Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all the Services (as defined herein) provided on our app. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share your information. It also describes how long we keep your information and how we keep it safe when we transfer it. The Privacy Policy also lets you know your rights. Click here to know more.

 

WELCOME TO BIGSHORTS!

 

BigShorts (“us”, “we”, or “our”) operate a website located at the URL bigshorts.co and can be accessed via, mobile applications, computers, or other technology under the brand name BigShorts (collectively referred to as the “Mobile App” or “App”) where you can access Services (as defined below) offered by us to you on our Mobile App (“User” or “Users” or “you” or “your”)

 

  1. WHAT IS THIS POLICY ABOUT?

 

This privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”), together with the Terms and Conditions (available at Terms and Conditions) governs your use of the Mobile App and describes our policies and procedures on the collection, use, disclosure, processing, transfer, and storage of the information provided to us by you. By using, browsing, accessing, or purchasing from the Mobile App you agree to be bound by the terms of this Privacy Policy and consent to the collection, storage, possession, dealing, handling, sharing, disclosure or transfer of your information in accordance with the terms of the Privacy Policy. We shall not use your information in any manner except as provided under this Privacy Policy. 

 

  1. This Privacy Policy is an electronic record and is governed under the provisions of: 
  • Section 43A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (“IT Act”);
  • Rule 4 of the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Information) Rules, 2011 (“SPDI Rules” or “SPI Rules”); and
  • Regulation 3(1) of the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“Intermediaries Guidelines”).
  • The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

(hereinafter referred to as “Data Protection Laws”)

 

  1. Your use of and access to the Services is subject to this Privacy Policy and our Terms and Conditions. This Privacy Policy is an electronic record and does not require any physical or digital signatures. 

 

  1. BigShorts has carefully curated this Privacy Policy which lays down the type of information collected from you, the purpose, means, and usage of such information. You may, at any time withdraw your consent for collection and use of your information. However, please note that if you withdraw your consent, we may no longer be able to provide you with the corresponding Service for which you have withdrawn your consent. It is hereby clarified that your decision to withdraw your consent will not affect the processing of information based on your previous consent prior to the withdrawal.

 

  1. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any provisions of the terms of this Privacy Policy, we advise you to not use or access the Mobile App.

 

  1. Please note that we may at any time change, modify or delete any part/portion/clause of this Privacy Policy at our sole discretion. As such, it is your responsibility to review this Privacy Policy regularly and to see when it was last updated. If you do not agree to abide by the Privacy Policy at any time, we request you to immediately cease using our Services and/or cease giving us any information.  

 

  1. WHAT ARE THESE CAPITALISED TERMS USED IN THIS POLICY?

In this Privacy Policy, the following definitions are used:

  1. Cookies: A small file placed on your device by our Mobile App when you either visit or use certain features of our Mobile App. A cookie generally allows a Mobile App to remember your actions or preferences for a certain period of time.
  2. Data: Shall mean and include all non-personal information, Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Data or Information.
  3. Personal Information: This is defined under the SPI Rules and The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 which means any information that relates to a natural person, which, either directly or indirectly, in combination with other information available or likely to be available to a body corporate, is capable of identifying such a person.
  4. Sensitive Personal Data or Information: Includes passwords; financial information; sexual orientation; biometric information; and User details as provided at the time of registration or thereafter. BigShorts will be free to use, collect, and disclose information that is freely available in the public domain without your consent.
  5. Services: The Mobile App is a platform that facilitates online interaction with people from varied parts of the world by means of uploading and posting stories, videos, and posts; connecting with others by commenting on their digital content.

 

  1. WHAT IS THE TYPE OF INFORMATION COLLECTED?

BigShorts collects Data for various purposes set out in this Privacy Policy:

  1. Contact information: This information may include first and last name, email address, postal address, country, phone number and other similar contact data.
  2. Technical information: This information may include Mobile App account details, passwords, device and mobile app usage, Internet Protocol (IP) address and similar information collected via automated means, such as cookies, pixels and similar technologies.
  3. Transaction information: This information may include the date of the transaction, total amount, transaction history and preferences, and related details.
  4. Personal information: This information may include age, sex, date of birth, marital status, nationality, biometrics, details of government identification documents provided, occupation, ethnicity, religion, or any other personal information provided in responses to surveys or questionnaires.
  5. Service information: This information may include your account information, posts, and video details. It includes the information that you give us when you sign up for our Products and create a profile, such as your email address or phone number. This also includes what you click on or like, your posts and photos and messages that you send, friends and follower details; content that you create, such as posts, comments, or audio. Service information also includes:
  • Content you provide through our camera feature or your camera roll settings, or through our voice-enabled features. 
  • Messages you send and receive, including the content. Please note that we can't see the content of end-to-end encrypted messages unless users report them to us for review. 
  • Ads that you view or interact with and how you interact with it.
  • Hashtags you use.
  • The time, frequency, and duration of your activities on our Services.

 

  1. WHAT IF YOU DON'T LET US COLLECT CERTAIN INFORMATION?

Some information is required for our Services to work. Other information is optional, but without it, the quality of your experience might be affected.

 

  1. WHY WE COLLECT INFORMATION?
  1. Ensuring Mobile App Security - Information is gathered to oversee potential attacks on our systems, such as attempts to overload our servers with excessive traffic.

 

  1. Maintaining Safety and Integrity - We reserve the right to remove content that violates our terms and policies, and may share information with law enforcement in cases where there is a legitimate risk of imminent bodily harm or death.

 

  1. Optimizing Performance - Information is collected as individuals use our Services, even without an account, to assess the speed of our pages across different countries and ensure their proper functionality. This assists us in pinpointing and addressing issues related to local networks.

 

  1. HOW DO WE USE YOUR INFORMATION?

We utilize the information that we gather in various ways to provide the Services on the Mobile App and to ensure the smooth operation of our business. These include the following:

  1. We personalize your experience, such as suggesting content to watch or communities to join.
  2. We enhance our Services by utilizing information about your usage patterns and activities on them, as well as understanding other occurrences on your device during instances of App crashes.
  3. We strive to prevent harmful behavior and ensure the safety of Users of our Services.
  4. We send you messages about the Services you use or may be interested in, provided you permit us to do so.
  5. We conduct research for the betterment of people globally, whether it be advancing technology or assisting in times of crisis.
  6. We analyze data, track trends, and build algorithms and databases for rating systems and recommendation engines.
  7. We use information to comply with applicable laws.
  8. Investigating and preventing illegal activities, suspected fraud, threats to individuals’ safety, and violations of our Terms and Conditions, as required by law.

 

  1. HOW WE USE INFORMATION TO IMPROVE OUR SERVICES?

We are consistently working towards enhancing our Services and developing new ones with features that cater to your preferences. The information we collect from you aids us in gaining insights into:

  1. Verifying the proper functionality of a Service.
  2. Troubleshooting and resolving issues when they arise.
  3. Testing new Services and features to evaluate their effectiveness.
  4. Soliciting feedback on our concepts for Services or features.
  5. Conducting surveys and other research to understand your preferences regarding our Services, and identifying areas for improvement.

 

  1. HOW IS DATA COLLECTED BY US?

We collect Data in the following ways:

  1. Information Provided by You: Any information you enter on our Mobile App or provide to us in other ways (e.g., logging in Mobile App, etc.) is received and stored by us.
  2. Automatic Information Collection: We utilize “cookies”, (as per our Cookie Policy) pixels, and similar technologies to receive and store specific types of information whenever you interact with our Services.
  3. Email Communications: In order to enhance the relevance and appeal of our emails, you may receive confirmation (if supported by your device) when you open an email from us or click on a link within the email. You can opt out of receiving marketing emails by clicking on the unsubscribe link provided in any marketing email.
  4. Information from external sources: We may acquire information from other sources. For instance, if you authorize a third-party website (such as another entity's website affiliated with BigShorts) to interact directly with our Mobile Application to provide or receive data about you, we may receive and utilize the data used by that third party to identify your account with them.
  5. Information based on your activity: For instance, information is gathered about you when others share or comment on a photo in which you are tagged, send you a message, invite you to participate in a conversation, or upload their address book containing your contact information.
  6. Information based on your device: We may collect information such as the type of device you use; details about its operating system, hardware, and software, brand and model, battery level, signal strength, available storage, and browser type.
  7. Information about our Service’s performance on your devices: We collect device information to prevent, diagnose, troubleshoot, and fix errors and bugs. This includes how long the App was running, what model of device you were using, and other performance and diagnostic information.
  1. HOW DO WE RETAIN INFORMATION?
  1. Any Personal Information or Sensitive Personal Data and Information collected in accordance with this Privacy Policy will be collected by us and retained or stored by us for perpetuity.
  2. You agree that we reserve the right to retain and store your Personal Information for our business purposes, whether such Personal Information has been deleted or not. After a period of time, your data may be anonymized and aggregated and then may be held by us, for purposes of analyses, research and development, internal audit, to comply with the provisions of law, and any other such reasonable purpose.

 

  1. WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION COLLECTED BY US?

Information about you and the other Users of the Mobile App forms an important part of our business. By using the Mobile App, you accept the terms hereof and hereby consent to the storage and processing of the Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Data or Information by third parties. We have arrangements with third parties such as affiliates or group companies, and payment gateways who are the intended recipients and may have access to the Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Data or Information but shall not disclose such information including Sensitive Personal Data or Information further to any other individual/entity. Some of the third parties include:

    1. Partners: Some of your Personal Information or Sensitive Personal Data or Information will be shared with affiliated partners. These partners operate on the Mobile App or advertise their products/services. You can identify when a third party is involved in your transactions (if any), and we share customer information related to those transactions with that third party;
    2. Our Legal obligations: We may disclose details of account and other Personal Information in case we believe in good faith that such release is appropriate to comply with applicable law including to: (a) comply with the legal requirements or legal processes; (b) protect rights or property or affiliated companies; (c) prevent a crime or in interest of national security; or (d) protect safety of our Users or the public. We may also share your Personal Information to enforce our Terms and Conditions and other agreements; or protect the rights, property or our safety, safety of our Users or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies, organizations, government or regulatory authorities for fraud protection and credit risk reduction;
    3. Sharing upon merger or amalgamation or intra-group transfer: Any third party to which we transfer or sell our assets, merge, amalgamate or consolidate with, will have the right to continue to use the Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Data or Information you provide, in accordance with the Terms and Conditions and this Privacy Policy. We may disclose information to our partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, group entities, investors, stakeholders or potential associates in an anonymized and aggregated manner, such that they may understand how the Users use our Mobile App and enable us to create an enhanced User experience.
    4. Improving Our business: You acknowledge and understand that we have a right to use your non-identifiable data for improving our Services, marketing, and promotional efforts, to personalize your use of the Mobile App. We may transfer such Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Data or Information to a third party, including persons outside India, to improve the Service offerings while taking commercially reasonable steps to try and ensure that the recipient adheres to the applicable laws for ensuring data protection as is adhered to by us.
    5. Transfer to third parties and outside India: Subject to the laws applicable, we may at our sole discretion, share your Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Data or Information to any other body corporate (as defined under the Information Technology Act, 2000) that ensures at least the same level of data protection as is provided by us under the terms hereof, located in India or any other country. By using the Mobile App, you accept the terms hereof and hereby consent to us, sharing with and/or processing of your Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Data or Information by third-parties, including in any location outside India, provided that they ensure that your Sensitive Personal Data or Information is protected in compliance with standards that are comparable to the standards of protection afforded to it in India or equivalent international standards.
  1. WHAT ARE THE CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY TERMS?
  1. Your Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Data or Information’s security is important to us. We have implemented security policies, rules and technical measures, as required under applicable law including firewalls, transport layer security and other physical and electronic security measures to protect the Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Data or Information that it has under its control from unauthorized access, improper use or disclosure, unauthorized modification and unlawful destruction or accidental loss. When you submit your information on the Mobile App, your information is protected by our security systems. 
  2. Your information is stored in secured networks and is only accessible to authorized persons who have access rights to such systems or otherwise to persons who require such information for the purposes provided in this Privacy Policy. These authorized persons are also required to keep such information confidential.
  3. Although we make the best possible efforts to transmit and store all the information provided by you in a secure system that is not accessible to the public, you understand and acknowledge that complete security is not guaranteed and that there is a guarantee of unintended disclosures of any information and potential security breaches. You agree not to hold us liable for any breach of security or for any action of any third parties that have your Personal Information or events that are beyond our reasonable control including, acts of government, computer hacking, unauthorized access to computer data and storage device, computer crashes, breach of security and encryption, etc.
  1. WHAT IS COOKIE POLICY?

 

  1. We may use cookies, web beacons, tracking pixels, and other tracking technologies when you visit our Mobile App to help customize the Mobile App and improve your experience. We may use “cookies” and “automatically collected” information that is been collected on the Mobile App to:
              1. personalize our Services, such as remembering your information so that you will not have to re-enter it during your visit or the next time you avail of the Services; 
              2. provide customized advertisements, content, and information; 
              3. monitor and analyze the effectiveness of the Services and third-party marketing activities;
              4. monitor aggregate Mobile App usage metrics such as total number of visitors and pages viewed; and 
              5. track your entries, submissions, and status in any promotions or other activities on the Mobile App.
    1. We reserve the right to make changes to this Cookie Policy at any time and for any reason. We will alert you about any changes by updating the “Last Updated” date of this Cookie Policy. Any changes or modifications will be effective immediately upon posting the updated Cookie Policy on the Mobile App, and you waive the right to receive specific notice of each such change or modification.
    2. You are encouraged to periodically review this Cookie Policy to stay informed of updates. You will be deemed to have been made aware of, will be subject to, and will be deemed to have accepted the changes in any revised Cookie Policy by your continued use of the Mobile App after the date such revised Cookie Policy is posted.
  1. WHAT INFORMATION IS SHARED WTH THIRD-PARTY LINKS?
  1. Mobile app may include hyperlinks to various external websites and applications, and may also include advertisements, and hyperlinks to applications, content, or resources (“Third-Party Links”). We do not provide any personally identifiable User information to these advertisers or third-party websites or applications. We do not have access to or control over cookies or other features that they may use, and the information practices of these advertisers and third-party websites and applications are not covered by this Privacy Policy. Please contact them directly for more information about their privacy practices.
  2. You acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible for any collection or disclosure of your information by any external websites, applications, companies, or persons thereof. The presence of any Third-Party Links on our Mobile App, cannot be construed as a recommendation, endorsement, or solicitation for the same, or any other material on or available via such Third-Party Links.
  3. You further acknowledge and agree that we are not liable for any loss or damage that may be incurred by you as a result of the collection and/or disclosure of your information via Third-Party Links, as a result of any reliance placed by you on the completeness, accuracy or existence of any advertising, products services, or other materials on, or available via such Third-Party Links. 

 

  1. We don't sell your information and we never will.
  1. APP PERMISSIONS THAT WE CAPTURE:

We may ask for the following permissions while onboarding, to optimize the experience for you:

  1. Location: It is recommended that you set your location sharing ‘Always’ as it helps us to show you location-specific content. You can change this anytime. We can use IP addresses to estimate your specific location if it's necessary to protect the safety and security of you or others. We use information that you give us directly, such as if you enter your current city on your profile to provide, personalize, and improve our Services, including ads, for you and others. Your location can be used to detect suspicious activity and help keep your account secure.
  2. Camera: To allow you to take a photo, and videos and upload them to the Mobile App.
  3. Photos/Media/Files and to use the feature of uploading and sharing content.
  4. Media access permission is needed to store and retrieve your uploads.
  5. SMS: To support automatic OTP confirmation.
  6. Access Wifi State: This helps us to optimize your experience based on the Wifi’s strength and signals, especially for optimizing our Services.
  7. Record Audio: To enable accessing various features of Services provided on Mobile App.
  1. HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE WITH YOU?

We engage with you through various means, including: 

  • Transmitting messages related to the Services you actively use, utilizing the email address associated with your account registration. 
  • Depending on your preferences, disseminating marketing communications regarding Services that align with your interests. 
  • Inviting your participation in research based on factors like your usage patterns of our Services. 
  • Keeping you informed about our policies and terms of service. 
  • Responding to your inquiries sent to us via email. 

Additionally, we analyze how you interact with our messages, such as opening emails to gain insights into the most effective ways to communicate with you and to assess the helpfulness of our communications.

  1. IF YOU WANT TO DELETE YOUR INFORMATION OR ACCOUNT?
  1. To delete content posted: We offer tools that you can use to delete certain information. For example, you can use delete buttons to delete content that you’ve posted to your account. When you delete content, it's no longer visible to other users. 
  2. Permanently delete your account:
  • If you delete your account on the Mobile App, we delete your information, including the things you’ve posted, such as your photos and status updates, unless we need to keep it as described in “How long do we keep your information?”. Once your account is permanently deleted, you won’t be able to reactivate it, and you won’t be able to retrieve information, including content you’ve posted.
  1. Please make a note that uninstalling the App will not result in any automatic deletion of your Personal Information or Sensitive Personal Data and Information.

 

  1. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DELETE YOUR INFORMATION?

If you ask us to delete your account or content, it could take up to ninety (90) days to erase your information once the account deletion process is initiated or when we receive a content deletion request. Subsequently, after the information is deleted, there might be an additional period of up to ninety (90) days for us to eliminate it from backups and disaster recovery.

 

  1. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?
  • We retain information for the duration required to deliver our Services. 
  • Unless compelled to retain it for other purposes, such as legal obligations, we will proceed to delete the information.

 

  1. WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU VIOLATE OUR TERMS AND POLICIES?

For example, if you post threatening or harmful content, we may share your information to protect ourselves and others. This may include blocking your access to certain features or disabling your account and in extreme cases, lead to barring your access to our Mobile App in the future.

  1. WHAT ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS?

All intellectual property rights, including copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, and any other proprietary rights related to the Mobile App and its content, are owned by the App owner or its licensors. Users of the App are not granted any license to use the intellectual property of the App owners or its licensors. Users may not reproduce, modify, distribute, display, perform, publish, license, create derivative works from, or sell any part of the Mobile App’s content without prior written consent from the App owner. Users who contribute content to the Mobile App (such as comments, posts, or other audio-visual content) grant the Mobile App owner a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, and sub-licensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, distribute, and display the contributed content in any media. The Mobile App may contain third-party content, including trademarks, logos, or copyrighted materials. Such content remains the property of their respective owners, and their use is subject to the terms and conditions set by those owners.

  1. CAN MINORS USE THE APP?

The use of the Mobile App is limited to individuals who are legally capable of entering into a binding contract under the Indian Contract Act, 1872. If you are below 18 years of age, please refrain from using or accessing the Service(s) in any way or at any time. If we become aware that an individual under 18 years of age has used or accessed the Mobile App, or if personally identifiable information has been collected from individuals under 18 years of age on the Mobile App, we will take appropriate measures to delete such information. As a parent or guardian, if you discover that your child under 18 years of age has created an account or accessed the Service, please contact us at support@bigshorts.co and request the deletion of your child’s personally identifiable information from our systems.

 

  1. MODIFICATION TO THE POLICY:
  1. We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Policy at any time. The Privacy Policy shall be updated on the Mobile App as and when amended. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy whenever you visit our Mobile App to understand how your Personal Information is used.

 

  1. We may email periodic reminders of our notices, amendments and conditions, unless you have instructed us not to, but you should check our Mobile App from time to time to see for any amendment in this Privacy Policy. The amended version will be effective as soon as it is published on the Mobile App. Any changes will be immediately posted on our Mobile App and you are deemed to have accepted the terms of the updated Privacy Policy on your first use of our Mobile App following the alterations. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your Data.

 

  1. CHANGES TO YOUR INFORMATION:

 

  1. You have the option to review, rectify, update, or modify the information you have provided by logging into your account. However, you are not allowed to delete any portion of the personal information or any other data generated on the Mobile App. You may update your information at any point by writing to us at the details indicated below in the contact section. 
  2. We retain the right to verify and authenticate your identity and Personal Information to ensure the accurate delivery of Services. We may deny or restrict access to your Personal Information or the ability to correct, update, or delete it if doing so would infringe upon another person’s rights or if it is not permitted by applicable law. 
  1. CONSENT TO THIS POLICY:

You acknowledge that this Privacy Policy is a part of the Terms and Conditions for the usage of the Mobile App and to avail the Services. You unconditionally agree that becoming a User of the Mobile App and this signifies your (i) assent to this Privacy Policy, and (ii) consent to BigShorts using, collecting, processing and/or disclosing your Personal Information in the manner and for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. Your visit to the Mobile App and use of the Products and/or Services is subject to this Privacy Policy and the Terms and Conditions.

  1. DISCLAIMER:

We cannot ensure that all of your Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Data and Information will never be disclosed in ways not otherwise described in this Privacy Policy. Therefore, although we are committed to protecting your privacy, we do not promise, and you should not expect, that your information or private communications will always remain private. As a User of the Mobile App, you understand and agree that you assume all responsibility and risk for your use of the Mobile App, the internet generally, and the information you post or access and for your conduct on and off the Mobile App.

  1. INDEMNITY:

You agree and undertake to indemnify us in any suit or dispute by any third party arising out of disclosure of information by you to third parties either through our Mobile App or otherwise and your use and access of websites, applications and resources of third parties. We assume no liability for any actions of third parties with regard to your Personal Information and Sensitive Personal Data and Information which you may have disclosed to such third parties.

  1. GOVERNING LAW:

The terms of this Privacy Policy shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of India. Any dispute regarding or arising out of this Privacy Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

  1. GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL:

In accordance with Information Technology Act, 2000 and rules made thereunder, the name and contact details of the Grievance Officer are provided below. If you have a query, concern, or complaint in relation to this Privacy Policy, please reach out to the Grievance Officer.

  • Email address:support@bigshorts.co

Last updated on 16/03/2024