Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 27, 2026

1. Introduction

Chautari Hub ("we," "our," or "us") operates the website at chautarihub.com and the Chautari Hub iOS application (collectively, the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use our Service.

Chautari Hub is based in the United States. By accessing or using the Service, you consent to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

For privacy-related inquiries, please contact us at [email protected].

2. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through the Chautari Hub website, iOS application, and related services. It does not apply to third-party websites, news publishers, radio stations, or other external services we link to. When you access third-party content through our Service, the privacy policies of those third parties govern their collection and use of your information.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Information from Anonymous Visitors

When you use the Service without creating an account, we may collect:

Browser language and general geographic location (country or region level)
Pages viewed and general usage patterns
Device type, operating system, and browser information
IP address (retained briefly for security purposes, then anonymised or deleted)

3.2 Information from Registered Users

When you create an account, we collect additional information:

Account information: Email address, display name, and unique identifier from your authentication provider (Google, Apple, or email).
Preferences: Language, theme, province, followed sources, followed topics, followed categories, and saved articles.
Reading activity: Articles viewed, approximate reading duration, and visit frequency to power personalised recommendations.
Hidden content: Articles or sources marked as "not interested" to improve feed relevance.
Push notification tokens: Device tokens for delivering push notifications on iOS (if enabled).

3.3 Radio Listening Data

Our radio section provides a directory of Nepali FM stations. Here is what we collect:

We log which stations are selected to compile popularity rankings.
We remember your recently played stations for quick access.
We do not capture or monitor the audio content itself—only the fact that you initiated playback.
Playback occurs through a direct connection between your device and the broadcaster's server. Any data the station collects during that connection is governed by their own policies.

3.4 Game Data

Game progress, statistics, and streaks for Shabda, Crossword, Sudoku, and other games are stored locally on your device. This data is not transmitted to our servers unless a future feature explicitly enables synchronisation.

3.5 Server Logs

Our servers automatically record standard log information including IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, and timestamps. These logs are retained briefly for troubleshooting and security purposes, then deleted or anonymised.

3.6 Communications

When you contact us via email or feedback forms, we retain your message and contact information to respond to your inquiry and follow up as needed.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

Provide the Service: Display news content, maintain your preferences, show saved articles, and manage your account.
Personalisation: Generate your "For You" feed based on followed sources, topics, reading history, hidden articles, and province setting.
Radio features: Display popular radio stations based on aggregated listening data.
Notifications: Send push notifications about topics you follow (if enabled).
Security: Monitor for suspicious activity, prevent abuse, and protect our systems and users.
Analytics: Understand usage patterns and improve the Service. Analytics data is aggregated and does not identify individuals.
Support: Respond to inquiries, bug reports, and feedback.
Legal compliance: Meet applicable legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not build advertising profiles based on your data for third parties.

5. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or jurisdictions with similar requirements, we process personal data under the following legal bases:

Contract performance: Processing necessary to provide the Service you requested, including account management, preferences, and personalisation.
Legitimate interests: Processing for security, fraud prevention, analytics, and service improvement, where our interests do not override your rights.
Consent: For optional processing such as analytics cookies and push notifications. You may withdraw consent at any time.
Legal obligation: Processing required to comply with applicable laws.

6. Third-Party Services

We use trusted third-party services to operate the Service. These providers have their own privacy policies governing their use of data:

Firebase (Google): Authentication, analytics, and push notifications. Firebase Privacy Policy.
Google Analytics: Website usage analytics (if you consent to analytics cookies). Google Privacy Policy.
Cloud infrastructure: Our backend operates on secure cloud servers with industry-standard protections.

We do not sell, trade, or transfer your personally identifiable information to outside parties except as described in this Privacy Policy.

7. External Content and Outbound Links

Chautari Hub aggregates content from various third-party sources:

News articles: Clicking a news link directs you to the publisher's website, where their privacy policy applies.
Radio streams: Our radio directory helps you discover and access Nepali FM stations. When you play a station, your device connects directly to the broadcaster's streaming server—we are not involved in that connection and do not handle any audio data. The station's own privacy policy applies to data collected during your listening session.
Market data: Foreign exchange rates, precious metal prices, and fuel prices are obtained from public sources such as Nepal Rastra Bank. We fetch and display this data but do not share your information with these sources.

8. Cookies and Local Storage

8.1 Website Cookies

When you first visit our website, we request your consent for non-essential cookies:

Essential cookies (always active): Required for core functionality including login state, language, theme, and cookie preferences.
Analytics cookies (optional): Google Analytics to understand usage patterns. Data is aggregated and anonymised.
Marketing cookies (optional): May be used for advertising measurement. We do not sell your data to advertisers.

You may modify your cookie preferences at any time via the "Manage Cookies" link in our website footer.

8.2 Local Storage

Game progress for Shabda, Crossword, and Sudoku is stored in your browser's local storage. Clearing browser data will permanently delete this progress.

8.3 iOS Application Storage

The iOS application stores preferences, cached images, game progress, and login tokens on your device. Deleting the application will remove this data.

9. Data Retention

We retain your information only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy:

Account data: Retained while your account remains active. Deleted within 30 days of account deletion.
Reading history: Retained while your account is active for personalisation. Deleted with your account.
Server logs: Retained for 7-30 days for troubleshooting, then deleted or anonymised.
Analytics data: Aggregated analytics retained indefinitely (no personal identifiers).
Support communications: Retained as necessary to resolve issues, typically up to two years.
Inactive accounts: Accounts inactive for 24 consecutive months may be deleted following prior notification.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We will provide it in a common format within 30 days.
Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data. You may delete your account through account settings.
Restriction: Request limited processing of your data in certain circumstances.
Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format for transfer to another service.
Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent for optional processing (such as analytics cookies or notifications) at any time.

To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

11. Your Choices

You can control your data in the following ways:

Manage followed sources, topics, and categories in your account settings.
View and unhide previously hidden articles.
Access and clear your reading history.
Update or remove your province setting.
Clear browser local storage to reset game progress.
Use the Service without an account (no personalisation or tracking).
Delete your account permanently through account settings.
Manage cookie preferences via the website footer link.
Disable push notifications in iOS system settings.

12. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data:

All data is transmitted over HTTPS (encrypted in transit).
Passwords are hashed using industry-standard algorithms.
Access to production systems is restricted and logged.
Regular security assessments and updates are performed.
Database backups are encrypted at rest.

No system is completely secure. In the event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

13. International Data Transfers

Chautari Hub operates from the United States and uses cloud services that may process data in various countries. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States. When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or adequacy decisions, to protect your data in accordance with applicable laws.

14. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under 13 years of age (or under 16 in the EU/EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us at [email protected], and we will promptly delete such information.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we will provide notice through the Service or via email (if you have an account). Your continued use of the Service following any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

16. Contact Us

For questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

Email: [email protected]
Website: chautarihub.com

We aim to respond to all privacy inquiries within seven business days.

17. EU/EEA Supervisory Authority

If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area and believe we have not adequately addressed your privacy concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.

18. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

Right to know: You may request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected, the sources of that information, and how we use and share it.
Right to delete: You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions.
Right to opt-out: You may opt out of the sale of your personal information. We do not sell personal information.
Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

To submit a CCPA request, email [email protected] with "California Privacy Request" in the subject line. We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days as required by law.

Categories of personal information collected: Identifiers (email address, name), internet activity information (browsing history, interactions with the Service), and geolocation data (province preference). See Section 3 for complete details.

We do not sell personal information. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising purposes.