Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how HappyChases Media Works (OPC) Private Limited ("we", “us”, “our”) collects, uses and shares personal data when you use the Indian Politics website at https://indianpolitics.co/ (the “Website”) and its newsletter (together, the “Service”). We act as the data fiduciary (data controller) for this processing. By using the Service you agree to this Policy.

1. The short version

• You can read everything on the Website without an account and without giving us any personal data.
• We use Google Analytics to understand, in aggregate, how the Website is used (which stories are read, how people arrive). It uses cookies — see Section 5.
• The Website is funded by advertising served by Google AdSense. Google and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to show and measure ads, which may be personalised based on your browsing. You can opt out of personalised ads at any time — see Section 5.
• If you subscribe to the newsletter, we store your email address (and the details listed below) to send it to you. We never sell your data.

2. What we collect

2.1 Newsletter subscribers

• Your email address, and your name if you choose to give it.
• A record of your consent (date and time of sign-up) and the edition you chose (every story, daily digest or weekly digest) — each edition is a separate list.
• Email engagement data: our newsletter system records whether an email was opened (using a small image loaded when the email is displayed) and which links were clicked (by routing links through a tracking address). We use this in aggregate to understand which stories are useful and to keep our list healthy. Most email apps let you block images, which prevents open tracking.
• Technical delivery data, such as bounces, complaints and unsubscribe events.

2.2 People who contact us

If you email us — for example with a correction, complaint, grievance or tip — we collect your email address, anything you choose to include, and our correspondence with you.

2.3 Website visitors

The Website is a static site. Our hosting and content-delivery providers automatically process server logs (such as IP address, browser and device type, the page requested, referring page and time of request) to deliver pages, keep the Service secure and prevent abuse. We do not use these logs to identify individual readers.

Analytics. We use Google Analytics, which collects information such as the pages you visit, how long you stay, how you arrived (for example from a search engine, social media or our newsletter), your approximate location (derived from your IP address), and your device, browser and screen size. It also records when a newsletter sign-up form is submitted (not what was entered). Google Analytics assigns your browser a random identifier stored in a cookie; we do not use it to identify you personally and do not combine it with your email address.

The Website’s search feature runs entirely in your browser; your search terms are not sent to us.

2.4 Advertising

On pages that carry advertising, Google and its advertising partners collect information directly from your browser — such as cookie identifiers, device and browser information, IP address, the pages you view and your interactions with ads — to serve, personalise, limit the frequency of and measure advertisements, and to detect invalid or fraudulent activity. This collection is carried out by Google as an independent controller under its own policies. We do not share your name or email address with advertisers.

3. Why we use it (purposes and legal basis)

Where we rely on consent you may withdraw it at any time; this does not affect processing before withdrawal.

4. Who we share it with

We do not sell, rent or trade personal data. We share it only with:

• Service providers who process it on our behalf: our newsletter application (Sendy, operated on infrastructure we control) and the email delivery provider it uses (such as Amazon Simple Email Service); our website hosting and content-delivery providers (such as GitHub Pages and Cloudflare); and our email provider for correspondence. They may only use your data to provide their services to us.
• Google, which provides Google Analytics to us as a service provider, and Google and its advertising partners, who collect advertising data directly from your browser as described in Sections 2.4 and 5.
• Authorities, where required by law, court order or a lawful request from a government agency.
• A successor, if our business or the Website is transferred as part of a merger, acquisition or sale of assets.

Some of these providers process data outside India, including in the United States. Where we transfer data abroad we do so in accordance with applicable law.

5. Cookies and advertising

5.1 Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device by websites you visit. The Website uses cookies and similar technologies (such as local storage and device identifiers) set through Google services: Google Analytics on every page, and Google AdSense on pages that show advertisements.

5.2 Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a web analytics service provided by Google LLC. Information generated by its cookies about your use of the Website is transmitted to and processed by Google, including on servers outside India. We use it only to produce aggregate reports on how the Website is used. We have not enabled Google Analytics advertising features (such as remarketing) for this purpose.

You can prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about you by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, by blocking cookies in your browser, or — in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland — by declining analytics in the consent message. More: How Google uses data.

5.3 Google AdSense

We use Google AdSense, a service of Google LLC, to display advertisements. In particular:

• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this Website or to other websites.
• Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this Website and/or other sites on the Internet.
• We do not choose the individual advertisements you see; they are selected automatically by Google.

You can opt out of personalised advertising at any time:

• Google Ads Settings: adssettings.google.com
• How Google uses information from sites that use its services: policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
• Google’s advertising technologies: policies.google.com/technologies/ads
• Opt out of other third-party vendors’ cookies: aboutads.info/choices and optout.networkadvertising.org

Opting out does not remove ads; it means the ads you see will not be personalised based on your browsing.

5.4 Visitors in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland

Where the law requires consent before analytics or advertising cookies are used, these cookies are off by default and a consent message provided through Google’s consent management tools is shown; they are used only if you agree, in accordance with Google’s EU User Consent Policy. You can change your choices at any time through that message or the links above.

5.5 Your theme choice

If you use the light/dark switch, the Website remembers your choice in your browser’s local storage (ip-theme). It stays on your device and is never sent to us.

5.6 Managing cookies

You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking analytics or advertising cookies does not affect your ability to read the Website.

6. How long we keep it

• Newsletter data: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it. After unsubscribing we may keep your email address on a suppression list so that we do not email you again.
• Correspondence and grievances: for as long as needed to resolve the matter and for any period required by law.
• Server logs: as retained by our hosting providers, typically up to 12 months.
• Analytics data: retained in Google Analytics for up to 14 months, after which user-level data is deleted; aggregate reports may be kept longer.
• Advertising data: retained by Google and its partners under their own policies.

7. Your rights

Subject to applicable law, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the rules made under it, you have the right to:

• access a summary of the personal data we hold about you and how it is processed;
• correct, complete or update it;
• erase it, or withdraw consent (for the newsletter, use the unsubscribe link in any email);
• grievance redressal, by contacting our Grievance Officer below; and
• nominate another person to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity.

If you are in a jurisdiction with other data-protection laws (such as the EU or UK GDPR), you may also have rights to restrict or object to processing and to data portability. To exercise any right, email saina.bisht@happychases.com. We may need to verify your identity before acting.

If you are not satisfied with our response in India, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India once it is available to you under law.

8. Children

The Service is intended for adults and is not directed at children. The newsletter is only for persons aged 18 or over, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children or knowingly allow personalised advertising to be shown to them. If you believe a child has subscribed, contact us and we will delete their data.

9. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards — including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls and minimal data collection — to protect personal data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a personal data breach occurs, we will act as required by law.

10. Third-party websites

Our stories link to other websites, including official sources and other publications. Their privacy practices are their own; please read their policies.

11. Changes to this Policy

If we change how we handle personal data — for example, if we introduce new analytics or advertising partners — we will update this Policy and the date above before the change takes effect. Material changes affecting subscribers will be notified by email.

12. Contact and Grievance Officer

HappyChases Media Works (OPC) Private Limited
HappyChases, Kursi Cowork, 3rd Floor, LK Logistics and Corporate Park, Raipur, Chhattisgarh 492015, India
Email: saina.bisht@happychases.com

Grievance Officer: Saina Bisht — saina.bisht@happychases.com

We aim to acknowledge privacy requests within 24 hours and to resolve them within 30 days of receipt, or sooner where the law requires.