Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to VERKINA ("we", "us", "our"). VERKINA is a multilingual messaging, calling, and commerce application developed by VERKINA Tech Private Limited, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. This Privacy Policy explains what information VERKINA collects, why, and how it's handled when you use our Android application.

By using VERKINA, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the app.

2. Information We Collect

VERKINA is a messaging platform, so — unlike a purely on-device app — it necessarily stores information on our servers so your chats, groups, and contacts work the same way across every device you sign in on. Here's exactly what that includes:

Account & Profile

• Phone number — required to create an account, verified by one-time password (OTP) through Firebase Authentication. VERKINA does not use or require a password.
• Profile information you choose to add — display name and profile photo.

Contacts

• With your permission, VERKINA reads your phone's contact list to show you which of your existing contacts are also on VERKINA and to let you pick group members. Your contact list is matched against VERKINA's user base for this purpose only — it is not uploaded, published, or shared with other users.
• If you tap "Add to Contacts" on a contact card someone shares with you, VERKINA writes that one contact to your device's address book. This only happens on your explicit action.

Messages, Calls & Media

• Message text and translation data are stored in our database (Firebase Firestore) so conversation history is available across your devices and so features like read receipts and delivery status work.
• Photos, videos, voice notes, and documents you send are stored in encrypted cloud storage (Cloudflare R2), not on our own servers.
• Voice and video calls are peer-to-peer (WebRTC) — call audio/video itself is not relayed through or stored on VERKINA's servers. Basic call metadata (who called whom, and when) is stored the same way message metadata is, so your call log works.

Groups & Business Data

• Group membership, group name/photo, and group settings.
• If you use Business Mode: your business profile, product catalog, orders, quick replies, and broadcast lists.

Verification (KYC) Data

VERKINA offers optional identity and business verification, which unlocks higher broadcast limits and a verification badge. This is entirely optional — unverified accounts can use VERKINA normally at the base tier.

• Aadhaar verification (OTP-based): handled through Setu, a licensed verification provider. Your full Aadhaar number is never stored on VERKINA's servers — only a masked number or reference token, a requirement set by UIDAI itself.
• GST / business verification: your GSTIN and associated business registration details, also verified through Setu.

Payment Data

Paid features (broadcast tiers, in-app purchases from a business) are processed by Razorpay, a licensed Indian payment gateway. Your card number, UPI ID, or bank details are entered directly into Razorpay's own secure checkout and are never transmitted to or stored on VERKINA's servers. We receive only a payment confirmation and a transaction reference.

Safety & Moderation Data

• Reports you file against another user, or that are filed against you, are stored permanently as part of VERKINA's safety record — this is not affected by deleting your account (see Section 8).
• If an image you send is automatically detected as known child sexual abuse material (see Section 6), a record of that detection is created and retained as part of our legal reporting obligations.

Technical & Usage Data

• A push-notification token (Firebase Cloud Messaging) so your phone can receive message and call alerts even when VERKINA is closed.
• Online/last-seen status, subject to your own visibility settings.

3. What We Do NOT Do

• We do not sell your personal data to anyone, for any reason.
• We do not use your message content to train AI models, ours or anyone else's.
• We do not share your data with advertisers or third-party marketers.
• We do not track your device's GPS location.
• We do not store your full Aadhaar number, under any circumstance.
• We do not see or store your card, UPI, or bank account details — Razorpay handles that directly.
• We do not routinely have a human being read your messages or look at your photos. Content moderation described in Section 6 is automated; a human only ever reviews content that's been reported or automatically flagged.

4. Permissions We Request

Microphone (RECORD_AUDIO)

Used for voice-to-text message composition and voice/video calls. VERKINA does not record or store standalone audio of your voice outside of voice-note messages you explicitly choose to send.

Camera & Photos/Storage

Used to attach photos, videos, and documents to messages, and to set a profile or group photo.

Contacts

Used to show which of your contacts are on VERKINA and for group member selection, as described in Section 2.

Internet

Required for messaging, calling, translation, and every other core feature to function.

Notifications

Used to alert you to new messages and incoming calls.

5. Third-Party Services

VERKINA relies on the following services to operate. Each only receives the specific data needed for its function:

• Google Firebase — authentication, database (Firestore), and push notifications (FCM). Subject to Google's Privacy Policy.
• Cloudflare R2 — encrypted storage for photos, videos, voice notes, and documents.
• Google ML Kit — on-device translation. Text is translated directly on your phone wherever possible; it does not leave your device for this purpose.
• Your device's built-in speech recognition — converts spoken words to text for voice-to-text message composition.
• Microsoft PhotoDNA — automated matching of images against a database of known child sexual abuse material hashes. See Section 6.
• Setu (BrokenTusk Technologies Pvt Ltd) — Aadhaar and GST verification, only for accounts that opt into KYC verification.
• Razorpay — payment processing for paid features.

We do not control the privacy practices of these third-party services and encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.

6. Content Moderation, Reporting & Child Safety

VERKINA is intended for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly permit registration by anyone under 18, and we do not have a mechanism today for verified parental consent for younger users — so rather than offer a weaker, unverified version of that protection, VERKINA simply is not available to accounts under 18.

VERKINA runs automated safety systems on every account, regardless of age, because a general-purpose messaging platform is a realistic target for misuse and we treat that seriously:

• Keyword filtering scans outgoing messages for hate speech, terrorism-related content, and similarly prohibited material before delivery.
• PhotoDNA hash-matching checks images against a database of known child sexual abuse material maintained by Microsoft. This works by comparing a mathematical fingerprint of your image, not the image itself, against fingerprints of previously identified illegal content — it cannot detect anything outside that known database, and it is not a general scan of photo content.
• A confirmed match is blocked from being sent, logged, and reported to the appropriate designated authority under applicable Indian law. This is a legal obligation, not a discretionary choice.
• User reporting lets you report any account or message directly from the app for review.
• Server logs of message delivery (not message content) are retained for up to 180 days to allow VERKINA to respond to valid legal process from law enforcement.

If you believe a user under 18 has created an account, or that a child has otherwise been harmed through VERKINA, please contact us immediately at support@verkina.com — reports involving child safety are treated as the highest priority.

7. Data Retention & Security

Data is retained for as long as your account is active, plus the specific periods described elsewhere in this policy (server logs, 180 days; safety reports, retained regardless of account status). Data in transit between your device and our servers is encrypted (HTTPS/TLS). We recommend you additionally:

• Keep your Android device updated with the latest security patches
• Use screen lock / biometric authentication on your device
• Not grant VERKINA permissions beyond what it actually requests

8. Your Rights

• Access or export your data — email support@verkina.com and we will provide a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct your information — update your name and profile photo any time from My Profile within the app.
• Delete your account — available from My Profile. This removes you from every group you're in (ownership transfers automatically if you created it), deletes content you exclusively own (catalog items, broadcast lists, quick replies), and soft-deletes your profile. Soft-delete means your name stops resolving for people you'd chatted with 1:1 rather than every past conversation showing a broken reference — group chats are unaffected either way since they already store sender names independently. Safety reports filed by or against your account are retained regardless, and if a report against your account is currently pending or has been actioned, account deletion will be temporarily unavailable until that review concludes.
• Withdraw KYC verification — contact support@verkina.com to have verification data removed; note this will revert your account to the unverified broadcast tier.

Questions about any of the above, or any other request regarding your personal data, can be directed to support@verkina.com, currently handled directly by VERKINA's founder.

9. Terms of Use

By using VERKINA, you agree to use the app for lawful purposes only, and confirm you are at least 18 years old. You may not use VERKINA to:

• Send or translate content that promotes violence, hate speech, child sexual abuse material, or other illegal activity
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the app
• Use the app in any way that violates applicable laws in your jurisdiction

If you use VERKINA's Business Mode to sell products or services, you are solely responsible for the accuracy of your listings, fulfilling orders, and complying with applicable consumer-protection law. VERKINA facilitates the conversation and payment connection between buyer and seller through Razorpay; it is not a party to the underlying sale unless separately agreed.

VERKINA is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. We are not responsible for mistranslations or errors. For critical communications (medical, legal), please use a certified interpreter.

10. Changes to This Policy

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. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. For significant changes, we will notify users through the app or via email if we have your contact information.

11. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of India, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, as applicable. Any disputes shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

12. Grievance & Nodal Officer

In accordance with Rule 4 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, VERKINA has designated the following officer to coordinate with law enforcement agencies and address user grievances:

• Name: Gerri Suneel Kumar
• Designation: Nodal Officer / Reporting Officer
• Email: nodal@verkina.com
• Mobile (24x7): +91 98660 98945
• Alternative Contact: +91 70133 05588