Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

To provide our core features, we collect the minimum amount of data necessary.

• Account Information: When you sign in using Google Authentication, we collect your email address, display name, and your uploaded profile picture to identify you within your "Crew."
• Location Data (Background & Foreground): NudgePanda collects location data to enable Chill Zone boundary alerts and Lock Screen SOS Widgets even when the app is closed or not in use. Background location processing operates locally on-device via native OS APIs. We do not transmit continuous tracking paths to our servers unless you actively trigger Ephemeral Live Tracking.
• Device Diagnostic Data: To prevent unnecessary panic when you go offline, we collect your device's current battery percentage, Low Power Mode status, and location permission status.
• Event Logs: We log specific events, such as when you cross a Chill Zone boundary, trigger a Bamboo Ping, or initiate an Emergency Nudge.

2. How We Use Your Information

We do not use your data for advertising, and we never sell your personal information or location data to third parties. Your data is used exclusively to operate the NudgePanda app:

• To notify your trusted, opted-in "Crew" members when you safely arrive at or leave a designated area.
• To temporarily share your live path during user-initiated Ephemeral Live Tracking.
• To display your phone's battery and connectivity status to your Crew so they know if your device has simply died.
• To dispatch push notifications (e.g., Emergency Nudges and Bamboo Pings) to your device.

3. Data Retention and the "15-Day Sunset"

NudgePanda is designed to forget. We enforce a strict data retention policy known as the 15-Day Sunset:

• Location and Event Logs: Every arrival log, departure log, and Bamboo Ping is permanently and irreversibly deleted from our servers 15 days after the event occurs. All associated backup logs containing this data are subject to a cascading hard-delete and are fully purged from all storage environments within this same 15-day window.
• Live Tracking: Ephemeral Live Tracking data is processed only for the duration of the timer (e.g., 15, 30, or 60 minutes). Once the timer hits zero, the live connection is severed, and the path data is immediately purged.
• Account Data: Your account information and Chill Zone configurations are retained as long as your account is active.

4. How Your Information is Shared

Your location and status updates are entirely private by default. They are shared only with the specific family members or friends you have explicitly invited to or accepted into your "Crew" (up to 6 members total). You are always in control of who is in your Crew and can revoke their access at any time.

5. Security

We take the security of your data seriously. All data transmitted between your mobile device and our servers is encrypted in transit using industry-standard protocols (HTTPS/TLS). Data stored on our servers is encrypted at rest.

6. Your Rights and Account Deletion (iOS & Android Compliance)

You retain full control over your personal data. At any time, you can:

• Revoke Location Access: You can disable background or foreground location permissions directly from your device’s OS settings. Doing so will immediately stop the app's ability to update your location.
• Delete Your Account:You can permanently delete your NudgePanda account directly within the mobile app by navigating to Settings > Account > Delete Account. Initiating this will immediately wipe your profile, remove you from all Crews, and permanently delete all your associated historical event logs from our servers.

7. Children's Privacy & COPPA Compliance (United States)

NudgePanda is designed to allow families to maintain safety and connection, which includes the participation of children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without obtaining verifiable parental consent.

Our "Verifiable Parental Consent" mechanism is established when the primary account holder (the parent or legal guardian) registers a master account and completes a credit card or app store transaction to purchase a NudgePanda subscription. This transaction verifies the adult identity of the account holder before they provision, name, and register the child's secondary profile. NudgePanda does not store or process the underlying credit card information.

Pursuant to COPPA, parents and legal guardians retain the absolute right to:

• Review the personal information collected from their child.
• Direct us to delete the child’s personal information permanently.
• Refuse to permit further collection or use of the child’s information.
• Restrict the disclosure of the child's personal information to third parties (noting that NudgePanda does not disclose child data to third parties under any circumstances).

To exercise these rights, parents can access their Crew dashboard within settings or contact our compliance officer at connect@nudgepanda.com.

8. Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act Compliance (India)

In compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act of India, NudgePanda strictly restricts the processing of personal data belonging to children under the age of 18. Consent for the processing of a minor's data is exclusively obtained and verified through the parent or lawful guardian who creates the overarching Crew and provisions the minor’s account.

We affirm that NudgePanda does not engage in any behavioral monitoring, tracking, profiling, or targeted advertising directed at children under the age of 18. All processing of minor data is strictly limited to the execution of safety geofencing alerts authorized by the minor’s parent or lawful guardian. No data is processed in any manner that is likely to cause harm to the physical or mental well-being of a child.

9. Law Enforcement and Data Requests

NudgePanda cooperates with valid, legally binding requests from law enforcement. However, because our architecture enforces a strict 15-Day Sunset, we physically cannot produce location history, event logs, or SOS metadata older than 15 days, as this data is permanently and irreversibly destroyed. We will only disclose active account information or unexpired location data when compelled by a valid subpoena, court order, or search warrant.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Effective Date" at the top. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at: