Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

PincodesInfo (pincodesinfo.in) is an independent website run by Kiran Kumar J from Hyderabad, Telangana, India ("we", "us"). We decide why and how the personal data described here is processed. PincodesInfo is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by India Post, the Department of Posts or the Government of India.

This policy explains what we collect when you browse the site, contact us or use our PIN code API, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who else receives it and the choices you have. Questions: jkiranj7028@gmail.com.

2. What We Collect

2.1 When you contact us

The contact form stores your name, email address, subject, message, the time you sent it and the IP address it came from. We also receive a copy by email so we can reply.

2.2 When you create an API key

• Work email address, company or project name and what you will use the API for (required)
• Phone number (optional; used only for invoicing and support on paid plans)
• Whether you agreed to be contacted about your key and plans, when you agreed and from which IP address — so we can show that consent was given, or honour a withdrawal
• The IP address the key was created from, used to limit how many keys one connection can create
• Your plan and daily/monthly call counts, to enforce quotas

Your API key itself is not stored: we keep only a one-way hash of it and its first few characters, so we cannot show it to you again.

2.3 When you use the site or the API

• Server logs: our web server records each request — IP address, date and time, page requested, referring page and browser type. These are used for security and troubleshooting.
• Searches: what you search for, how many results it returned and your browser type, stored with a hash of your IP address that changes every day. This is pseudonymised, not anonymous. We use it to improve search and decide which pages to build.
• API calls without a key: the calling IP address, the date and the number of calls that day, to apply fair-use limits.
• Visit counts: a daily total of page views, with nothing that identifies you.
• Affiliate link clicks: on pages with Amazon links, a click record with hashed IP address and browser information, a session identifier and the referring page.

2.4 Stored on your own device

Your browser keeps your cookie choice, recent and favourite PIN codes and search history in local storage. This never leaves your device; clearing your browser data removes it.

3. Cookies and Your Choice

We use two Google services that set cookies:

• Google Analytics — measures how the site is used. Google Analytics 4 does not store IP addresses.
• Google AdSense — shows ads. With your consent ads may be personalised using your activity on other sites; without it, only non-personalised ads are shown.

The contact and API signup forms also set a short-lived session cookie to protect the form from forged submissions.

When you first visit, a banner asks for your choice:

• Accept all — analytics and personalised ads on.
• Essential only or Decline — analytics and ad personalisation off. Non-personalised ads may still appear, and Google uses cookies for those to limit how often an ad is shown and to prevent fraud.

Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland start with analytics and ads switched off, and see no ads until they choose "Accept all".

Change your cookie choice at any time. You can also opt out of personalised Google ads at Google Ads Settings and read how Google uses data from sites that use its services.

4. Why We Use Your Data

• To answer your messages and support requests
• To issue API keys, enforce quotas and fair-use limits, and invoice paid plans
• To contact you about your key and plans, only if you agreed to it
• To keep the site and API secure and to find and fix faults
• To understand which pages and searches are useful, and improve them
• To show ads, which pay for the free service
• To meet legal obligations

We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it with anyone for their own marketing.

5. Who Else Receives Data

• Google (Analytics, AdSense and Google Fonts) — see Google's Privacy Policy.
• OpenStreetMap — maps on PIN code pages load from openstreetmap.org, which receives your IP address. See the OSM Foundation Privacy Policy.
• Amazon — if you follow an affiliate link, Amazon receives the click. PincodesInfo is a participant in the Amazon.in Associates Programme; as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
• Our hosting provider (Oracle Cloud Infrastructure), which stores the site and its database on our behalf.
• Payment processor — when paid plans are billed online, the payment provider processes your payment details. We never see or store card or bank details.
• Authorities, when the law requires it.

Google and some of these providers may process data outside India.

6. Security

All traffic is encrypted with TLS, the database is not reachable from the internet, administrative access is restricted and logged, and API keys are stored only as hashes. No system is completely secure; if a breach affects your personal data, we will tell you and the authorities as the law requires.

7. How Long We Keep It

• Contact form messages: 2 years, then deleted automatically
• API key account details: while the key is active, and deleted on request once you stop using it (invoicing records are kept as long as tax law requires)
• Search logs: 90 days; after that only daily totals remain, with no IP data
• Keyless API usage: 90 days
• Affiliate click records: 60 days
• Web server logs: 14 days
• Google Analytics: according to our Google Analytics retention setting

8. Your Rights

You can ask us to:

• tell you what personal data we hold about you and how it is used;
• correct or complete it;
• delete it, unless we must keep it by law;
• stop contacting you, or withdraw any consent you gave — withdrawing does not affect what was done before;
• nominate someone to exercise these rights for you if you die or become incapacitated.

Write to jkiranj7028@gmail.com from the email address involved, or tell us how to confirm the request is yours. We reply within 30 days.

9. Grievance Officer

If you have a complaint about how your personal data is handled, contact:

• Name: Kiran Kumar J, Grievance Officer
• Email: jkiranj7028@gmail.com
• Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India

We acknowledge complaints within 48 hours and aim to resolve them within 30 days. If you are not satisfied, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India once it accepts complaints.

10. Children

The site is for general audiences. API keys and the contact form are meant for adults: if you are under 18, please ask a parent or guardian to contact us for you. If we learn we hold a child's personal data without a parent's consent, we delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

When our practices change we update this page and the date at the top. If a change materially affects API key holders, we also email them.

12. Governing Law

This policy is governed by the laws of India, including the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 as its provisions come into force. Courts at Hyderabad, Telangana have jurisdiction, subject to any right you have to approach a consumer forum or authority.