Privacy Policy

The Indian Blog (“we”, “our”, or “us”) operates https://theindianblog.com from Uttarakhand, India. We take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information in compliance with applicable laws (including India’s Information Technology Act 2000 and Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023) as well as international frameworks like the EU’s GDPR and California’s CCPA. By using our website, you agree to the terms of this policy.

Information We Collect

We collect only the personal information necessary to provide our services and improve the website. The types of data we may collect include:

• Personal Identifiers: such as your name and email address when you submit them via forms (e.g. contact forms or newsletter sign-ups).
• Technical Data: such as your IP address and browser/device information, automatically collected through Google Analytics for site analytics.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: small data files placed on your device to remember preferences, track site usage, and enhance your experience.

We do not collect sensitive personal data (such as financial, health, or biometric data) without your explicit consent.

How We Collect Information

Information is collected in the following ways:

• Contact Forms & Comments: When you voluntarily fill out our contact or comment forms, we collect the information you provide (e.g. name and email) to communicate with you. We collect this data by fair and lawful means with your knowledge and consent.
• Newsletter Sign-ups: If you subscribe to our email newsletter (e.g. via Mailchimp), you provide your email address voluntarily. We transfer this information to Mailchimp’s platform as described below.
• Automatic Data Collection: We use Google Analytics to automatically collect technical data about your visit (such as IP address, pages viewed, and duration) to understand site usage and improve our content. This data is aggregated and does not reveal your identity.

Whenever personal information is collected, we will make it clear why we need it and how it will be used.

How We Use Your Information

We use the data we collect for the following purposes:

• Site Improvement: We analyze technical and usage data (via Google Analytics) to monitor visitor trends and improve our website’s content and performance. For example, we track which pages are most popular or which issues visitors experience, but this data is anonymized (it does not directly identify you).
• Communication & Marketing: We use your email address to respond to inquiries and to send periodic newsletters or updates if you have signed up. You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time. For newsletters, we use Mailchimp to manage subscriptions; the information you provide is processed by Mailchimp under their privacy policy.
• Legal Compliance and Security: We may use information as required to comply with legal obligations or to protect the security and integrity of our website.

We do not sell your personal information to any third party for marketing purposes.

Third-Party Services and Tools

We may share or allow limited access to your data with trusted third-party service providers for the purposes described above. These include:

• Google Analytics: Used for website analytics. Google Analytics collects data (including IP addresses and browsing data) to help us measure and analyze site usage. Google’s use of analytics is governed by Google’s privacy policies.
• Mailchimp: Used for managing our email newsletter. When you subscribe, your email address (and any other data you provide) is transferred to and stored by Mailchimp. Mailchimp processes this data to send you newsletters; please see Mailchimp’s Privacy Policy for details.
• Google AdSense: We use Google AdSense to display third-party advertisements on our site. Google and its partners may set cookies on your device to serve ads based on your prior visits to our site or other sites. These cookies enable personalized advertising. You can opt out of personalized ads by visiting Google’s Ads Settings

Each of these services has its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review their terms if you have concerns about how they handle your data.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience:

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for core site functionality (e.g. keeping you logged in or remembering language preferences).
• Analytical Cookies: Used by Google Analytics to gather anonymous statistics (such as pages visited and time spent) to help us optimize the site.
• Advertising Cookies: Used by Google AdSense and its partners to display ads based on your interests (collected from your browsing activity).

You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some features of the site, but you can still browse most content.

Data Security

We implement reasonable organizational, technical, and administrative security measures to protect your personal information. This includes industry-standard encryption (SSL/TLS) for data transmission, regular security audits, and restricted access controls. We follow the requirements of India’s IT Act, which mandates “reasonable security practices” to protect sensitive personal data. In case of any data breach, we will notify affected users and authorities as required by law. You can contact us at any time with security or privacy concerns (see Contact Us below).

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes outlined here or as required by law. For example:

• Newsletter Data: We keep your email address as long as you remain subscribed. If you unsubscribe or request deletion, we will remove your email from our list.
• Analytics Data: Aggregate usage data is kept for analysis (typically up to 26 months in Google Analytics by default, but we retain no personal identifiers beyond what Google retains).
• General Data: We retain contact form messages and other personal data only as needed for legitimate purposes.

Overall, “we only retain collected information for as long as necessary” and ensure that it is securely destroyed or anonymized when no longer needed. We do not sell or share personal data to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Your Rights

Under Indian Law: India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 gives you several rights over your data. You have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, correct inaccuracies, and erase data when you no longer want us to process it. Section 72A of the Indian IT Act makes unauthorized disclosure of personal information without consent a punishable offense.

Under GDPR (EU/EEA): If you are a resident of the European Union or European Economic Area, you have rights including the right to be informed about how we use your data, the right of access to your data, the right to rectify incorrect data, the right to erase (be forgotten) your data, the right to restrict or object to our processing, and the right to data portability. We rely on lawful bases such as consent (for newsletters) and legitimate interests (for analytics) when processing your data.

Under CCPA/CPRA (California): If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what categories of personal information we collect and how we use it, the right to request deletion of your personal information, the right to opt out of any sale (we do not sell personal data), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights. You may also have rights to correct inaccurate personal information or limit the use of your sensitive data.

To exercise any of these rights, or to access, correct, or delete your data, please contact us at privacy@theindianblog.com. We will respond to verified requests within the timeframes required by applicable law. We do not charge for compliance with valid access, correction, or deletion requests.

Children’s Privacy

Our website is intended for general audiences and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 (16 in some jurisdictions). If we learn that a child under these ages has provided us personal data, we will promptly delete it. If you believe we may have information from a child, please contact us.

Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as our practices or applicable laws change. When we make changes, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of our website after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.

Contact Us

For privacy-related inquiries or to exercise your data rights, you can contact us at:

• Email: privacy@theindianblog.com

We will consider and respond to all legitimate requests and concerns as required by law.

Sources: We follow the provisions of applicable data protection laws, including India’s IT Act, India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We also align with best practices recommended by authorities (e.g., Google’s guidelines on cookies and advertising).