Veralap ("we", "us") is an online forum operated by Arnab Rana from West Bengal, India. This policy explains what personal information we collect when you use veralap.web.app, why we collect it, and the choices you have. We collect only what we need to run the forum.
1. Information we collect
- Account information: your name, email address and, if you sign in with Google, your profile photo.
- Writer profile: if you become a writer, the name, photo, field, bio and LinkedIn link you choose to add. This is shown publicly.
- Your content: articles, drafts, comments, poll votes, topic ideas, Writers' Room messages and reports you submit.
- Activity: articles you save and writers you follow.
- Writer applications: details you submit in our Google Form, such as your background and writing sample.
- Usage data: pages visited, approximate location (country/city), device and browser type, collected through Google Analytics for Firebase.
We do not collect payment information, government ID numbers or passwords in readable form. Passwords are handled securely by Firebase Authentication.
2. How we use your information
- To create and secure your account and let you sign in
- To publish articles and show writer profiles
- To let you save articles, follow writers, comment and vote
- To review applications and content against our Community Guidelines
- To understand how the site is used and improve it
- To contact you about your account, your articles or important changes
3. What is public
Published articles, writer names, writer profiles, comments and the names shown with them are visible to everyone. Your email address is never shown publicly.
4. Services we use
We rely on trusted third-party services to run Veralap. They process data on our behalf under their own privacy policies:
- Google Firebase (sign-in, database, hosting, analytics)
- Cloudinary (storing and delivering images)
- YouTube (videos embedded in articles, using privacy-enhanced mode)
- Google Forms (writer applications)
5. Cookies and local storage
We use browser storage to keep you signed in and to remember small reading preferences such as text size. Google Analytics may use cookies to measure visits. You can clear these in your browser settings at any time.
6. Sharing
We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share it only with the services listed above, or when required by Indian law or a valid legal request.
7. How long we keep it
We keep your account information while your account is active. If you ask us to delete your account, we delete your personal information within 30 days, except where we must keep it by law. Published articles may stay online under your name unless you ask for them to be removed.
8. Your rights
You can ask to see, correct or delete your personal information, or withdraw your consent, by writing to veralap.official@gmail.com. You can update your name and password anytime on your Account page.
9. Age
Veralap is intended for people aged 18 and above. Writers must be 18 or older. If you believe someone under 18 has given us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
10. Security
We use secure connections (HTTPS), Firebase security rules and limited admin access to protect your data. No online service is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to keep your information safe.
11. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page and, for important changes, inform members by email or on the site.
12. Contact and grievances
For any privacy question or complaint, contact our Grievance Officer:
Arnab Rana, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Veralap
Email: veralap.official@gmail.com
We aim to respond within 7 days.