Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy Overview

This Privacy Policy applies to all information collected through the Explore Bihar website, its subdomains, mobile-optimised versions, and any related digital services (collectively, the "Platform"). This Policy is published in compliance with the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011, and other applicable Indian laws.

We are committed to maintaining the trust of our users. This document explains transparently what data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and what rights you have over your data.

Who We Are

Explore Bihar is an independent, privately operated tourism information platform focused on promoting the heritage, culture, nature, food, and travel destinations of Bihar, India. We are not affiliated with any government entity.

Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information:

A. Information You Provide Voluntarily:

• ▸Name and email address (when you contact us or register for an account);
• ▸Travel queries, feedback, or messages submitted through contact forms;
• ▸Reviews, ratings, or comments you post on the Platform;
• ▸Information submitted when reporting incorrect content.

B. Information Collected Automatically:

• ▸IP address and approximate geographic location;
• ▸Browser type, version, and operating system;
• ▸Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet) and screen resolution;
• ▸Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation path;
• ▸Referring website URL (how you arrived at our site);
• ▸Search queries made within our Website.

C. Cookies and Tracking Data:

• ▸Session cookies for maintaining Website functionality;
• ▸Analytics cookies (e.g., Google Analytics) for traffic analysis;
• ▸Advertising cookies (e.g., Google AdSense) for personalised ads;
• ▸Preference cookies to remember your display or language settings.

How We Collect Data

• ▸Directly from you when you fill out forms, contact us, or register;
• ▸Automatically via server logs, cookies, and tracking pixels when you browse the Website;
• ▸From third-party analytics tools (Google Analytics, Vercel Analytics);
• ▸From advertising partners (Google AdSense) that serve ads on our pages;
• ▸From social media plugins if you interact with share buttons;
• ▸From embedded third-party content (maps, videos) that may track their own usage.

Why We Collect Data

We collect data for the following legitimate purposes:

• ▸To operate, maintain, and improve the Website and its features;
• ▸To respond to enquiries, feedback, and support requests;
• ▸To analyse user behaviour and improve content quality and user experience;
• ▸To serve relevant and personalised advertisements;
• ▸To detect, prevent, and address technical issues, security threats, and fraud;
• ▸To comply with applicable legal obligations;
• ▸To enforce our Terms & Conditions and other policies.

How We Use Your Data

• ▸Website operation: Ensuring pages load correctly and features function properly;
• ▸Communication: Responding to your messages, enquiries, and feedback;
• ▸Analytics: Understanding how users interact with our content to improve it;
• ▸Personalisation: Improving content recommendations based on browsing behaviour;
• ▸Advertising: Displaying contextually relevant advertisements via Google AdSense;
• ▸Security: Monitoring for unauthorised access, spam, or malicious activity;
• ▸Legal compliance: Fulfilling obligations under Indian law when required.

We will not use your data for purposes incompatible with those listed above without your explicit consent.

Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do NOT sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party. We may share data only in the following limited circumstances:

• ▸Service Providers: Trusted third-party vendors who assist us in operating the Website (hosting, analytics, security), bound by confidentiality obligations;
• ▸Analytics Partners: Google Analytics and similar services receive anonymised, aggregated usage data;
• ▸Advertising Networks: Google AdSense may receive cookie-based data for serving personalised ads;
• ▸Legal Requirements: When required to comply with a court order, government directive, or applicable Indian law;
• ▸Business Transfer: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user data may be transferred with appropriate safeguards;
• ▸Protection of Rights: When we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Explore Bihar, its users, or the public.

Cookies & Tracking

Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your web browser. Explore Bihar uses the following types of cookies:

You can control cookies via your browser settings. Disabling non-essential cookies will not affect core Website functionality but may affect ad personalisation. Visit www.aboutcookies.org for browser-specific instructions.

Google Services

Explore Bihar integrates several Google services that may collect data independently:

• ▸Google Analytics: Collects anonymised usage data. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy);
• ▸Google AdSense: Serves personalised advertisements. Uses cookies to track ad interactions;
• ▸Google Maps: Embedded maps may collect location and interaction data;
• ▸Google Fonts: Serves web fonts which may log the requesting IP address.

You may opt out of Google Analytics tracking via the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. You may manage ad personalisation at adssettings.google.com.

Analytics Tools

We may use one or more of the following analytics tools to understand Website usage:

• ▸Google Analytics (Google LLC) — tracks sessions, pageviews, bounce rate, device types, geographic data;
• ▸Vercel Analytics — monitors performance, Core Web Vitals, and uptime;
• ▸Hotjar or similar heatmap tools (if implemented) — records anonymised user interaction patterns.

All analytics data is processed in aggregate and is not linked to personally identifiable information. We do not enable User-ID tracking or demographic reporting that could identify individual users.

Third-Party Services

Third-party services embedded or linked on Explore Bihar operate under their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review their policies before interacting with their content:

• ▸Google (Analytics, AdSense, Maps, Fonts): https://policies.google.com/privacy
• ▸YouTube (embedded videos, if any): https://policies.google.com/privacy
• ▸Pinterest (referenced for images): https://policy.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy
• ▸Resend or similar email services (for contact form processing): Their respective privacy policies.

Explore Bihar is not responsible for the data practices of third-party services.

Data Retention

We retain different categories of data for different periods:

• ▸Contact form submissions: Up to 2 years for customer service purposes;
• ▸Server access logs: Up to 90 days for security and debugging;
• ▸Analytics data: As configured in Google Analytics (default: 26 months);
• ▸User account data (if applicable): Until account deletion or 3 years of inactivity;
• ▸Audit logs for admin actions: Up to 1 year.

Upon expiry of the retention period, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• ▸HTTPS encryption for all data in transit;
• ▸Secure server infrastructure with access controls;
• ▸Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments;
• ▸Restricted admin access with multi-factor authentication;
• ▸Firewall protection and DDoS mitigation.

Your Rights

Under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and associated Rules, and in line with global best practices, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• ▸Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
• ▸Right to Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
• ▸Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal retention obligations);
• ▸Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent to data processing at any time (this may affect your use of certain features);
• ▸Right to Object: Object to processing of your data for marketing or analytics purposes;
• ▸Right to Portability: Request transfer of your data in a structured, machine-readable format;
• ▸Right to Lodge a Complaint: File a complaint with the relevant data protection authority in India.

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at akverma7295@gmail.com with the subject line: "Privacy Rights Request". We will respond within 30 days.

Children's Privacy

Users between 13 and 18 years of age must have parental consent to use the Website and should be supervised while doing so.

International Users

Explore Bihar is operated from India and is primarily intended for users in India. If you access the Website from outside India, please be aware that your data may be transferred to and processed in India, where data protection laws may differ from your country's laws. By using the Website, you consent to this transfer and processing.

User-Generated Content

If you submit reviews, comments, travel stories, or photographs to Explore Bihar:

• ▸Such content may be publicly visible on the Platform;
• ▸You grant us a license to display, distribute, and use the content as described in our Terms & Conditions;
• ▸Do not include personally sensitive information in public submissions;
• ▸You can request removal of your publicly posted content by contacting us.

AI & Automated Processing

Explore Bihar may use AI tools to generate, enhance, or summarise content. In terms of user data:

• ▸We do not feed personally identifiable user data into public AI models;
• ▸Analytics data may be processed using automated tools for traffic analysis;
• ▸AI content generation does not involve profiling of individual users;
• ▸Automated decisions with significant impact on users are not made by this Platform.

Data Breach Policy

In the event of a data breach that may affect your personal data:

• ▸We will investigate and contain the breach as a matter of urgency;
• ▸Affected users will be notified by email (where contact details are available) within a reasonable timeframe;
• ▸We will take all necessary remedial actions and notify relevant authorities as required by Indian law;
• ▸We will publish a breach notification on the Website if the breach affects a significant number of users.

Do Not Sell My Data

Explore Bihar does NOT sell, rent, or lease personal data to third parties for their own marketing or commercial purposes. Any data shared with third parties (analytics, advertising) is done on the basis of legitimate interest and under data processing agreements that prohibit further sale or misuse.

If you wish to opt out of all non-essential data processing, please contact us at akverma7295@gmail.com.

Opt-Out Options

You have multiple options to limit data collection on Explore Bihar:

• ▸Google Analytics Opt-Out: Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on from https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout;
• ▸Google Ad Personalisation: Manage at https://adssettings.google.com;
• ▸Browser Cookie Settings: Disable cookies for specific domains in your browser settings;
• ▸Browser Privacy Mode: Use incognito/private browsing mode to limit cookie storage;
• ▸Do Not Track (DNT): Enable the DNT browser setting (note: not all services honour this);
• ▸Contact Us: Email us to request removal of any data we hold about you.

External Links

Explore Bihar contains links to external websites, including government portals, hotel booking platforms, transport booking services, and tourism resources. This Privacy Policy applies only to the Explore Bihar Platform. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any external website. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of every website you visit.

Policy Changes

We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make material changes:

• ▸We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page;
• ▸Significant changes may be communicated via a prominent notice on the Website;
• ▸Your continued use of the Website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

We recommend reviewing this Policy periodically to stay informed about our data practices.

Governing Law

This Privacy Policy shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of India, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011. Any disputes arising from this Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of Patna, Bihar, India.

Contact Us

For any privacy-related queries, requests, or complaints, please contact our Privacy Officer: