Privacy Policy | Nagarik Nepal

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to nagariknepal.xyz and to the Nagarik Nepal mobile application available on Google Play, and to any related services operated by Riyoj Labs in connection with either. It does not apply to third-party websites, services, or applications that may be linked from the Website or the App, including the news organizations, government portals, and Wikimedia Commons pages we cite and link to on the blog.

2. Information We Collect on the Website

2.1 Analytics

We use Google Analytics (via Google's gtag.js) on the Website to understand which pages are read and roughly how the Website is used: pages viewed, referring site, approximate location derived from IP address (typically country or region level, not precise location), device and browser type, and time on page. This data is aggregated and is not used to build an individually identifying profile of you.

2.2 Advertising (Google AdSense)

We have applied, or intend to apply, to display advertising on the Website through Google AdSense. Once approved, Google and its advertising partners may set cookies to serve ads and, where you've consented, to personalize ads based on your interests and prior activity across sites that use Google's advertising services. You can control this at any time through the cookie banner on this site, through Google Ads Settings, or through the industry opt-outs listed in our Cookie Policy.

2.3 Information you provide directly

The Website doesn't require an account or login. If you email us or fill out our waitlist form, we receive whatever contact information you choose to include (typically your email address), used only to respond to you or manage the waitlist.

3. Information We Collect in the App

3.1 Information you provide directly

The App does not require you to create an account, sign in, or provide any personal information (such as your name, email address, phone number, or payment details) to use it. There is no login system. Certain preferences you set within the App, such as your favorited items, selected language (English/Nepali), and theme (light/dark), are stored locally on your device only and are never transmitted to us or to any server.

Photos for posters: if you choose to add a photo to a poster, you select it with Android's photo picker. The photo is used only on your device to draw the poster. It is not uploaded to us or to any server. Finished posters are saved to your own gallery only when you tap save, or sent through your device's share sheet when you tap share.
Name on posters: if you turn on “Remember my name”, the name you type is stored only on your device so it can be filled in on future posters. You can remove it at any time in Settings.
Shabda game data: your game progress, coins, streak and statistics are stored only on your device. There is no account, leaderboard or cloud save.

3.2 Information collected automatically

When you use the App, certain technical and usage information is collected automatically through third-party services integrated into the App (see Section 5):

App usage and analytics data: screens viewed, navigation patterns, general app interaction events, and basic device/app metadata (device model, OS version, app version, language setting, and coarse, IP-derived location such as country).
Crash and diagnostic data: crash logs, non-fatal error reports, device state at the time of an error, and an automatically generated, anonymous diagnostic identifier not linked to your name, email, or any other personally identifying information.
Advertising data: the App shows ads from Google AdMob (see Section 3.4). AdMob collects your device's Advertising ID, IP address (used to infer approximate, not precise, location), and device and app information to serve and measure ads, prevent fraud, and, where you have consented or consent is not required, personalize ads.
Push notification data: if you allow notifications, your device registers with Google Firebase Cloud Messaging and receives a device token, used only to deliver a single shared broadcast topic that all installs subscribe to. We do not maintain a token-to-user registry.

3.3 Information we do not collect

The App does not collect your name, email address, phone number, precise (GPS) location, camera, microphone, contacts, calendar, SMS, payment/financial information, or government-issued identification. The App does not access your camera. It does not read your photo library in the background: it can only use the individual photos you choose in the photo picker, and those never leave your device.

3.4 Advertising in the App (Google AdMob)

The App is free and supported by ads served by Google AdMob: banner ads, full-screen ads shown occasionally between game levels or after sharing, and optional rewarded ads you can choose to watch to earn in-game coins or unlock a premium poster design. Rewarded ads are always optional. In-game coins have no cash value and cannot be bought or sold.

Google and its partners may use the Advertising ID and the data described in Section 3.2 to show ads. Where the law requires it (for example in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland), the App asks for your consent through Google's consent message before personalized ads are shown; otherwise only non-personalized ads are served. If you were shown the consent message, you can change your choice at any time in the App under Settings → Ad privacy choices. Learn more in How Google uses information from apps that use its services. You can reset or delete your Advertising ID at any time in Android settings (Settings → Privacy → Ads).

4. Permissions Used by the App

The App requests the following Android permissions, used strictly for the stated purpose:

Permission	Purpose
Notifications	Deliver app announcements and reminders (e.g., daily rashifal, a morning poster idea, and an evening reminder to keep your Shabda game streak) if you choose to allow them. Reminders are scheduled on your device and can be turned off in the App's Settings.
Run at startup (Receive Boot Completed)	Restore the reminders scheduled on your device after the phone restarts.
Photos (selected photos only)	Let you pick a photo to place on a poster and save finished posters to your gallery. Only the photos you choose are accessible.
Advertising ID	Used by Google AdMob to serve and measure ads, as described in Section 3.4.
Vibration	Light haptic feedback while playing the Shabda game.
Foreground Service	Allow uninterrupted playback of the national anthem audio while the app is in use.
Wake Lock	Keep audio playback running reliably while the anthem is playing.

5. Third-Party Services

The Website and App use the following third-party service providers, each processing limited technical data as described above:

Google Analytics: Website usage analytics. Google Privacy Policy
Google AdSense: advertising on the Website, once our application is approved. How Google uses data in advertising
Google AdMob and Google User Messaging Platform: advertising in the App and the consent message for regions that require it. How Google uses data in advertising
Google Firebase Analytics: App usage and engagement analytics. Same Google Privacy Policy as above.
Google Firebase Crashlytics: crash and error reporting. Same policy as above.
Google Firebase Cloud Messaging: push notification delivery. Same policy as above.
Supabase: backend infrastructure serving public, non-personal reference content (province/district data, rashifal text, exchange rates, poster designs and festival dates, and the daily Shabda puzzle word) and public static assets (e.g., anthem audio, poster backgrounds) to the App. No personal data is submitted to or stored in Supabase by the App. Supabase Privacy Policy

These providers may process data on servers located outside Nepal, including in the United States and other countries.

6. How We Use Information

Information collected as described above is used solely to:

Operate, maintain, and improve the Website's and App's functionality and performance
Diagnose and fix crashes, bugs, and technical issues
Understand aggregate usage trends to guide future features and content
Display and measure advertising on the Website and in the App, and personalize ads where you've consented or consent is not required
Deliver push notifications to App users who have opted in
Respond to emails, waitlist signups, and other messages you send us directly
Comply with applicable legal obligations

We do not use collected information to build individual user profiles beyond what Google's own advertising and analytics products do on our behalf, and we do not sell your information.

7. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade any information collected through the Website or App. Information is shared only with:

The third-party service providers listed in Section 5, solely to provide their service to us
Law enforcement or regulatory authorities, if required to comply with a legal obligation
A successor entity in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets

8. Data Retention

Locally stored App data (favorites, language, theme, your saved poster name, and Shabda game progress, coins and streaks) remains on your device until you clear the App's data or uninstall it.
Advertising data collected by Google AdMob is retained according to Google's own retention policies.
Analytics and crash data are retained by Google per its standard retention periods (generally up to 14 months for Analytics), after which they are deleted or aggregated.
Advertising cookies are retained per Google's own retention schedules; see our Cookie Policy.
Push notification tokens are managed and automatically rotated by Firebase Cloud Messaging; we do not separately store a token registry.
Emails you send us are retained as long as needed to handle your request, and are not used for any purpose beyond that.

9. Data Security

We rely on industry-standard security practices provided by our infrastructure partners (Google and Supabase), including encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS). However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children's Privacy

The Website and App are not directed at children under the age of 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us using the details in Section 14 and we will take appropriate steps to address it.

11. Your Rights and Choices

Cookies and ads: use the cookie banner on the Website, or the tools listed in our Cookie Policy, to control analytics and advertising cookies.
Ads in the App: reset or delete your Advertising ID, or opt out of ads personalization, in Android settings (Settings → Privacy → Ads).
Reminders: turn the App's daily reminders off in the App's Settings.
Notifications: enable or disable at any time via your device's system settings (Settings → Apps → Nagarik Nepal → Notifications).
App analytics/crash data: collected automatically by default and not currently user-configurable within the App. You may limit ad/analytics identifiers at the device level via Android privacy settings.
Local App data: clear at any time by clearing the App's storage/cache in Android settings, or by uninstalling the App.
Access, deletion, or correction requests: since neither the Website nor the App ties data to an individual account, there is typically no personal profile for us to provide, correct, or delete on request. Contact us with any specific concerns.

For users in the European Economic Area, UK and Switzerland (GDPR)

You have rights including access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, and objection to processing, to the extent personal data is processed. Analytics and advertising cookies on the Website are only set with your consent in these regions, gathered through the cookie banner and signaled to Google via Consent Mode. In the App, personalized ads are only shown after you consent through Google's consent message. Given the Services' otherwise limited data collection, most other GDPR rights will not typically apply, as no directly identifying personal data is retained by us beyond what's described above. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

For users in California (CCPA/CPRA)

We do not sell personal information as defined under the CCPA/CPRA. Google's advertising services may constitute a “share” of information for cross-context behavioral advertising, on the Website once AdSense is live and in the App through AdMob. You can opt out at any time via the cookie banner, Google Ads Settings, or by deleting your Advertising ID in Android settings. California residents may still contact us with questions about the categories of information described in this policy.

12. International Data Transfers

Because the Services rely on Google (Analytics, AdSense, AdMob, Firebase) and Supabase, technical data described in this policy may be processed and stored on servers located outside your country of residence, including in the United States. By using the Website or App, you consent to this transfer, storage, and processing.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the Website's or App's functionality or legal requirements, for example once our AdSense application is approved and ads begin serving. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page will be revised accordingly. Continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us at:
Riyoj Labs
riyojlabs@gmail.com · Contact Us page