Privacy Policy

Vaad AI ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting the privacy of all users ("you") who interact with our legal assistant service via WhatsApp or our website. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your information in compliance with applicable Indian laws including the Information Technology Act, 2000, the IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA).

By using Vaad AI, you consent to the data practices described in this policy. Please read it carefully.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• WhatsApp messages: The text of queries you send to Vaad AI to generate responses.
• Contact form submissions: Name, email address, and message content submitted through our website contact form.
• WhatsApp profile data: Phone number and display name as provided to WhatsApp Business API by Meta Platforms.

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Usage data: Frequency and timing of interactions (not message content unless stored for quality purposes).
• Technical data: Device type, operating system, and approximate geographic region (country/state level) as reported by the WhatsApp Business API.
• Website analytics: Pages visited, browser type, referral source, and anonymised IP address if you visit our website.

1.3 Information We Do Not Collect

• Government IDs, Aadhaar, PAN, or other official identification numbers.
• Financial information, bank account, or payment card details.
• Sensitive personal data such as passwords, biometric data, or health information.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

• Service delivery: To process your legal queries and generate relevant responses using our AI pipeline and Indian Kanoon API.
• Quality improvement: To analyse conversation patterns (in anonymised form) to improve AI accuracy and response quality.
• Customer support: To respond to enquiries submitted through our contact form.
• Security: To detect, prevent, and investigate abuse, fraud, or misuse of the service.
• Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws, court orders, or governmental authority requests.

We do not use your data for targeted advertising, profiling, or sale to third parties.

3. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share data with:

• Meta Platforms (WhatsApp): As required to operate the WhatsApp Business API. Meta's own privacy policy governs their use of data.
• Render.com: Our hosting and deployment provider. Data is processed on their servers in accordance with their data processing agreement.
• Indian Kanoon: Query terms are submitted to the Indian Kanoon API to retrieve legal documents. No personally identifiable information is included in API queries.
• Law enforcement / courts: If required by a valid legal order under Indian law, we may disclose information to authorities.

4. Data Retention

• Conversation logs are retained for a maximum of 90 days for quality assurance, then deleted or anonymised.
• Contact form submissions are retained for up to 12 months.
• Aggregated, anonymised usage data may be retained indefinitely for analytics.
• You may request earlier deletion of your data by contacting us (see Section 7).

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data including:

• HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data in transit.
• Access controls limiting who can access stored conversation data.
• Regular security reviews of our deployed infrastructure on Render.com.
• We do not store raw WhatsApp messages on servers beyond operational necessity.

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Children's Privacy

Vaad AI is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a child has submitted information to us, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.

7. Your Rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a summary of personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Grievance Redressal: Lodge a complaint with us, and if unresolved, with the Data Protection Board of India once constituted.
• Nomination: Nominate another individual to exercise these rights on your behalf in the event of your death or incapacity.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@vaadai.in with your request. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Third-Party Links

Our responses may include links to Indian Kanoon and other legal resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. Please review their respective privacy policies.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify users of material changes by posting the revised policy on our website with a new effective date. Continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance.

10. Contact — Privacy Grievance Officer

For privacy-related concerns, contact our designated Grievance Officer:

• Email: support@vaadai.in
• Subject Line: "Privacy Grievance – [Your Issue]"
• Response Time: Within 30 days as required by applicable law.

Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of Vaad AI, an AI-powered legal information assistant accessible via WhatsApp and our website (collectively, the "Service"). By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

1. About the Service

Vaad AI is an artificial intelligence chatbot designed to provide legal information and references pertaining to Indian law. The Service uses a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline to fetch content from the Indian Kanoon API and present it in a user-friendly format via WhatsApp.

Vaad AI is operated as a technology product and is not a law firm, advocate, legal practitioner, or legal service provider as defined under the Advocates Act, 1961 or any other applicable Indian law.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By initiating a conversation with Vaad AI on WhatsApp or accessing our website, you confirm that:

• You are at least 18 years of age or have the consent of a guardian.
• You have read, understood, and agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy.
• You will use the Service only for lawful purposes consistent with these Terms.

3. Critical Disclaimer — Not Legal Advice

IMPORTANT: The content provided by Vaad AI constitutes legal information only and does not constitute legal advice. Vaad AI does not create any attorney-client relationship. You should not rely solely on Vaad AI's responses for any legal decision. Always consult a qualified advocate or legal professional licensed under Indian law before taking legal action.

4. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes. You must not use the Service to:

• Obtain assistance for any illegal activity or to violate any applicable law or regulation.
• Harass, threaten, or harm any individual or group.
• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information.
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or extract the underlying AI model or data pipeline.
• Automate queries in a manner that overloads or disrupts the Service infrastructure.
• Impersonate another person or misrepresent your affiliation with any entity.
• Use the Service for any commercial purpose without prior written authorisation from Vaad AI.

5. Intellectual Property

All content, design, code, trademarks, and materials relating to Vaad AI ("Vaad AI Content") are the property of Vaad AI or its licensors. Legal documents retrieved from Indian Kanoon are subject to their respective copyrights and are provided for informational reference.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from Vaad AI Content without express written permission.

6. Accuracy and Limitations

While we strive for accuracy, Vaad AI acknowledges the following limitations:

• AI systems can make errors ("hallucinations") even with RAG technology. Responses should be independently verified.
• Laws and case law change frequently. Information may not reflect the most recent legal developments.
• Vaad AI does not have access to confidential, sealed, or unpublished court documents.
• Coverage is limited to content available in the Indian Kanoon database.
• Vaad AI cannot provide jurisdiction-specific or fact-specific legal strategy.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable Indian law:

• Vaad AI provides the Service on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind.
• Vaad AI shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or reliance on the Service.
• Vaad AI's total liability to you for any claim shall not exceed INR 500 (five hundred rupees) or the amount you paid for the Service, whichever is lower.
• We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components.

8. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Vaad AI, its operators, employees, and agents from any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising out of your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any applicable law.

9. Service Availability and Modifications

We reserve the right to:

• Modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service at any time with or without notice.
• Update these Terms at any time. Continued use after updates constitutes acceptance.
• Restrict access to the Service for any user who violates these Terms.

10. Third-Party Services

The Service relies on third-party providers including Meta (WhatsApp Business API), Render.com (hosting), and Indian Kanoon (legal database API). Your use of these third-party services is subject to their respective terms of service and privacy policies. Vaad AI is not responsible for the actions or policies of these providers.

11. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of India. Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Service shall first be attempted to be resolved amicably. If unresolved within 30 days, disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of India.

12. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

13. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at: support@vaadai.in