Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are & Contact

Bharat Trade Sim is an educational stock-market simulation platform operated as a project by its co-founders Aadhiyan Rajkamal and Chendhoorselvan KY, based in India.

For privacy questions or requests, contact: bharattradesim@gmail.com

2. Scope & Regions Covered

This Privacy Policy applies to all users worldwide.

It is designed to reflect compliance with major global privacy standards, including:

• EU GDPR
• UK GDPR
• California CCPA/CPRA
• India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act, 2023)

Where a local law conflicts with this Policy, we comply with the law applicable to the user.

3. Data We Collect

Account & Profile Data

• Username
• Email address
• Profile picture (user-uploaded)

We do not collect phone numbers, government IDs, real-money financial info, or age data unless required by law.

Trading Simulation Data

We only track information required to operate the trading simulator:

• Stocks users buy (virtual, not real-money)
• Simulated portfolio and trading history
• Leaderboard statistics
• Basic usage events related to trading interactions

No real trading or financial data is collected.

Messages & Social Interactions

• Private messages
• Friend requests and connections
• Support emails sent to bharattradesim@gmail.com

All messages are stored privately, and we cannot read user messages, except where legally required or necessary to respond to severe security or abuse incidents.

Cookies & Analytics

We use analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics) to collect:

• Page views
• Clickstream behavior
• Interaction patterns
• General usage statistics

Analytics providers may process limited technical metadata (e.g., IP address) under their own policies.

Sensitive Data

We do not collect sensitive personal data, including:

• Government identification numbers
• Biometric data
• Health data
• Precise location
• Financial KYC details
• Race, ethnicity, religious or political information

Please refrain from uploading or sharing such information on the platform.

4. How We Use Data & Legal Bases

5. Sharing & Sub-processors

We only share data with trusted third-party service providers that help operate Bharat Trade Sim.

Sub-processors

• Firebase (Google) – authentication, database, hosting, storage
• Google Analytics – usage analytics

These providers follow strict data protection and security commitments.

We do not sell personal data. We do not share data for cross-site behavioral ads or retargeting.

6. Messaging & Social Features

• All private messages are securely stored.
• Messages are not readable by the team except in circumstances required by law or to investigate severe security threats.
• Social interactions (e.g., friends, requests) are used only to power platform features.

7. Cookies & Analytics

We use:

• Essential cookies (authentication, security, session stability)
• Analytics cookies (for usage statistics)

In regions that require consent (EU/UK), you will be able to manage cookie preferences via a banner or settings.

You may also disable cookies directly in your browser.

8. Children’s Privacy

Bharat Trade Sim is intended for users aged 13 and above.

We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 13 without appropriate consent, we will:

• Delete the data
• Disable the associated account

9. Data Retention & Deletion

• User data is kept until the user deletes their account.
• When an account is deleted, all associated user data is permanently erased and cannot be restored.
• Backup data, if any, is automatically overwritten on the next scheduled cycle.

10. Security

We use industry-standard safeguards to protect your data:

• HTTPS/TLS encryption for data in transit
• Encryption-at-rest via Firebase/Google Cloud
• Access restricted to authorized administrators only
• Continuous monitoring for abuse or suspicious activity

While no system is perfectly secure, we take reasonable steps to protect your information.

11. International Data Transfers

Because we use cloud providers such as Google/Firebase, your data may be processed or stored in countries outside your home jurisdiction.

Where required, we rely on valid transfer mechanisms such as:

• EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
• Equivalent safeguards under local law

12. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights such as:

• Accessing your personal data
• Requesting correction of inaccurate information
• Requesting deletion of your data
• Objecting to certain types of processing
• Restricting processing in certain cases
• Withdrawing consent (e.g., for marketing or analytics)
• Requesting a portable copy of your data

To exercise any of these rights, email: bharattradesim@gmail.com

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling requests.

13. CCPA/CPRA (California Residents)

For users residing in California:

• Bharat Trade Sim is classified as a service provider.
• We do not sell or share personal information for advertising purposes.
• You may request access, correction, or deletion of your data.
• You may opt out of marketing communications at any time.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect product changes, legal requirements, or security improvements.

If changes are significant, users will be notified via email or an in-app notice. Continued use of the platform after the updated policy takes effect constitutes acceptance.