Privacy Policy

Aheadline ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your rights regarding your data when you use the Aheadline mobile application ("App"). By using the App, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• Phone number: Collected when you register via phone OTP authentication.
• Email address: Collected if you register via Google Sign-In.
• Display name and profile photo: Collected from your Google account if you use Google Sign-In.
• Language preference: The reading language you select during onboarding or in settings.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Device information: Device model, operating system version, unique device identifiers, and IP address.
• Usage data: Articles read, categories browsed, bookmarks saved, time spent in-app, and notification interactions.
• FCM token: A Firebase Cloud Messaging token used to deliver push notifications to your device.
• Crash reports: Diagnostic data including stack traces and device state at the time of a crash, collected via Firebase Crashlytics.
• Performance data: App startup times, network request latency, and UI rendering metrics collected via Firebase Performance Monitoring.

1.3 Advertising Data

The App displays advertisements served by Google AdMob. AdMob and its advertising partners may collect and use certain identifiers (including the Android Advertising ID) and usage data to serve personalised advertisements. This data collection is governed by Google's Privacy Policy. You can opt out of personalised ads in your device settings under Google > Ads.

2. How We Use Your Information

We process your data to maintain a personalized feed and ensure the app behaves reliably offline. Below is the mapping of data items to processing purposes:

Purpose	Data Used
Authenticate and manage your account	Phone number, email, Google profile
Personalise your news feed and AI recommendations	Language, reading history, bookmarks
Deliver push notifications (breaking news, updates)	FCM token
Translate articles into your preferred language	Language preference
Diagnose crashes and fix bugs	Crash reports, device info
Measure and improve app performance	Performance metrics, usage data
Analyse aggregate usage trends	Anonymised usage data via Mixpanel
Serve advertisements	Advertising ID, usage data (via AdMob)
Comply with legal obligations	As required by applicable law

3. Third-Party Services and Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share data only with trusted infrastructure providers as detailed below:

Service Provider	Purpose	Data Shared
Supabase	Database, authentication, and secure remote file storage	Account data, usage events, bookmarks
Firebase (Google)	Authentication, push notifications, crash reporting, performance monitoring	Phone/email identifier, FCM token, crash logs, performance metrics
Google AdMob	In-app advertising networks	Advertising ID, device system details, usage patterns
Mixpanel	Product analytics & usage reports	Anonymised usage events, device type, OS version
OpenAI / AI providers	Article summarisation, metadata classification, and translation	Article text only (no user personal data is shared with OpenAI)

All third-party service providers are bound by contractual obligations to handle your data securely and only for the specified purposes.

We may also disclose your information: (i) if required by law, court order, or government authority; (ii) to protect the rights, property, or safety of Aheadline, our users, or the public; (iii) in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we will notify you before your data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

4. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to provide our services and fulfil the purposes described in this policy:

• Account data: Retained while your account is active. Deleted within 30 days of account deletion request.
• Usage and reading history: Retained for up to 12 months for personalisation, then anonymised.
• Crash reports: Retained for up to 90 days by Firebase Crashlytics.
• FCM tokens: Deleted immediately upon sign-out.
• Inactive accounts: Data associated with accounts inactive for more than 180 days may be purged.

5. Data Security

We implement administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your information, including encrypted data transmission (TLS/HTTPS), row-level security (RLS) in our database, and access controls limiting who can view personal data. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security and encourage you to use a strong device passcode.

6. Children's Privacy

The App is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected data from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at hello@aheadline.app.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Request that inaccurate data be corrected.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal retention requirements).
• Opt-out of personalised ads: Via your Android device settings under Google > Ads.
• Opt-out of push notifications: Via device notification settings or the App's profile screen.
• Data portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@aheadline.app. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Grievance Redressal (India — IT Rules 2021)

In accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, users in India may direct privacy-related complaints to our Grievance Officer:

9. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
hello@aheadline.app