Welcome to Botany&Bowls. This Privacy Policy outlines how I (Dr. Priyanka Singh) and this website collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit botanyandbowls.in. This policy complies with the Indian Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) and applicable global standards.
1. Information We Collect
Personal Information: If you sign up for an account, subscribe to the newsletter, or fill out the Video Request form, we collect personal data such as your name and email address. We use Clerk for secure authentication.
Usage Data: We may collect non-personally identifiable information automatically, such as your IP address, browser type, device information, and pages visited, to help optimise the website experience.
Cookies: We use cookies and similar technologies for authentication, analytics, and advertising. See Section 5 below for full details.
2. How We Use Your Information
- To personalise your experience and deliver the culinary and botanical content you are most interested in.
- To securely manage your user account (via Clerk authentication).
- To communicate with you, including responding to video requests or sending newsletters.
- To improve our website, recipes, and user interface using aggregated analytics data.
- To display contextual or personalised advertisements via Google AdSense (only with your consent).
3. Legal Basis for Processing (DPDP Act 2023 / GDPR)
We process your personal data on the following legal bases:
- Consent: For analytics cookies and advertising cookies — you can withdraw consent at any time using the Privacy Choices button at the bottom of the screen.
- Contractual Necessity: For account creation and management via Clerk.
- Legitimate Interest: For essential website security and fraud prevention.
4. Third-Party Services
- Clerk: Used for secure user authentication and identity management. See Clerk Privacy Policy.
- Sanity: Used for managing our recipe and article database. Data is stored on Sanity's secure servers.
- YouTube API: Used to display video data. Data fetched via the YouTube API adheres to Google's Privacy Policy.
- Google Analytics 4: Used to understand website usage (pages visited, device type, approximate location). Only activated with your analytics consent. Does not receive your name, email, or Clerk user ID.
- Google AdSense: If enabled and you have given advertising consent, AdSense may display personalised ads using cookies. You can opt out via Google Ad Settings.
- Vercel Analytics & Speed Insights: Aggregated, anonymised traffic and performance data. No personal data is shared.
5. Cookies and Tracking
We use cookies in the following categories:
- Strictly Necessary Cookies: Required for the website to function (authentication sessions via Clerk). Cannot be disabled.
- Analytics Cookies: Google Analytics 4 — tracks page views, scroll depth, and engagement. Activated only with your consent.
- Advertising Cookies: Google AdSense — may serve personalised or non-personalised ads based on your consent choice.
You may manage your cookie preferences at any time using the “Privacy choices” button displayed at the bottom of the screen, or through your browser settings.
6. Advertising and Affiliate Links
Some product links on this website — particularly in the Tool Reviews section — may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, Botany&Bowls may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships do not influence our editorial opinions or recommendations. All affiliate pages clearly disclose this relationship at the top of the page.
7. Data Retention
We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy:
- Account data (via Clerk): Retained as long as your account is active.
- Video request submissions (email + idea): Retained for up to 12 months for the purpose of planning content.
- Analytics data (Google Analytics 4): Retained for up to 14 months per Google's default retention settings.
8. Your Rights (DPDP Act 2023)
As a Data Principal under the DPDP Act 2023, you have the following rights:
- Right to Access: Request a summary of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data. To delete your account, email us or use the account deletion option in your profile settings.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for analytics or advertising cookies at any time using the Privacy Choices button.
- Right to Grievance Redressal: File a complaint with our Grievance Officer (see below).
9. Age Restriction
This website is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a child has submitted personal data to us, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.
10. Grievance Officer (DPDP Act 2023)
In accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, the following person has been designated as the Grievance Officer for this website:
- Name: Dr. Priyanka Singh
- Designation: Grievance Officer, Botany&Bowls
- Email: dr.priyankasingh78@gmail.com
- Response Time: Within 30 days of receiving your grievance.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any significant changes will be communicated by updating the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of the website after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
12. Contact
If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, contact us at:
Email: dr.priyankasingh78@gmail.com