Privacy Policy

Effective and last updated: 31 August 2026

This policy explains how NamasteChat processes personal data when you use the website, sign in, exchange encrypted messages, upload encrypted media, post status updates, or make calls.

1. Information we process

• Account data: verified phone number, Firebase user identifier, display name, about text, avatar and chosen profile settings.
• Device data: a device identifier, browser description, public encryption key, sign-in and last-active timestamps.
• Chat metadata: chat membership, sender, delivery state, timestamps, group administration and encrypted payload envelopes.
• Encrypted content: new message bodies and uploaded chat attachments are encrypted in your browser before storage. Private device keys are kept in browser storage and are not uploaded.
• Call data: caller/callee identifiers, call type, status, timing, SDP and ICE signalling data needed to establish WebRTC calls. Audio and video media are not stored by Firestore signalling.
• Local preferences: theme, notification choices, screen-privacy settings, recent-chat cache and similar browser-only preferences.

2. Why we use data

We process data to verify accounts, route encrypted conversations, connect calls, deliver status updates, maintain service security, prevent abuse, troubleshoot failures and honour account-deletion requests. We do not sell personal data or use conversation content for targeted advertising.

3. Encryption and its limits

Encrypted history depends on the private key held by the browser that received it. A new or reset browser may be unable to decrypt earlier messages until a secure key-transfer feature is available.

4. Service providers

NamasteChat uses Firebase and Google Cloud services for phone authentication, Firestore, Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions and hosting. A dedicated TURN service may relay encrypted WebRTC traffic when direct connectivity fails.

5. Retention

Account and service metadata is retained while the account is active or as needed to provide, secure and troubleshoot the service. Account deletion removes the Firebase account, profile, registered device keys, owned status entries and associated call-signalling records. Encrypted messages or attachments already delivered into conversations may remain available to other participants, consistent with their copy of the conversation and applicable legal requirements.

6. Your choices and rights

You may update profile information, manage supported notification and privacy preferences, request information about processing, raise a grievance, or permanently delete your account through Settings → Account → Delete my account. Some privacy controls remain limited while server-enforced visibility controls are being completed.

7. Children

If local law requires parental or guardian consent for a user, the account must only be used with valid consent. NamasteChat is not intended to facilitate behavioural advertising or targeted advertising to children.

8. Security and contact

We use authentication, access-control rules, encrypted storage flows and security logging designed to protect the service. No internet service can guarantee absolute security. For privacy questions, grievances or security reports, contact support@namastechat.in.

9. Changes

We may update this policy as the service or applicable law changes. The effective date above identifies the current version.