Privacy Policy — Pachaka Lokam

Effective date: 2026-05-04 (v2.1)

Pachaka Lokam (“the App”) is a kitchen and meal-planning utility for South Indian households. This policy describes how the App handles your data.

1. Data we collect

None that leaves your device. The App is fully offline-first. All data you create — grocery items, meal plans, reminders, attendance trackers (maid/milk/newspaper), gas-cylinder dates, special days, and settings — is stored locally on your device using your browser's localStorage.

2. Data we do NOT collect

• No analytics, telemetry, or usage tracking.
• No personal identifiers (name, email, phone, location).
• No advertising IDs.
• No cloud sync — your data never leaves your device unless you explicitly export it.
• No third-party SDKs.

3. Permissions we request

• Notifications — only to deliver meal-time alerts, festival notifications, and the custom reminders you create. All scheduling happens locally; no push server is involved.
• Storage — used only by the browser/WebView to persist your local data.

4. Sharing & Backup features

Two optional features touch the network only as a transport — no data is sent to any server we operate:

• Share recipe / meal plan. When you tap Share, the App encodes the recipe or plan into a URL and hands it to your phone's share sheet (WhatsApp, Telegram, email, etc.). The URL is just text — nothing is sent to a server. The recipient opens the URL, the App loads (from cache if installed), decodes the URL locally, and shows a preview before importing.
• Backup & Restore. Backup creates a single JSON file on your device. Optional passphrase protection uses AES-GCM-256 encryption derived from your passphrase via PBKDF2 (100,000 iterations). The file is delivered through your phone's share sheet so you can route it to Google Drive, WhatsApp-to-yourself, or email — your choice. The App never uploads it anywhere.

5. Children's privacy

The App is suitable for general audiences and does not knowingly collect data from anyone, including children under 13.

6. Data deletion

To delete all your data, clear the App's storage from your device's app settings, or uninstall the App. There is nothing for us to delete on a server because we do not operate one.

7. Security

Because all data is local and never transmitted, the only attack surface is your device. Use a device passcode and keep your OS up to date.

8. Changes

If this policy changes, the updated version will be published at the same URL with a new effective date.

9. Contact

Questions? Open an issue on the project repository.