Privacy Policy

Welcome to Mero Pusta ("we," "our," "us," or the "Platform"). We are deeply committed to protecting your privacy and the security of your family's personal data. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your information when you use the Mero Pusta web application, mobile application, services, and associated features (collectively, the "Service").

By accessing or using our Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any terms of this policy, please do not use the Service.

1. Regulatory Compliance Framework

Mero Pusta operates in compliance with national laws of Nepal and international data privacy benchmarks, including:

• Nepal Civil Code, 2074 (Section 38 - Right to Privacy): Safeguarding citizens' individual right to privacy.
• Nepal Electronic Transactions Act, 2063 (ETA): Governing electronic and digital storage of transactions and records.
• Google Play Developer Policies: Specifically the User Data Policy, Prominent Disclosure, and Consent requirements.
• Apple App Store Review Guidelines: Regarding personal data harvesting, user tracking, and data minimization.
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Principles: Including the right to information, access, rectification, portability, and deletion (right to be forgotten).

2. Information We Collect

We collect personal data directly provided by you, automatically gathered through your device, or input by authorized family members building the family tree.

A. Information You Provide Directly

• Account Registration & Login Data: Your name, email address, phone number, and profile picture collected via email registration, Google Sign-In, or Phone Authentication.
• Genealogy & Family Tree Data: Names, dates of birth (English & Nepali), dates of death (if deceased), gender, birthplace, origin place, current address, relationship connections (parent, child, spouse, sibling), and optional photo uploads of your family members.
• Matrimonial Profile Data (Strictly 20+ Years): Height, education, occupation, income level, gotra, rashi (horoscope sign), hobbies, photos, lifestyle choices, and partner preferences.
• Astrological & Horoscope Data: Your specific date, time, and location of birth used to calculate daily tithi, rashi, and personal horoscopes.
• Digital Invitation & Event Data: Event names (Weddings, Bratabandha, Birthdays), date, time, venue details, RSVP lists, event-specific invitations, and greeting photos.
• Uploaded Documents & Files: Family historical documents, land papers, or old photographs stored securely in the virtual family locker.
• Communication Data: Chat messages, notes, and alerts exchanged between verified family members inside the system.

B. Automatically Collected Information

• Device & Usage Information: IP address, device model, operating system, browser type, application version, crash logs, and interaction statistics.
• Cookies & Local Storage: We use cookies, localStorage, and sessionStorage to keep you authenticated, store your display preferences (e.g., viewing settings), and secure your user session.

3. How We Use Your Information

We process your personal information only for legal, legitimate, and clearly defined purposes:

• Core Service Delivery: To generate and render your visual family tree, map relationships, compile invitations, and display relevant astrological tithi and horoscope analyses.
• Matrimonial Matchmaking: To provide secure, verified, and culturally compatible matrimonial profiles and search filters.
• Authentication and Account Security: To verify your identity, prevent unauthorized access to private family data, and secure account transitions.
• Notifications and Alerts: To send you notifications about family birthdays, upcoming events, death anniversaries (shradh/punyatithi), and matchmaking proposals.
• Platform Maintenance & Improvement: To monitor application performance, fix crashes (via logs), and optimize user interfaces.

4. Data Sharing and Visibility Controls

We respect the sensitivity of your family information. We strictly restrict who can see your data:

• Family Tree Isolation: Your family tree is private and only visible to you and family members whom you explicitly invite or authorize. It is never searchable by the general public.
• Matrimonial "Lock-and-Key" Privacy: Your sensitive matrimonial details (such as contact information, full matching details) are secured. They are only revealed to other matrimonial users after mutual consent and explicit matching acceptance.
• Third-Party Service Providers: We do not sell your personal data. We only share data with essential third-party service providers who assist us in hosting, securing, and maintaining the app:
  • Cloudflare: For DNS, SSL encryption, and caching (Workers).
  • Google Cloud (Cloud SQL PostgreSQL): For secure relational database storage.
  • Firebase (Google LLC): For secure authentication and push notifications.
  All providers are bound by strict non-disclosure terms and must protect your data with equivalent standard safeguards.
• Legal Disclosures: We may disclose information if required to do so by court order or under Nepalese law (such as request from competent law enforcement authorities under the Electronic Transactions Act).

5. Data Retention & Deletion ("Right to be Forgotten")

We retain your personal data for as long as your account remains active or as needed to provide the services. If you wish to delete your account or any of your data, you can do so easily:

• In-App Deletion: You can navigate to your Profile settings and tap "Delete Account". This will initiate a permanent deletion of your account credentials, matrimonial profile, and personal records.
• Genealogy Retention Policy: When an account is deleted, personal records mapped in other people's family trees as historical connections may be anonymized or retained only to preserve the structural integrity of the tree, unless a specific deletion request is filed by the individual.
• Web-based Deletion Request: If you cannot access your account, you can submit an official deletion request by visiting our Data Deletion page or emailing us at privacy@meropusta.com. We will verify your identity and delete your records within 14 business days.

6. Information Security

We implement robust administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your data, including:

• Secure Socket Layer (SSL/TLS) encryption handled via Cloudflare for all data in transit.
• Database level access controls, salted password hashing (handled by Firebase), and secure API endpoints proxying sensitive operations.
• Regular vulnerability sweeps and server audits to prevent hacking, data leaks, or unauthorized tampering.

However, please note that no system is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee absolute security of information transmitted over the internet.

7. Children's Privacy

Mero Pusta is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children under 13. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that their child has registered an account without consent, they should contact us immediately, and we will purge the account immediately.

Note: Parents or legal guardians may input data of their children under 13 into the family tree for genealogy purposes under their own legal responsibility.

8. 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 policy periodically for any updates.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy or our data handling practices, please feel free to reach out to our Designated Grievance Officer: