Privacy Policy

At Emotional Buddies, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal data you share with us. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our services.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

• Personal Information: Name, email address, phone number, and other details provided during account registration.
• Chat & Call Data: Conversations may be stored or analyzed for service improvements.
• Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device information, and cookies.
• Usage Data: How you interact with our services.
• User Story Data: Any stories or recordings submitted by users through the 'Write Your Story' feature.

We also collect personal information you voluntarily provide when you:

• Sign up or register on our platform
• Submit your life story
• Contact us via email or through the website

The information we may collect includes:

• Name, email address, age, and gender
• Your written, audio, or video life story submissions
• Technical data such as IP address, browser type, and device information

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected data to:

• Provide and improve our services.
• Enable manual user matching by our operators.
• Enhance security and prevent fraudulent activities.
• Send updates, promotions, or service-related communications.
• Use submitted stories for content creation and potential publication on platforms such as YouTube and other social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn).
• Create movies, series, or other derivative content based on user-submitted stories, with appropriate consent.

3. Sharing of Information

We do not sell your personal information. However, we may share it with:

• Our internal team and volunteers who provide support services
• Third-party service providers that help operate the platform (e.g., cloud hosting)
• Legal authorities, if required by law

We ensure our third-party providers are bound by contracts to process your data only for authorized purposes and comply with data protection laws.

4. Consent Mechanism

By creating an account and clicking the “Agree” button, you explicitly consent to the collection, use, and processing of your personal data as described in this Privacy Policy.

Withdrawal of Consent: You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at [emotionalbuddies@gmail.com]. Withdrawal will not affect the legality of data processed prior to withdrawal. If the withdrawal relates to story submissions, it will apply only if the story has not yet been published.

You are presented with this Privacy Policy at the time of account creation. By clicking "Agree," you confirm that you have read and consented to the terms. We do not provide a separate notice at the time of data collection.

5. Data Security

We implement reasonable security safeguards to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to cause harm, we will notify the Data Protection Board of India and affected users in accordance with applicable law.

6. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion of your data
• Withdraw consent for story submissions if they have not yet been published
• Raise grievances through our designated channels (see Section 10)
• Nominate another individual who can exercise your rights in case of your death or incapacity

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy or as required by applicable laws. Once no longer needed, your data will be deleted or anonymized, unless legal obligations require its continued retention.

8. Protection of Children’s Data

Our services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has submitted data, please contact us. Parental consent is required before processing any data of a child. We will not process children’s data in a way that causes harm or engage in targeted advertising directed at children.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your user experience. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, but this may affect the functionality of certain parts of the site.

10. Grievance Redressal

We are committed to addressing your concerns promptly. If you have grievances regarding how we handle your data, please contact our Grievance Officer:

Email: emotionalbuddies@gmail.com

Response Time: We aim to resolve all issues within 30 days. If unresolved, you may escalate the issue to the Data Protection Board of India.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Your continued use of our platform after the update constitutes your agreement to the new terms.

12. Contact Us

For any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Email: emotionalbuddies@gmail.com