Privacy Policy — Neyam (VoterAssist)

This Privacy Policy explains how Neyam (VoterAssist), operated by the Dindigul District Administration under the Government of Tamil Nadu, collects, uses, stores, and protects personal information of voters who use this application. By using the App, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1 Who We Are

Neyam (VoterAssist) is a digital voter assistance portal developed by the Dindigul District Administration, Government of Tamil Nadu, to help voters — particularly persons with disabilities — indicate their voting preferences, request on-ground assistance, and navigate to their assigned polling station.

Data Controller: District Election Officer, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu, India.
Developer Contact: strenovix@gmail.com

2 Information We Collect

📝 Information You Provide Directly

Data Type	Purpose	Required?
Full name	Identify voter in records	Yes
Voter ID	Login and record retrieval	Yes
Mobile number	Assistance coordination contact	Yes
Taluk / constituency	Route request to correct officials	Yes
Disability type	Determine appropriate assistance	Optional
Disability percentage	Postal vote eligibility check	Optional
Voting intention	Election planning and logistics	Yes
Assistance type requested	Pre-arrange wheelchair, transport etc.	Optional
Part number (polling station)	Assign correct polling booth	Optional

📍 Information Collected Automatically

Data Type	Purpose	Stored?
Device location (GPS)	Show voter's position on map and navigate to polling booth	❌ Not stored — real-time only
Date & time of submission	Audit trail for election records	✅ Yes

    We do NOT collect: payment information, browsing history, contacts, photos, camera access, SMS, call logs, or any biometric data. Microphone access is currently disabled in this version of the app.
  

3 How We Use Your Information

To verify your voter registration and display your existing record in the chatbot
To record and process your voting assistance request
To display your request status (Pending / In Progress / Done)
To enable district officials to arrange pre-booked voter assistance on election day
To show your location and nearest polling station on the map for navigation
To contact you regarding your assistance request via your registered mobile number

⚠️ No Commercial Use We do NOT use your data for advertising, profiling, marketing, or any commercial purpose whatsoever. This app is a public service tool operated by a government body.

4 How We Share Your Information

Your personal data is shared only in the following strictly limited circumstances:

🔗 Third-Party Data Sharing

Recipient	Data Shared	Purpose
District Election Officials	All submitted responses	Processing assistance requests. Access is role-based and audit-logged.
Railway.app (hosting)	Stored voter data	Cloud infrastructure only. Railway does not access your data for their own purposes.
Google LLC (Maps SDK)	Device location (real-time only)	Rendering the polling station map and navigation. Subject to Google's Privacy Policy.

    We do not sell your data to any third party. We do not share your data with political parties, candidates, advertisers, or any non-government organisation.
  

5 Location Data — Special Disclosure

📍 Google Play Data Safety — Location Declaration This section satisfies Google Play's requirement to explicitly disclose location data usage before the Data Safety form submission.

Precise location is collected only when you actively tap "Find My Location" or use the map/navigation feature
Location is used solely to show your position on the polling station map and provide navigation to your assigned booth
Location data is never stored on our servers — it is processed in real-time on your device via Google Maps SDK
Location is never collected in the background — only while the app is open and in active use
You can deny location permission and still use all other features of the app

6 Permissions Used by This App

📍

ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION

Show your precise position on the polling station map and provide navigation to your assigned booth.

⏱ Only when you tap "Find My Location" — never in background

🗺️

ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION

Approximate location fallback when precise GPS is unavailable.

⏱ Only when you tap "Find My Location" — never in background

🌐

INTERNET

Required to connect to the Neyam (VoterAssist)server to load and submit voter data.

⏱ Always active — required for all app functionality

7 Data Retention

🗄️ How Long We Keep Your Data

Data	Retention Period
Voter chatbot responses	Until 6 months after the relevant election
Voter registration records	Until corrected or removed by the voter or District Office
Device location	Not stored — used only for real-time map display
Submission timestamps	Until 6 months after the relevant election

8 Your Rights

👁 Access

View your submitted data in the chatbot's "Previous Responses" card at any time.

✏️ Correct

Update your responses by re-entering the chatbot and choosing "Edit".

🗑 Delete

Request deletion of your record by contacting us at strenovix@gmail.com.

🚫 Object

Disability information is optional — you may skip it without affecting core functionality.

9 Security

All data is transmitted over HTTPS (TLS 1.2+) — encrypted in transit
The database is hosted on a private, password-protected PostgreSQL server on Railway.app
Admin access to voter data is restricted to authorised District Election Office personnel only
The App does not store any personal data on your device
No sensitive data is cached locally on the device

10 Children's Privacy

Neyam is intended only for registered voters aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If you believe a minor has submitted data through the App, please contact us immediately at strenovix@gmail.com for immediate removal.

11 Sensitive Data — Disability Information

⚠️ Special Category Data Notice Disability type and disability percentage are classified as sensitive personal data under India's DPDP Act 2023. This data is collected solely to arrange appropriate voter assistance (wheelchair, transport, etc.) and is accessible only to authorised election officials. Providing this information is entirely optional.

12 Google Play — Data Safety Summary

📊 For Google Play Data Safety Form

Question	Answer
Does the app collect data?	✅ Yes
Data types collected	Personal info (name, voter ID, phone), Location (precise, foreground only), App activity (submission timestamps)
Is location shared with third parties?	Yes — Google Maps SDK (real-time only, not stored)
Is data encrypted in transit?	✅ Yes (HTTPS/TLS)
Can users request data deletion?	✅ Yes — via strenovix@gmail.com
Is data used for advertising?	❌ No
Is data sold to third parties?	❌ No
Background location collected?	❌ No — foreground only

13 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy before or after each election. Significant changes will be communicated via an in-app notice. The "Effective Date" at the top of this document will be updated accordingly. Continued use of the App after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

14 Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) of India. Any disputes shall be subject to the jurisdiction of courts in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India.

📬 Contact the Data Controller

Office District Election Officer, Dindigul District

Address Collectorate, Dindigul — 624 004, Tamil Nadu, India

Email strenovix@gmail.com

Response Within 7 working days of receiving your request

Privacy PolicyNeyam (VoterAssist)— Neyam