Privacy Policy
Effective Date: 30th July 2025
Hazhteq Innovations Pvt Ltd (“Company”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of users (“you”, “your”) who use the BeFriends mobile application and web platform (“App”).
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your data in compliance with applicable Indian laws (IT Act, 2021), and global data protection frameworks like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), where applicable.
1. Information We Collect
When you use the BeFriends App, we collect the following types of data:
A. Personal Information
- Email address (used for login via third-party authentication)
- Name and display picture (retrieved from email provider, not stored manually)
- Date of Birth (to calculate age)
- Gender
- Location (city-level)
- Hobbies
B. Usage & Emotional Data
- Chat logs with Kozy (AI Companion), Virtual Friend, Listeners, and Experts
- Diary entries (emotional logs and sentiment patterns)
- Personality traits derived from color-based assessments
- Game activity and time spent
- In-app interactions and ads clicked
- Notification triggers and responses
- Appointments and sessions scheduled with Experts
C. Payment Information
- We do not store payment credentials. All transactions are processed via Razorpay, which may collect limited billing details per its own Privacy Policy.
D. Device & Technical Data
- Device fingerprinting and analytics data (standard Firebase + Google Analytics)
- IP address (for fraud prevention and anonymized location-based services)
- Crash reports (via Crashlytics)
2. How We Use Your Data
We use your data strictly to improve your experience and deliver emotional wellness features. Specifically, your data is used to:
- Provide personalized emotional support via Kozy and Virtual Friend
- Analyze sentiment trends in your diary entries (AI-based mood analytics)
- Improve personality matching and emotional guidance
- Facilitate booking with Experts or Listeners
- Customize content and notifications based on your interests and mood
- Monitor app performance, security, and crash reporting
- Offer and personalize wellness-related product suggestions (ads, store)
Your emotional data may be used in anonymized, aggregated form to train and improve our AI models, but never sold or shared for commercial purposes.
3. Data Storage & Security
- All data is stored securely on Google Firebase servers, with standard industry-grade encryption at rest and in transit.
- Media assets (e.g., illustrations, audio prompts by Kozy) may be hosted on our own secure servers.
- Our infrastructure is designed to de-couple PII from emotional data, reducing re-identification risk.
We follow best practices for data minimization and restrict internal access based on the principle of least privilege.
4. Third-Party Services
We use third-party tools only for functionality or analytics:
- Firebase Authentication, Firestore, and Storage
- Google Analytics, Google AdSense
- Razorpay (for payments)
- Crashlytics (for error reporting)
- StackAI, CharacterAI (for AI-powered Kozy and personalization)
These services may process or store user data under their own privacy policies. We only share anonymized or non-sensitive data where required.
5. Your Rights and Choices
As a user, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we have stored
- Delete your account and associated data via in-app settings
- Withdraw consent at any time by contacting support
- Opt-out of personalized content or marketing notifications
To exercise any of these rights, email us at talktous@befriendsapp.in with your registered email ID. We will respond within 7 working days.
6. Children's Privacy
BeFriends is intended for users aged 13 and above.
We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If we discover such data has been collected inadvertently, it will be deleted immediately. Parental consent is not currently enforced.
7. International Users
Our services are accessible globally. By using BeFriends, you consent to your information being transferred and stored in India or other jurisdictions where our servers or third-party services are located.
We strive to comply with GDPR for users located in the EU/EEA and will honor rights to access, portability, and data erasure as applicable.
8. Data Retention
- Emotional data (diary entries, chats, personality reports) is retained only as long as your account is active, and may be stored in anonymized form after deletion for AI training unless you opt-out.
- PII is deleted upon account deletion.
- Logs and analytics data are retained for a maximum of 24 months unless required for security or legal compliance.
9. Data Sharing & Disclosure
We do not sell or rent your data to advertisers or third parties.
Data may be shared:
- With therapists or experts only with your explicit appointment consent
- For legal obligations (court orders, government requests)
- With trusted service providers (e.g., Razorpay, Firebase) under confidentiality agreements
10. Updates to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Users will be notified in-app or via email when material changes are made. Continued use of the app constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
11. Contact Us
For any privacy-related questions or requests, please contact us at:
Hazhteq Innovations Pvt Ltd
Email: talktous@befriendsapp.in
Subject: Privacy Request – BeFriends App