1. Who We Are

Syncus is a free online chat platform operated from India. For the purposes of applicable data protection law, including India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDPA") and the Information Technology Act, 2000 and its rules, Syncus acts as the data fiduciary responsible for deciding how and why your personal data is processed.

2. Information We Collect

We follow a data-minimization approach and only collect information reasonably needed to run the Service.

2.1 Information you provide when you register

To create a Syncus account, we collect:

• Username
• Password (stored in encrypted/hashed form)
• Gender
• State
• Country

2.2 Information you provide while using the Service

• Profile details you choose to add or update (e.g., profile picture, status, "about me" text), if such fields are offered
• Messages and content you post in public chat rooms
• Any information you voluntarily include in chat messages, direct messages, or support requests - you are solely responsible for what you choose to share with other users

2.3 Information collected automatically

When you use the Service, we and our service providers automatically collect:

• IP address
• Device and browser type, operating system
• Timestamps of activity (login, logout, session duration)
• Approximate location derived from IP address
• Cookie and similar tracking data (see Section 5)

2.4 Information from third parties

If you interact with any third-party integrations we offer (e.g., social sign-in, if enabled), those providers may share limited information with us, subject to their own privacy policies.

2.5 Sensitive information

We do not intentionally request sensitive personal data such as government ID numbers, financial account details, health information, or precise religious/political affiliations. Please do not share such information in chat rooms or with other users.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information described above to:

• Create and maintain your account
• Provide, operate, and personalize the Service (e.g., showing your username, gender, state, and country as part of your public profile so other users can find and chat with you)
• Authenticate you and keep your account secure
• Detect, prevent, and investigate fraud, abuse, spam, or violations of our Terms of Use
• Analyze usage trends to maintain, troubleshoot, and improve the Service
• Respond to your support requests and communications
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our policies
• Serve relevant advertising, where permitted (see Section 6)

Our legal bases for processing include performing our contract with you (providing the Service you signed up for), your consent (e.g., for optional profile data, cookies, and marketing), and our legitimate interests in operating and securing the Service.

4. How We Share Your Information

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

• Public by design: Your username, gender, state, country, and any chat messages you post in public rooms are visible to other users of the Service - this is inherent to how the platform works.
• Service providers: We share data with vendors who help us operate the Service, such as hosting providers, analytics providers, advertising partners, email delivery services, and customer support tools. These providers are only permitted to use your data to perform services on our behalf.
• Legal and safety reasons: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or court order, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Syncus, our users, or the public.
• Business transfers: If Syncus is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy (or a successor policy).
• With your consent: We may share information with third parties when you direct us to or otherwise consent.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies (such as local storage and pixels) to:

• Keep you logged in and remember your preferences
• Understand how users interact with the Service
• Measure and improve performance
• Support advertising features (see Section 6)

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may limit some features of the Service. Our Service currently does not respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals.

5A. The Confessions Feature

Syncus offers a separate, no-account-required "Confessions" feature where you can post anonymous messages to a campus or global feed. Because this feature works differently from chat, it collects and handles information differently too.

5A.1 What we collect

• The content, recipient ("To:"), and tags of any confession you post
• An author PIN, if you enable replies - stored in encrypted/hashed form, used only to verify you as the author
• Standard technical data (IP address, device/browser info) for anti-spam and anti-abuse purposes, even though no account is created

5A.2 Author PIN

If you enable replies on a confession, you set a PIN to unlock your author dashboard later. We do not store this PIN in a recoverable form and cannot reset or retrieve it for you. If you lose your PIN, you will permanently lose access to that confession's replies. Choose a PIN you have not used elsewhere.

5A.3 Reply threads and reader tokens

When you reply to someone's confession, we issue your device a reader token that lets you return to that specific thread later. This token is stored locally on your device and is not linked to any identity, account, or other activity of yours on Syncus.

5A.4 Device sync (QR sync)

Confessions offers an optional QR-based sync feature to transfer your reply threads and author tokens between devices. This uses end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption: a passphrase generated on your device encrypts your data before it ever reaches our servers, and we only ever store the encrypted result. We cannot read the contents of a synced vault, and if you lose the passphrase, we cannot recover the data.

5A.5 Anti-abuse verification

Confession submissions are verified using Cloudflare Turnstile, a third-party bot-detection service, before they are published. This may involve sharing limited technical data (such as IP address) with Cloudflare, subject to Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.

5A.6 Retention and removal

Confessions and their reply threads are retained according to their own lifecycle (for example, threads may expire after a period of inactivity) rather than the retention rules that apply to chat messages. Because confessions are posted without an account, you cannot delete a confession yourself through account settings. To request removal of a confession or thread, contact us at [email protected] with the confession ID and, where applicable, your author PIN to verify authorship.

6. Third-Party Advertising and Analytics

We use third-party tools, including Google Analytics, to understand how users engage with the Service, and third-party advertising networks to display ads and, where applicable, personalize them based on your browsing activity.

• These providers may use cookies, device identifiers, or similar technologies to collect information about your visits to Syncus and other websites.
• We do not control these third parties' own data practices; we encourage you to review their privacy policies (for example, Google's Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy).
• Where required, we will obtain your consent before enabling non-essential advertising or analytics cookies, and you can withdraw consent at any time through our cookie settings or your browser.
• You may opt out of interest-based advertising from participating networks via industry tools such as the Network Advertising Initiative (http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp) or Google's Ads Settings.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary to:

• Provide the Service and maintain your account
• Comply with legal, tax, or accounting obligations
• Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements

If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we are required or permitted by law to retain it longer (for example, records needed to investigate abuse or fraud).

8. Your Rights and Choices

Subject to applicable law (including the DPDPA), you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Withdraw consent you previously gave, where processing is based on consent
• Erase your account and associated personal data
• Grievance redressal - raise a complaint about how we handle your data
• Nominate another individual to exercise your rights on your behalf in the event of death or incapacity, as provided under the DPDPA

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request, and we will respond within a reasonable time and as required by applicable law.

You may also unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the "unsubscribe" link included in those emails; this will not affect essential service-related communications.

9. Children's Privacy

Syncus is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If we become aware that a user under 18 has registered or provided personal data, we will take steps to delete that data and terminate the associated account. If you believe a minor is using the Service, please contact us at [email protected].

10. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect your information, including encryption of passwords, secured connections (SSL/TLS), and restricted internal access to personal data. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for logging out of shared or public devices.

If a data breach occurs that affects your personal data, we will take reasonable steps to investigate and mitigate the breach and notify affected users and/or authorities as required by applicable law.

11. International Users and Data Transfers

Syncus is based in India, and your data may be stored and processed on servers located in India or other countries where our service providers operate (for example, cloud hosting or analytics providers). Where we transfer data internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure it receives an adequate level of protection consistent with this Policy and applicable law.

12. Communications and Chat Content

Messages you send in public chat rooms are visible to other participants and are not private. We do not routinely monitor or access private/direct messages, except where necessary to:

• Operate and maintain the Service
• Investigate violations of our Terms of Use or Safety guidelines
• Comply with a legal obligation or valid request from law enforcement

You are solely responsible for the content you share and for exercising caution - please avoid sharing sensitive personal information, financial details, or personal photos with other users.

13. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party site you visit.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. We will post the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. For material changes, we will provide additional notice where required by law (for example, via email or an in-app notice). Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

15. Contact Us

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

Syncus
Email: [email protected]