Visil is a civic engagement mobile application developed and operated by Citizens Truss Private Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of India, with its principal place of business in Tamil Nadu, India. The App is designed to enable citizens to raise public grievances, support civic causes, and engage transparently with public authorities and departments.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you access or use our App, website (citizenscollectivetn.com), or any associated services (collectively, “Services”).

This policy complies with the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011, and is aligned with Google Play’s User Data Policy. We are proactively aligning with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) in anticipation of its full enforcement, including structured consent architecture, data retention standards, withdrawal of consent mechanisms, and user rights workflows described in this Policy.

We collect information to provide and improve our Services. The categories of data we collect include:

• Full name, mobile number, and/or email address
• Username and profile picture (if provided)
• District, city, or area of residence (for civic relevance)
• Mobile OTP verification (OTP-based, mobile number only — no Aadhaar or national ID numbers are collected or stored)
• Password (stored in encrypted, hashed form)

• Complaint texts, descriptions, and titles
• Photos, videos, and documents uploaded as evidence
• Geographic coordinates and addresses tagged to complaints
• Comments, replies, and votes on public posts
• Petition signatures and support actions
• Reports submitted about other users or content

• Device model, operating system version, and unique device identifiers
• IP address and approximate network location
• App version, session duration, crash logs, and error reports
• In-app activity logs (screens visited, buttons tapped)
• Referral source and installation channel

We use collected information strictly for lawful purposes directly connected to the operation of the Visil platform:

• Service Delivery: Creating and managing your account, enabling complaint submission, and displaying your profile.
• Civic Routing: Matching your complaints and grievances to relevant government departments or authorities based on category and location.
• Communication: Sending you OTP verifications, complaint status updates, and platform notifications.
• Safety & Moderation: Reviewing reported content, suspending abusive accounts, and enforcing our policies.
• Analytics & Improvement: Understanding usage patterns to improve features, fix bugs, and enhance user experience.
• Legal Compliance: Responding to legal obligations, court orders, or government requests under applicable Indian law.
• Fraud Prevention: Detecting and preventing fake complaints, bots, and spam activity.

Visil requests location access to enable accurate civic grievance reporting tied to specific geographic areas. Location is a core feature of the App — complaints are most actionable when tagged to a real, verifiable place.

• Precise GPS Location (Foreground only): Captured when you manually tag a location to a complaint or petition. The App does not access location in the background.
• Address Lookup: We use Google Maps APIs to convert GPS coordinates into a readable address. This data is processed by Google under their Privacy Policy.
• Approximate Network Location: Collected automatically via IP address for regional analytics and fraud detection.

• Location permission is prompted only when needed. You may deny it — you can still use the App and enter addresses manually.
• You may revoke location permissions at any time from your device Settings.
• Location data attached to complaints is visible to other users and relevant departments as part of the complaint record.

The App allows you to upload photos, videos, and documents as evidence for complaints. By uploading media:

• You confirm you own or have the right to share the content.
• You grant Citizens Truss Private Limited a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, display, and share the content as part of the complaint record for civic purposes.
• Uploaded media may be visible to other users, government departments, and moderators depending on complaint visibility settings.
• We may use embedded metadata (EXIF data such as timestamp and device model). GPS coordinates embedded in image EXIF may be read but we recommend disabling camera geotagging if privacy is a concern.
• Media files are stored on secure cloud servers in India.

Visil is a civic social platform. Content you post — including complaints, comments, petitions, and profile information — may be visible to other users of the App and, in some cases, to government authorities.

• Your username and profile picture are publicly associated with your posts by default.
• Complaint descriptions and attached media may be shared with relevant departments or authorities.
• Comments and community interactions are visible to other users.
• We moderate content for policy violations. Reported content may be reviewed by our team.

You may request deletion of your content at any time. Some content may be retained for legal compliance or dispute resolution purposes even after deletion.

We automatically collect certain technical information necessary to operate the App:

• Device type, manufacturer, model, screen resolution
• Operating system name and version (Android/iOS)
• App version and build number
• Unique device identifiers (Android ID, IDFV) — used for analytics and fraud prevention, not for advertising
• Network type (WiFi/mobile data) and carrier (not stored)
• Crash reports and performance diagnostics
• Push notification token (for sending complaint updates)

The App integrates with the following third-party services. Each is subject to its own Privacy Policy:

We do not integrate third-party advertising SDKs. No data is shared with advertisers or data brokers.

Mobile App: The Visil App does not use browser cookies. Session authentication is handled via secure tokens stored in the device’s protected storage.

Website (citizenscollectivetn.com): Our website may use cookies for:

• Essential Cookies: Session management and security. These are required for the website to function.
• Analytics Cookies: Aggregate, anonymised visitor statistics (e.g., Google Analytics) to understand how the website is used. No personal profiles are created.
• Preference Cookies: Remembering your language or region preferences.

You may control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may impair website functionality. We do not use cookies for advertising tracking or cross-site user profiling.

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

• Government & Civic Authorities: Complaint details (including media and location) may be shared with relevant government departments or authorities as part of the App’s core grievance-routing function. This is the primary civic purpose of Visil.
• Service Providers: Cloud hosting, push notification, and analytics partners who process data strictly on our behalf under data processing agreements.
• Legal Requirements: When required by Indian law, court order, or governmental authority. We will notify you where legally permissible.
• Safety & Emergency: When disclosure is necessary to prevent imminent harm to a person or group.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, personal data may be transferred subject to the same privacy protections.

We retain your data for as long as your account is active and as necessary for the purposes described in this policy:

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures to protect your data:

• HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data in transit
• Encryption at rest for stored personal data and media files
• Hashed and salted password storage (plaintext passwords are never stored)
• Access controls and role-based permissions for internal staff
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Secure token-based session management

Visil is intended for use by individuals aged 18 years and above. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors under the age of 18.

If you are under 18, you may use Visil only with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian. The parent or guardian assumes full responsibility for the minor’s use of the App and associated data.

If we discover that we have inadvertently collected data from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will promptly delete that data. If you believe we have collected data from a minor without consent, please contact us immediately at admin@visil.in.

Subject to applicable Indian data protection law, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

• Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right of Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right of Erasure: Request deletion of your account and associated data (subject to legal retention requirements).
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for optional data processing at any time without affecting prior processing.
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we limit processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Complain: Lodge a complaint with the relevant Indian data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at admin@visil.in with your registered mobile number. We will respond within 30 days. Identity verification may be required before processing your request.

You may withdraw your consent for optional data processing at any time by writing to us at admin@visil.in. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out prior to withdrawal, nor does it affect processing carried out on legal grounds other than consent.

Visil is primarily designed for users in India. All user data is stored on servers located within India. Certain third-party service providers (such as Google Firebase) may process data in other countries. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place consistent with applicable Indian law.

By using the App, you acknowledge that your data may be processed in countries outside India when using integrated third-party services, subject to those providers’ privacy policies.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page
• Display an in-app notification or banner informing you of significant changes
• For major changes affecting your rights, send a push notification or email if available

Continued use of the App after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. If you do not agree to the updated policy, you must stop using the App and delete your account.

For any privacy-related questions, concerns, data requests, or complaints, please reach out to our team using the appropriate channel: