Privacy Policy for Listeners

Registration Information:

• Phone number (for account creation and authentication via OTP)
• Full name
• Gender
• Language preferences
• Listener ID (automatically generated)

Profile and Service Information:

• Call preference (audio, video, or both)
• Charge per minute (your service rate)
• Availability status (online/offline)
• Approval status (pending, approved, rejected)

Earnings and Payment Information:

• Bank account details for earnings withdrawal
• UPI/Payment information
• Transaction history and earnings records
• Payout requests and history

Verification Documents:

• Identity verification documents (as required during approval process)
• Background check information (if applicable)

Session Data:

• Call session metadata (duration, start/end time, call type)
• Number of calls handled
• Average session duration
• Earnings per session
• Caller ratings and feedback received

Device Information:

• Device type, model, and operating system version
• Unique device identifiers
• FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging) tokens for push notifications
• Mobile network information
• IP address and general location (country/region)

Technical Data:

• App usage logs and error reports
• Performance metrics and crash data
• Network connection quality during calls
• WebSocket connection status

Important Notice: We use HMS (100ms) SDK for audio and video calling services. Please note:

• We DO NOT record your audio or video calls
• We DO NOT store the content of your conversations with callers
• Calls are transmitted in real-time between you and callers through encrypted channels
• We only collect metadata about calls (duration, time, participants) for service functionality, billing, and earnings calculation
• The HMS SDK may process audio/video data for call transmission but does not permanently store conversation content

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

Service Delivery:

• Create and manage your Listener account
• Authenticate you via OTP verification
• Facilitate audio and video calls between you and callers
• Match you with callers seeking listeners
• Display your profile to potential callers when you're online and available
• Process your earnings and payout requests
• Send incoming call notifications via FCM and VoIP push notifications
• Manage your availability status (online/offline)

Approval and Verification:

• Review and approve listener applications
• Verify your identity and background (when required)
• Ensure platform safety and quality standards
• Maintain approved listener profiles

Earnings Management:

• Calculate earnings based on call duration and your rates
• Track session history and earnings
• Process payout requests
• Provide earnings reports and statistics

Communications:

• Send real-time call notifications when callers request you
• Notify you about earnings, payouts, and account updates
• Provide customer support and respond to inquiries
• Send important service announcements and policy updates
• Communicate approval status changes

Service Improvement:

• Analyze usage patterns to improve app functionality for listeners
• Monitor call quality and connection stability
• Develop new features for listener experience
• Aggregate feedback to improve matching algorithms

Safety and Security:

• Detect and prevent fraudulent activities
• Enforce our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines
• Protect against abuse, harassment, and illegal activities
• Maintain platform security and integrity
• Investigate reported incidents

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

Service Providers and Partners:

• HMS (100ms) SDK: For real-time audio/video calling infrastructure
• Payment Processors: For secure payout processing
• Cloud Services: For hosting and data storage (PostgreSQL database)
• Firebase: For push notifications (FCM) and authentication
• Analytics Providers: For understanding app usage and performance

Note: These third parties are bound by confidentiality agreements and are prohibited from using your data for their own purposes.

With Callers (Limited Information):

• Your name (as displayed in your profile)
• Your availability status (online/offline)
• Your call preferences (audio/video)
• Your charge per minute rate
• Aggregated ratings from previous sessions
• We DO NOT share: Your phone number, personal contact information, or exact location

Legal Requirements:

• When required by law, legal process, or government request
• To enforce our Terms of Service or protect our rights
• To prevent fraud, security issues, or technical problems
• To protect the safety of users or the public
• In response to valid legal requests

Business Transfers:

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control.

Retention Period:

• Account information: Retained while your account is active
• Earnings and transaction history: Retained for 7 years for legal, tax, and accounting purposes
• Call metadata: Retained for 90 days for service improvement
• Support communications: Retained for 2 years
• Device logs and analytics: Retained for 12 months
• FCM tokens: Updated regularly, invalid tokens purged automatically

Account Deletion:

When you delete your account through the app settings:

• Your phone number is anonymized (replaced with "DEL_[listenerId]")
• Your deletion is marked with a timestamp
• Your name, gender, and language preferences are cleared
• Your availability status is set to inactive
• Earnings transaction history is preserved for compliance purposes
• Call session records are preserved in anonymized form
• Personal identifiable information (PII) is removed or anonymized

Note: This is a soft delete approach. While your PII is anonymized, historical transaction and earnings data is preserved for legal compliance (tax, fraud prevention, etc.). If you require complete data deletion, please contact us at [email protected], and we will process your request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information:

• Encryption: All data transmitted between your device and our servers uses HTTPS/TLS encryption
• Secure Storage: Personal data is stored in secure, access-controlled PostgreSQL databases
• Authentication: OTP-based authentication protects account access
• Payment Security: Payout data is processed through secure, PCI-DSS compliant payment processors
• Access Controls: Strict internal access controls limit who can access listener data
• WebSocket Security: Real-time communications use secure WebSocket connections
• Regular Audits: We conduct security reviews and updates regularly

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access and Portability:

• Request a copy of your personal data
• Access your account information and earnings history within the app
• Request data in a portable format

Correction and Update:

• Update your profile information (name, gender, language preferences)
• Modify your call preferences and charge rate
• Update payment information for earnings withdrawal
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data

Deletion:

• Delete your account at any time through app settings
• Request complete data deletion (subject to legal retention requirements)

Control Your Availability:

• Toggle online/offline status to control when you receive calls
• Manage notification preferences
• Control your visibility to callers

Opt-Out Rights:

• Opt out of promotional communications (service notifications still required)
• Disable certain data collection features
• Manage push notification preferences

To exercise your rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to requests within 30 days.

Talksy Listener services are not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly accept listener applications from individuals under 18. If you are under 18, you may not register as a listener.

By registering as a listener, you represent that you are at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into binding agreements.

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on servers located in India and other countries where we operate. By using our Services, you consent to the transfer of your information to these locations.

We take appropriate safeguards to ensure your data remains protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy, regardless of where it is processed.

Third-Party Services We Use:

• HMS (100ms): For audio/video calling - Privacy Policy
• Firebase: For authentication and push notifications - Privacy Policy
• Payment Processors: For handling earnings payouts securely
• Cloud Hosting: For app infrastructure and data storage

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the updated Privacy Policy in the app with a new "Last Updated" date
• Sending a notification through the app or via SMS
• Requiring you to accept the updated policy before continuing to provide services

Your continued use of the Services after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: