This policy explains what personal data the Heet app and website (the "App") collects about you, why, who it is shared with, and what choices you have. It is written to meet India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act"). Please read it with our Terms of Use.
1. Who we are
[to be added] ("we", "us"), [to be added], runs the App. Under the DPDP Act we are the "Data Fiduciary" for the personal data described here. "You" means the farmer using the App.
2. Who can use the App
Only people aged 18 or older. We do not knowingly collect data about children. If you believe a child has an account, tell us (see section 10) and we will delete it.
3. What we collect
- Account: your mobile number (to send the OTP and sign you in), name, village, taluka and state, preferred language, and optionally your email and a profile photo.
- Farm: farm and plot names, the location (GPS point) you give for a farm, area, the crops you grow, sowing dates and growth stage.
- Photos: crop or leaf photos you upload for Crop Doctor, plant photos for Identify Plant, the AI result, and any review notes from our agronomists.
- Sensor data: readings you type in or that your sensor device sends (temperature, humidity, soil moisture, nutrients such as N-P-K, pH, EC), plus the device's serial number, battery, signal and last-seen time.
- Ask AI: the questions you type and the answers you receive.
- Phone location: only if you allow it, your phone's location is used to show local weather. It is used for that lookup and is not saved to your profile.
- Alerts and activity: alerts and advice we create for your farm, and when you use features of the App.
- Technical: IP address, device and browser type, and logs needed for security and to fix errors.
We do not collect your Aadhaar number, bank or payment details, your contacts or your SMS inbox.
4. Why we use it
- To create your account and keep it secure (sign-in by OTP).
- To give you what you asked for: diagnose crop problems, identify plants, show weather and spray timing, show your sensor readings, send alerts and answer your questions.
- To let our agronomists review results that the AI is unsure about.
- To run, secure and improve the App: preventing misuse, fixing faults, and measuring usage and cost.
- To meet our legal duties.
We use your data only for these purposes. At present we do not use your photos or questions to train AI models. If that ever changes, we will ask for your separate consent first.
5. Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal data. We share only what is needed with:
- Hosting and technology providers that store and run the App, its database and our own AI photo server.
- An SMS provider, to deliver your OTP (your mobile number and the code).
- Google (Gemini AI): when you use Ask AI, your question and farm context (language, crop, growth stage, latest sensor summary and recent rainfall) are sent to get an answer. Your name and phone number are not sent.
- Weather and rainfall services (MET Norway, NASA POWER): they receive the location needed for the forecast, not your name or phone number.
- The sensor data store: readings from your sensor device are held in a Firebase database (Google) operated for us by the hardware team, and then copied into the App.
- Sponsor programmes: if a sponsor company enrols you in its programme, that sponsor can see your name, phone number and programme status. Sponsors otherwise see only combined figures, not your individual farms or photos.
- Outside photo-AI services: if we ever switch on an outside AI service to analyse photos, your photo (without your name or phone number) would be sent to it. We would update this policy and ask for your consent again.
- Authorities, courts or others only where the law requires.
Sponsored information you may see in the App is matched to your crop or region inside the App. The sponsor does not receive your data from that.
6. Transfers outside India
Google, MET Norway and NASA process data outside India. The DPDP Act allows this except to countries the Government restricts. We send them only the limited data described above.
7. How long we keep it
We keep your data while your account is active. If you ask us to delete your account, we erase your personal data within 30 days, except records the law requires us to keep (for example security or accounting records). Your photos and sensor readings are deleted with the account. Backups are overwritten in their normal cycle.
8. How we protect it
The App uses HTTPS; device tokens are stored hashed and service keys are stored encrypted; access is limited to people who need it. Your photos are stored on our servers. Each photo has a long random web address, but anyone who is given that exact address can open it, so please do not share photo addresses. No system is completely secure. If a breach affects your data, we will tell you and the Data Protection Board of India as the law requires.
9. Your rights
You have the right to:
- get a summary of the personal data we hold about you and how it is used;
- correct or update it (most details can be edited in Profile);
- ask us to erase it;
- withdraw your consent at any time. This is as easy as giving it: just ask us. Withdrawing means we stop using your data and you will no longer be able to use the App. It does not affect what we did before you withdrew;
- make a complaint (section 10);
- nominate another person to exercise these rights for you if you die or cannot do so yourself.
To use any of these rights, contact our Grievance Officer below. We reply within the time the law allows and aim to do so within 30 days.
10. Questions and complaints
Grievance Officer: [to be added]
Email: [to be added]
Please write to the Grievance Officer first. If you are not satisfied with the answer, you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India.
11. Cookies
The App uses a cookie to keep you signed in. We also keep you signed in on this phone or browser until you log out, so you do not need a new OTP every time. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.
12. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy in a material way, we will show you the new version and ask for your consent again before you continue. The version date is at the top of this page.