1. Introduction & Campus Commitment
Welcome to PUYaari ("we", "our", or "us"). We are dedicated to providing a safe, authentic, and engaging digital campus community and resource hub for university students across Punjabi University Patiala, Panjab University Chandigarh, and affiliated institutions. Your privacy, personal data security, and campus peace of mind are our highest priorities.
This Privacy Policy explains how PUYaari collects, uses, protects, and discloses information when you use our website (puyaari.com), student accommodation directories, campus guides, and associated campus services.
2. Information We Collect
- Student Verification Data: University email, student roll number, department, course, and semester to confirm your authentic student status when accessing verified features.
- Profile Information: Name, optional bio, profile avatar, campus interests, and lifestyle vibe responses that you choose to share.
- User Content & Interactions: Campus stories, confessions, Chugli Room messages, Panga battle debates, poll votes, comments, likes, event RSVPs, student housing listings, and direct messages.
- Technical & Device Data: IP address, device browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and access timestamps for fraud prevention, spam protection, and session maintenance.
3. How We Use Your Information
- Campus Safety & Verification: To ensure that only genuine, currently enrolled university students gain access to community interactions and roommate matching.
- Student Services & Housing Discovery: To help students find verified rooms, roommates, and campus study partners with zero brokerage.
- Platform Integrity & Moderation: To investigate reports of bullying, harassment, unauthorized access, or policy violations in Chugli Rooms and public feeds.
- Service Notifications: To alert you about new campus events, direct messages, secret crush matches, Panga challenges, and platform updates.
4. Third-Party Advertising & Google AdSense Policy Compliance
PUYaari partners with third-party advertising networks, specifically Google AdSense, to serve advertisements when you visit our website. Maintaining an honest, transparent, and trusted ad ecosystem is fundamental to our platform:
- Use of Cookies: Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to PUYaari or other websites on the Internet.
- DoubleClick DART Cookie: Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve targeted ads to our users based on their visit to PUYaari and other sites across the web.
- Personalized Advertising Opt-Out: Users may opt out of personalized advertising at any time by visiting Google Ads Settings. Alternatively, you can opt out of third-party vendor use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info or Your Online Choices.
- No Ads on Restricted Screens: In strict compliance with Google AdSense Program Policies, advertisements are NEVER displayed on login pages, registration screens, password reset flows, error screens, or private messaging dialogs. Ads are only served on editorial, informative, and public content pages that provide substantial unique value.
5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
PUYaari uses cookies, web beacons, and local storage tokens to deliver essential site features:
- Essential & Session Cookies: Required for secure login authentication, CSRF token validation, and session preservation.
- Preference Cookies: Remember your campus theme preference, notifications state, and tour completion status.
- Analytics & Performance Cookies: Help us measure site traffic, popular campus topics, and technical performance via Google Analytics (gtag.js).
- You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser settings; however, certain interactive features of PUYaari (such as remaining logged in) may not function properly without cookies.
6. Anonymous Mode & Chugli Room Safety Shield
PUYaari provides anonymous interaction modes in PU Confessions and Chugli Rooms (as "Campus Ghost"):
- When posting anonymously, your public name, photo, and roll number are never exposed or visible to other students.
- Anonymous messages and confessions are securely tied to your encrypted account ID in the backend exclusively for safety auditing and legal moderation.
- Any attempt to harass, doxx, blackmail, or violate the law under anonymous mode will result in immediate identity revocation by Super Administrators, account termination, and reporting to relevant authorities.
7. Data Security, Retention & Your Rights
We employ modern industry-standard security measures including SSL/TLS encryption for all data in transit, encrypted passwords (Bcrypt), and secure database storage. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal verification records to third-party data brokers.
As a student user, you have complete control over your account settings:
- You can customize your profile visibility, online status, and read receipts anytime in Settings.
- You can block or report any user, listing, or Chugli room content that violates community standards.
- You have the right to request a copy of your personal data or request permanent account and data deletion directly from your account settings.
8. Contact & Grievance Redressal
If you have questions, safety concerns, or privacy grievances regarding this Privacy Policy or advertising practices, please contact our dedicated Privacy & Student Grievance Team:
- Email: support@puyaari.com / privacy@puyaari.com
- Official Website: https://puyaari.com
- Campus Focus: Punjabi University Patiala & Panjab University Chandigarh, Punjab, India