The short version
- We collect only what we need to run the spiritual practice features you opt into.
- We never sell or rent your personal data, and we do not run ads.
- Our backend is Google Firebase — used for authentication, the database, push notifications, and file storage.
- For donations, we link out to Stripe, PayPal, UPI, Zelle, or Venmo — your card or bank details never touch our servers.
- You can request your data or delete your account at any time.
1. Who this policy applies to
This policy applies to anyone who visits hrimcenter.org or installs and uses the HRIM mobile app, including devotees who sign in to track their sadhana, RSVP to events, contribute to the 100K Hanuman Chalisa sankalpa, or make donations. If you only browse the public, unauthenticated parts of the site (e.g. reading event listings without signing in), we collect very little — see §3 and §4.
2. Information you provide to us
When you create an account or interact with our services, we may receive the following:
| Category | Examples | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Account identifiers | Name, email address, phone number, profile picture URL | Google Sign-In, Apple Sign-In (when available), or phone-OTP login |
| Birth details (optional) | Date of birth, time of birth, place of birth (city + lat/lon looked up from a built-in city list) | You enter these on the Profile → Astro screen if you want personalised japa & pooja recommendations |
| Sadhana logs | Hanuman Chalisa counts, japa malas, dates of practice | You log these in the Sadhana screen |
| Event activity | RSVPs, party size, waitlist position, optional contact info you choose to share with other attendees for carpooling | You RSVP, join a waitlist, or opt in to share contact |
| Pooja bookings | Sankalpa name, gotra, intent, requested date / pooja type | You submit a booking |
| Donation records | Donor name, email, amount, payment method, transaction reference | You complete a donation; the actual payment is handled by Stripe / UPI / PayPal — see §6 |
| Profile photo (optional) | An image you choose to upload | Mobile app only — picked from your device's photo library |
| Community posts | Text you submit if you participate in community discussions | You post in-app |
Birth details are stored only on your own user record and used solely to compute your Janma Rashi, Nakshatra, Vimshottari Mahadasha, and personalised japa/pooja recommendations. The astrological calculation itself runs on your device — your birth time and place are never sent to a third-party astrology API. You can delete this data at any time from Profile → Astro → Remove birth details.
3. Information collected automatically
| Data | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Push notification token (FCM token) | Mobile app | Lets us send the satsang and event reminders you opt into. Stored on your user record, never shared. |
| Device timezone | Mobile app | For correct local times in panchang and event reminders. |
| Last-active timestamp | Mobile + web | Internal diagnostic to detect inactive accounts. |
| Authentication tokens | Website (browser local storage) | Standard Firebase Auth session tokens kept on the device you signed in on, so you don't have to sign in every visit. |
We do not use Google Analytics, Firebase Analytics, Crashlytics, advertising IDs, fingerprinting, or any third-party trackers in the mobile app or on the website. We do not place marketing cookies. Our backend rate-limits abusive traffic but does not log full IP addresses for analytics purposes.
4. How we use your information
We process the data above strictly to:
- Provide the service — sign you in, sync your sadhana progress between web and mobile, show your event RSVPs, store donation receipts.
- Personalise spiritual content — compute your astrology insights and japa/pooja recommendations from your birth details on your device.
- Send the notifications you opted into — satsang reminders, event updates, daily Hanuman Chalisa nudges, panchang.
- Coordinate events — share your RSVP and waitlist position with HRIM admins, and (if you opt in) with other attendees who have RSVP'd to the same event for carpooling.
- Process donations — issue tax receipts and keep records required for our 501(c)(3) status.
- Keep the service safe — rate-limit abusive accounts, prevent unauthorised access, comply with legal obligations.
We do not profile you for advertising, sell your data, or use it to train third-party AI models.
5. Third parties we use
| Provider | What they do | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase & Cloud Platform | Authentication, database (Firestore), file storage (Cloud Storage), push notifications (FCM), web hosting (Firebase Hosting) | All account data described in §2 and §3 — encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest (AES-256), in US data centres. See Google's Firebase privacy & security page. |
| Apple App Store / Google Play Store | Distribute the mobile app | Install and crash events that the stores collect themselves; we do not see device-level identifiers. |
| Stripe, PayPal, UPI, Zelle, Venmo | (Linked out from /donate) handle the actual payment | Your card or bank details only — they never reach our servers. Each provider has its own privacy policy. |
| Zoom | Hosts our online satsangs | Your name and email if you register for a Zoom event using a link we share. |
We do not work with advertising networks, data brokers, retargeting platforms, or analytics vendors.
6. Sharing & disclosure
We share information only:
- with the providers above to operate the service;
- with HRIM Center admins and trusted volunteers to coordinate events you have signed up for;
- when you choose to share contact info with other attendees of an event;
- when required by law (e.g. a valid subpoena);
- to protect HRIM Center, our community, or the public from harm.
We do not sell or rent personal data, ever.
7. Data retention
We keep your data for as long as your account is active.
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account profile, sadhana logs, RSVPs, birth details | Until you delete them or close your account |
| Donation records | 7 years (US tax / non-profit recordkeeping) |
| Push tokens | Refreshed by your device; deleted when you sign out |
| Encrypted Firebase backups | Up to 35 days |
You can request deletion at any time — see §8.
8. Your rights & choices
You can:
- Access the data we have about you — email hrimcenter@gmail.com from your registered address and we will send you a copy within 30 days.
- Correct your data — most fields are editable directly in Profile → Account.
- Delete your account and all associated data — visit hrimcenter.org/account/delete or email us.
- Withdraw consent to push notifications — turn them off in your device settings; we stop messaging you immediately.
- Export your data — same email, we will provide a JSON export.
For users in California (CCPA / CPRA), the EU/UK (GDPR), and other regions with similar laws, you have the additional rights granted by those laws — including the right to data portability, the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, and the right to opt out of sale of personal information (we don't sell, but the right exists). To exercise any right, email us; we honour every region's stricter rules globally.
We respond to all requests within 30 days. There is no charge.
9. Children's privacy
HRIM is intended for users 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has signed up, email hrimcenter@gmail.com and we will delete the account immediately. For users 13–17, we recommend parental supervision when entering birth details, donations, or community posts.
10. Permissions the mobile app requests
The HRIM mobile app may request the following device permissions. None are required to browse — only the corresponding feature.
| Permission | Why we need it | When we ask |
|---|---|---|
| Notifications | Send satsang reminders, event updates, daily Hanuman Chalisa nudges, panchang | The first time you sign in (Android 13+) |
| Photo library | Let you pick a profile photo | Only when you tap “change profile photo” |
| Camera | Scan QR codes for event check-in | Only when you open the Event Check-in QR scanner |
| Internet | Sync data with Firebase | Always (the app is online-first) |
We do not request access to your contacts, location, microphone, calendar, SMS, or any background-running permissions.
11. Security
- All traffic between your device and our servers is over HTTPS / TLS.
- All Firestore data and Firebase Storage objects are encrypted at rest (AES-256, managed by Google).
- Access to admin tooling is gated by Google Sign-In plus server-enforced Firestore security rules — the same rules that prevent any user from reading another user's profile or modifying their own role.
- We don't store passwords ourselves — Firebase Auth handles all credential hashing and rotation.
No system is 100% secure. If a breach affects you, we will notify you within 72 hours of confirming it, as required by applicable law.
12. International data transfers
Our backend runs in Google Cloud's us-central1 region. If you access HRIM from outside the United States, your data is transferred to and stored in the U.S. By using HRIM, you consent to that transfer.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as features evolve. Material changes will be posted here, and we will notify signed-in users via in-app banner or email at least 7 days before the change takes effect. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the most recent revision.
14. Contact
Questions, requests, or concerns about this policy:
HRIM Center
Stockton, California, USA
Email: hrimcenter@gmail.com
Phone: +1 (669) 257-1089
For an accessible version of this policy or a translation, please email us.