use its core news-reading features.
7. Your Choices
- You can disable push notifications anytime from the App's Settings or your device's notification settings.
- You can change your home district or language preference anytime from Settings.
- You can uninstall the App at any time, which removes locally stored preferences from your device.
8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
9. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, contact us at contact@himachal-news.com.