Zafari (“we”, “our”, “the App”) is a travel discovery application developed by Bishal Malakar, based in Assam, India. We help travellers explore India — discover nearby places, plan trips, stay safe, and connect with other travellers.

By using the Zafari app or website, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this Privacy Policy.

We collect only what is needed to provide the service:

• Account data — name, email address, profile photo (when you sign up or update your profile).
• Location data — your GPS coordinates when you use the map, Around tab, SOS feature, or check in to a place. Background location is used only when SOS tracking is active.
• User-generated content — places you add, photos you upload, community chat messages, trip plans.
• Device data — device type and OS version, for crash diagnostics only.
• Usage data — pages visited and features used, in anonymised form.

Your data is used only to operate and improve Zafari:

• Show you nearby places and personalised recommendations.
• Power the Yatra AI trip planner (Gemini 1.5 Flash).
• Enable SOS emergency alerts — send your location to nearest police and hospital.
• Display community chat messages and contributions.
• Show relevant ads to free users via Google AdMob.
• Send push notifications about activity in your community rooms.
• Diagnose crashes and improve app performance.

We never sell, rent or share your personal data with advertisers or third-party marketers.

All data is stored on Google Firebase (Firestore + Firebase Storage), hosted on Google Cloud servers. Firebase provides industry-standard encryption at rest and in transit (TLS/SSL).

• Passwords are never stored — authentication is handled by Firebase Auth.
• Photos are stored in Firebase Storage with restricted access rules.
• Community messages are stored in Firestore with user-level access control.
• SOS location data is used only during active emergencies and is not retained.

Zafari uses the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:

• Google Firebase — authentication, database, storage, crash analytics.
• Google Maps & Places API — maps, nearby place search, photos.
• Google Gemini AI — AI trip planning feature.
• Google AdMob — advertisements shown to free users.
• Google Distance Matrix — real-time distance and train tracking.

We recommend reviewing Google's Privacy Policy for details on how these services handle data.

You have full control over your data:

• Access — request a copy of data we hold about you.
• Correction — update your name, photo or email from your profile settings.
• Deletion — delete your account from Profile → Delete Account. This permanently removes all your data from our servers within 30 days.
• Opt out of ads — upgrade to Zafari Premium to remove all advertisements.
• Location control — revoke location permission at any time from your device settings.

Zafari is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at bishalmalakar499@gmail.com and we will delete it immediately.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and notify users via the app.

Continuing to use Zafari after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.

If you have any questions, concerns or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

• Developer: Bishal Malakar
• Location: Assam, India
• Email: bishalmalakar499@gmail.com