Privacy Policy

Last updated: 29 August 2026

Voice of AP respects the privacy of personal information belonging to our readers, users, contributors, creators, advertisers, employers and other partners.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we may collect when you use VoiceofAP.com and related Voice of AP digital services, why we use it, with whom we may share it, how long we may keep it, and what choices you have.

1. Who this policy applies to

This Privacy Policy applies to:

• VoiceofAP.com visitors
• Registered users
• Newsletter subscribers
• WhatsApp / notification subscribers
• Citizen reporters
• Community contributors
• Local influencers and creators
• Job seekers
• Employers
• Advertisers
• District franchise users
• Reporters and contributors
• Users who participate in polls or discussions
• Users who submit complaints, corrections or feedback

2. What information we may collect

Depending on how you use Voice of AP, we may collect different kinds of information.

A. Information you provide directly

• Name
• Email address
• Mobile number
• District
• Town / Mandal / Village
• Preferred language
• Profile information
• Social-media/creator handle
• Feedback
• Complaints
• Correction requests

3. Citizen news / Public Voice submissions

When you send local news, a problem or public-interest information, we may collect your name, mobile number, email, district, town/mandal, location description, incident date/time, story description, video, photograph, audio, document, supporting evidence and source details.

At submission you may choose: show your name; show only your creator name/handle; or stay anonymous. Even if you choose anonymous publication, Voice of AP may keep your contact details privately for verification and newsroom communication.

4. Uploaded photos and videos

Uploaded files may contain technical metadata such as capture time, device information, file information and location metadata. Where there is no public-interest need, we may try to remove or limit sensitive location metadata before publication.

5. Automatically collected information

When you use VoiceofAP.com we may automatically collect IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, pages viewed, time spent, referring page, approximate location, language, search queries, clicks, scroll activity, video interactions and error/diagnostic information — for security, analytics and service improvement.

6. District preference

Because Voice of AP is a local-news platform, we may remember your chosen state, district, town, mandal and preferred news categories. Location permission is not mandatory — you should be able to select a district manually.

7. Precise location

Ordinary browsing should work without your exact GPS location. If a feature asks for precise location, we will ask permission first (Allow / Don't Allow).

8. Accounts

When you create a reader account we may collect name, email, phone, login credentials, saved districts, saved articles, followed topics and notification preferences. Passwords, if used, are stored with secure hashing — never in plain text.

9. Polls and public discussions

When you take part in a poll we may use your vote, district, a protected session/account identifier and limited anti-abuse technical data. Public poll results must not show identifiable individual voting history.

10. Jobs & careers

For the Jobs service we may collect name, phone, email, location, qualification, experience, skills, resume/CV and application information. CVs are not publicly searchable unless you clearly opt in. When you apply, necessary information may be shared with the relevant employer.

11. Employer information

Employer accounts may involve business name, contact person, email, phone, address, registration information, website/social details and verification documents. Verification documents are not made public to ordinary users.

12. Influencers and creators

For creator participation we may collect creator name, contact details, social-media handle, channel/page URLs, submitted videos, district, content categories and, where applicable, payment/sponsorship information.

13. Advertising information

From advertisers we may collect business details, authorised contact, billing information, campaign information, advertisement creative, targeting preferences and invoice/payment information. If payment runs through a third-party processor, we may not store full card/banking credentials ourselves.

14. Newsletter, WhatsApp and notifications

For alerts you may provide email, phone number, district and topic preferences. You should be able to unsubscribe at any time.

15. Why we use information

• Provide Voice of AP services and personalised district news
• Manage accounts
• Verify and process citizen submissions
• Communicate with contributors
• Process job applications
• Send newsletters and notifications
• Security and fraud/spam prevention
• Analytics and performance improvement
• Manage advertisements
• Meet legal obligations
• Process complaints and corrections

16. AI use

We may use AI or automation for categorisation, transcription, Telugu/English translation, duplicate detection, moderation assistance, district identification, summarisation and video processing. See the AI Usage Policy. We apply controls so sensitive personal information is not sent to AI tools unnecessarily.

17. News verification

When we receive a Public Voice submission we may contact you for verification and ask for additional information, original files, supporting documents, source information or approximate incident location. That information is not automatically published.

18. Source confidentiality

If a journalistic source or citizen contributor asks to keep their identity confidential, we try to protect it subject to applicable law and editorial considerations. We do not show an anonymous source’s private phone or email in a public story.

19. Who we may share information with

Where needed to operate the service we may share information with authorised providers (cloud hosting, email, analytics, CDNs, security, AI/translation, video processing, push notifications, payment processors), job employers when you apply, professional advisers, and legal/regulatory authorities when required — only as much as necessary.

20. Sale of personal data

Voice of AP does not sell users’ personal information to advertisers. If personalised advertising technology is used, how cookies or device identifiers are used will be explained clearly in cookie/consent preferences.

21. Advertising and analytics partners

We may use tools such as Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager, Google AdSense or other analytics/advertising technologies. At launch, only vendors actually in use should be listed as final.

22. Cookies

We may use cookies and similar technologies for login, language preference, district preference, security, analytics, performance and advertising preferences. Where required we seek consent for non-essential cookies, with Accept, Reject non-essential and Manage preferences options.

23. Third-party links

Voice of AP may link to government websites, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X, career portals and advertiser sites. After you leave for a third-party site, that site’s privacy policy applies. Voice of AP does not control those practices.

24. Embedded content

YouTube videos, social posts or other embeds may use third-party cookies or tracking and are subject to those services’ privacy policies.

25. Data retention

We aim to keep personal information only as long as needed. Different categories (account data, citizen submissions, rejected submissions, CVs, security logs, advertising invoices) may have different retention periods. Configurable retention rules belong in the admin panel.

26. Delete request

Subject to applicable law and legitimate editorial/legal retention, you may request deletion of personal data. We aim to offer Delete Account. A deletion request does not guarantee immediate removal of published journalistic records — archives, legal duties and public interest may be considered separately.

27. Correction of personal information

If your personal information is wrong, you may request a correction or update via account settings or the privacy contact.

28. Consent withdrawal

Where processing is based on consent, you should be able to withdraw it — for example newsletter unsubscribe, stopping marketing messages, disabling push notifications or revoking optional location permission. After withdrawal, future processing on that consent should not continue unless another lawful reason applies.

29. Security

We try to apply reasonable technical and organisational measures such as HTTPS, access controls, role-based permissions, MFA for staff, secure password storage, audit logs, backups, malware scanning, rate limiting, WAF and restricted admin access. No online system can guarantee 100% security.

30. Data breach

If a personal-data breach is identified we will investigate, secure affected systems, assess impact, follow applicable legal notification requirements and inform affected users where needed. An incident-response process should exist in the admin system.

31. Children’s privacy

Features that collect personal information from children/minors must be designed with special care. Parent/guardian consent mechanisms may be required by law. We do not target minors for behavioural advertising or harmful profiling.

32. Children’s news submissions

• Do not publish unnecessary identity
• Do not reveal school/home address
• Redact sensitive information
• Protect victim identity
• Obtain required consent/verification

33. International users

Telugu diaspora in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Middle East, Europe and elsewhere may use Voice of AP. If services or vendors operate outside India, information may be processed on cross-border infrastructure, subject to applicable law and vendor safeguards.

34. Automated decisions

AI categorisation or automated moderation may flag a submission. For serious editorial, account or moderation decisions, human review should be available when needed.

35. Your privacy choices

• My Account / Privacy Settings / Cookie Settings
• Notification Settings / District Preferences
• Download My Data / Correct My Data
• Delete My Account / Withdraw Consent
• Contact Privacy Team

36. Privacy requests

You may send an access request, correction request, deletion request, consent withdrawal or privacy complaint. Identity verification may be required.

37. Grievance / privacy contact

Before launch, registered legal entity, address and grievance officer details must be filled with real information and the policy reviewed against India’s DPDP Act and the 2025 Rules. Until then:

• Legal Entity: To be confirmed before launch
• Registered Address: To be confirmed before launch
• Privacy Email: privacy@voiceofap.com
• Grievance Email: grievance@voiceofap.com
• Phone: To be confirmed before launch
• Grievance Officer: To be appointed before launch

38. Policy changes

We may update this Privacy Policy when technology, operations or applicable laws change. The Last Updated date on this page will change. Material changes may receive appropriate notice.

39. Related policies

• Community Rules
• AI Usage Policy
• Advertising Policy
• Terms and Conditions
• Cookie / Privacy Preferences
• Corrections Policy
• Copyright / Takedown (before launch)