Overview
This Privacy Policy explains how PipChat! (Publicly Interactive Posts) and its operator (“we”, “us”) collect, use, share, and protect information when you use the PipChat mobile application and related services. PipChat is built for transparency and civic participation: posts are pinned to an approximate real-world location and are intended to be visible to the community.
What data we collect
- Account data: username, profile details, account type, verification state, settings, and policy acceptance records.
- Content data: threads (posts), replies, communities, community chats, catalog items, reports, and related moderation records.
- Operational & security data: request metadata (e.g., IP address), app/device/version information, abuse-prevention signals, and moderation evidence events.
- Location data (contextual): location used when you create or explore location-based content (e.g., map view). We do not aim to continuously track background location.
- Billing & purchase data: subscription tier, purchase state, and transaction identifiers provided by platform billing systems (Google/Apple). Payment card data is processed by billing providers, not directly by PipChat clients.
Important notes
- Public content (posts, replies, communities, chats, catalog items) may be stored along with metadata needed to operate the platform (timestamps, identifiers, moderation status).
- We may derive safety signals (e.g., spam patterns, trust & badge indicators) to protect the community and enforce policies.
Publicly visible information
Content displayed on PipChat is visible to other users on the platform. This includes:
- Posts (threads) pinned to an approximate location, including category/tag metadata you choose.
- Communities and their public content, including community chats where applicable.
- Replies, reactions, upvotes/downvotes associated with posts and communities.
- Catalog items published by business/government users and sponsors (where enabled).
- Account badges/status (user type/account type and plan status) that are displayed in the UI.
- Profile details you choose to expose publicly (e.g., display name, avatar).
Why we use data
- To provide service functionality and account access.
- To support discovery/search, communities, catalog listings, and map-based experiences.
- To prevent abuse, enforce policies, and comply with law.
- To maintain reliability, security, and product quality (performance monitoring, debugging, analytics).
Sensitive and legal evidence data
Certain investigation fields and moderation evidence may be restricted and available only in authorized legal/safety workflows. Where applicable, access to sensitive evidence is logged for audit and accountability. Legal hold rules may retain data even if a user requests deletion.
Sharing and disclosure
We may share or disclose information in the following situations:
- Service providers: cloud hosting, media storage/delivery, crash reporting, analytics, and other vendors required to operate PipChat.
- Safety and legal: for lawful requests, legal process, fraud prevention, or safety response, including where there is risk of harm.
- Public content visibility: public content is available to other users according to product visibility rules.
We do not sell your personal information. If local law provides specific rights related to “selling” or “sharing”, we will follow those requirements.
Billing and purchase data
Paid features/subscriptions may use platform billing systems (Google Play Billing / Apple In‑App Purchases). Regional pricing and currency display are handled by the app store during checkout. PipChat does not receive or store your full payment card number.
Data retention
We retain data only as needed for product operation, safety, fraud prevention, legal obligations, and dispute handling. Retention periods can vary by data type and legal requirement.
- Public content may expire from prominent display based on product rules, but may be retained for moderation, abuse prevention, and legal compliance.
- When deletion is requested, some data may be retained if required for safety investigations, fraud prevention, or legal hold.
Security
We apply technical and organizational safeguards, including encryption in transit, access controls, and monitoring. However, no system can guarantee absolute security.
Your choices and rights
Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, correct, export, or delete certain personal data, and to object to certain processing.
- To make a request, contact support@pipchat.in.
- We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on requests.
Children and minors
PipChat is not intended for children under 13. If we learn a user is under 13, we will take steps consistent with law and safety obligations, which may include account restriction or deletion.
For teens, we may apply age-gated restrictions and additional safety measures. If you believe a minor is at risk, please report it using the guidance in CSAE Safety Standards.
Cookies and tracking
On our website pages (like this one), we may use basic cookies or similar technologies for security and performance. The mobile app may use device identifiers and app diagnostics for reliability and abuse prevention.
International transfers
PipChat may process data on servers in multiple countries. Where required, we use appropriate safeguards for cross‑border transfers.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as PipChat evolves. Continued use of the service after an update means you accept the revised policy. If changes are significant, we will provide additional notice where reasonable (for example, in-app).
Contact
If you have questions or need help with policies, please email support@pipchat.in.
If you are reporting an urgent safety issue involving minors, see the reporting instructions in CSAE Safety Standards.