Privacy Policy

At Public OS, we believe that responsible civic participation should be supported by responsible data practices.

This Privacy Policy explains how Public OS collects, uses, stores, protects, and shares information when you access our website, report a civic issue, track a submission, or express interest in a CSR partnership.

Public OS is an independent civic technology platform focused on Telangana.

Depending on the feature you use, we may collect the following information.

A. Citizen report information

• Information entered in reporting forms, including contact details where requested.
• Issue category, title, and description.
• Submitted photographs.
• Issue location, district, city, and geographic coordinates.
• Submission date, time, and unique tracking reference.
• Information associated with report review and status updates.

B. Device location information

When you choose to report an issue, Public OS requests access to your device's geographic location.

Location information is used to:

• Check whether reporting is available in your geographic area.
• Validate Telangana reporting eligibility.
• Help identify the relevant district and locality.
• Support accurate issue location mapping and processing.

Public OS does not require continuous background GPS tracking.

Location information associated with a submitted issue may be retained as part of the report record. Location checks that do not result in a submission are not intended to create a persistent location history.

C. CSR partnership information

When an organization submits a CSR enquiry, we may collect:

• Contact person's name and designation.
• Organization name and website.
• Business email address and phone number.
• Indicative CSR funding range.
• Geographic preferences.
• Civic issue categories or areas of interest.
• Additional information voluntarily submitted.

D. Technical and security information

We may process limited technical information required for website operation, abuse prevention, security monitoring, and troubleshooting, including IP addresses, request information, and browser or device-related data.

Infrastructure providers may also maintain operational and security logs under their respective policies.

Public OS processes information for purposes including:

• Receiving and managing civic issue submissions.
• Verifying geographic reporting eligibility.
• Reviewing and categorizing reported concerns.
• Providing issue reference numbers and tracking functionality.
• Maintaining internal administrative records.
• Producing aggregated civic analytics.
• Responding to user enquiries.
• Evaluating CSR partnership enquiries.
• Preventing fraudulent, abusive, or duplicate submissions.
• Maintaining platform security and reliability.
• Complying with applicable legal requirements.

We do not use submitted citizen contact details for unrelated marketing without an appropriate lawful basis.

Public OS distinguishes between information used for internal administration and information made available through public-facing features.

Public-facing analytics are intended to show aggregated statistics rather than personal citizen records.

Public issue tracking may display limited report information, such as a tracking reference, general location, status, or approved updates.

Citizen contact details, precise private location information, and original uploaded photographs are not intended to be publicly accessible.

Public OS may apply masking, access restrictions, and administrative publication controls to reduce unintended disclosure.

Users should nevertheless avoid entering sensitive personal information in report titles or other fields that may appear in tracking results.

Photographs submitted through Public OS are used to document and review civic concerns.

Uploaded files are stored using access-controlled storage infrastructure.

Original citizen-submitted photographs are intended to remain accessible only to authorized administrators and permitted processing systems.

Any future publication or sharing of photographs will be subject to applicable privacy, consent, and administrative review requirements.

Please avoid uploading photographs that unnecessarily expose personal documents, identifiable individuals, vehicle registration details, or other sensitive information.

Public OS uses third-party infrastructure and technology services to operate the platform, including:

• Vercel: Website hosting and application execution.
• Neon PostgreSQL: Database storage.
• Cloudflare R2: Private storage of uploaded files.
• Mapping and geolocation services: Geographic visualization and location-related functionality.

These providers may process information as necessary to deliver their services.

Data may be processed or stored in locations outside India, subject to applicable legal requirements and service-provider arrangements.

Public OS does not guarantee that all data is stored exclusively within India.

We do not sell citizen personal information to advertisers or data brokers.

Information may be disclosed where reasonably necessary:

• To authorized personnel administering the platform.
• To service providers supporting secure platform operation.
• To competent authorities where disclosure is legally required.
• To relevant organizations or implementation partners where an appropriate lawful basis, permission, or agreement exists.

Submitting an issue does not automatically authorize unrestricted sharing of the user's personal information with government departments or CSR partners.

We use technical and organizational safeguards designed to protect information from unauthorized access, misuse, loss, or disclosure.

These include, where applicable:

• Restricted administrative access.
• Authentication controls.
• Private file storage.
• Server-side validation.
• Secure HTTPS connections.
• Abuse-prevention mechanisms.
• Access restrictions on sensitive information.

Although we take reasonable security measures, no online system can guarantee absolute security.

We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including issue administration, tracking, security, legal compliance, and legitimate operational needs.

Different categories of data may require different retention periods.

When information is no longer required, we will take appropriate steps to delete, anonymize, or otherwise securely dispose of it, subject to applicable legal and operational obligations.

Users may contact us to request information about retention or deletion of their personal data.

Subject to applicable law, you may contact Public OS to:

• Request information about personal data associated with your submission.
• Request correction of inaccurate personal information.
• Request deletion of eligible personal information.
• Withdraw consent where processing relies on consent and withdrawal is legally available.
• Raise a concern about how your information is handled.

We may need to verify the requester's identity or authority before acting.

Certain records may need to be retained where required or permitted by applicable law.

Public OS may use essential cookies and similar technologies to support security, administrative authentication, and normal website operation.

If optional analytics, advertising, or other non-essential tracking technologies are introduced, we will provide appropriate information and controls as required by applicable law.

Public OS is intended for responsible civic participation.

Children should use the platform with appropriate parental or guardian supervision. Where applicable law requires parental consent for processing a child's personal data, Public OS will apply the required safeguards.

Users should not submit children's personal information or identifiable photographs unless necessary and legally appropriate.

Our website may contain links to external websites or services.

Public OS is not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third parties. We encourage users to review their policies before providing information.

We may revise this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our services, security practices, or legal requirements.

Updated versions will be published with a revised effective date. Material changes will be communicated where appropriate.

For privacy-related questions, requests, or complaints, contact:

Public OS — Privacy Support

Email: info@publicos.in

Website: https://publicos.in

We will review requests and respond in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Public OS — Your civic participation matters. So does your privacy.