Privacy Policy
Effective Date: June 15, 2026
Last Updated: July 3, 2026
Welcome to GlobalTalks. This Privacy Policy explains how GlobalTalks ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use our mobile application and website at globaltalksapp.com. This policy also covers our GlobalTalks EduConnect service for schools, teachers, students, and parents.
Summary: We collect only what we need, protect it with strong encryption, never sell your data, and give you full control over your information. For school users, we apply the highest level of data protection for student and children's data.
1. Information We Collect
1.1 General Users
- Personal Information: Name, email address, phone number, username, and password
- Location Data: GPS location collected only during Emergency SOS activation
- Voice and Audio Data: Voice recordings for speech-to-text translation and voice cloning features
- Usage Data: App usage patterns, device information, and analytics data
- Chat Messages: Encrypted messages sent through our platform
- Uploaded Content: Photos, documents, and images uploaded for translation
- Device Token: FCM token for push notifications
1.2 EduConnect School Users
When using GlobalTalks EduConnect, we additionally collect:
- School Information: School name, address, board type, contact details
- Principal/Administrator Data: Name, email, phone, designation
- Teacher Data: Name, email, phone, subject, class assignments
- Student Data: Name, class, roll number, academic progress, assignment submissions
- Parent Data: Name, phone number, relationship to student, preferred language
- Academic Records: Assignments, notices, attendance records, PTM schedules
- Communication Records: Messages between teachers and parents (encrypted)
Important: Student data is treated as sensitive personal data under India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023. We apply the highest level of protection to all student information.
2. How We Use Your Information
2.1 General Use
- Provide real-time translation services across 200+ languages
- Enable AI companion (MOM) features
- Provide Emergency SOS services and location-based assistance
- Enable user-to-user encrypted chat messaging
- Send push notifications and administrative information
- Improve our AI translation accuracy
- Respond to user inquiries and support requests
- Comply with legal obligations
2.2 EduConnect School Use
- Enable school-to-parent communication in regional languages
- Facilitate teacher-student-parent interaction
- Deliver notices and assignments in each user's preferred language
- Track student academic progress (visible only to authorized users)
- Schedule and manage Parent-Teacher Meetings (PTM)
- Provide school analytics to principals and administrators
- Comply with India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 requirements
3. Children's Privacy and Parental Consent
This section is critically important for EduConnect school users.
3.1 Age Requirements
- General GlobalTalks app: Users must be 13 years or older
- EduConnect Student accounts: Students of any age may use EduConnect WITH verified parental consent
- Students under 18 are considered minors and their data receives special protection
3.2 Parental Consent
- Before creating a student account for a child under 18, verifiable parental consent is required
- Parents must actively agree to our Children's Data Terms during registration
- Schools are responsible for obtaining and maintaining parental consent records
- Parents can withdraw consent at any time by contacting us at support@globaltalksapp.com
- Upon withdrawal of consent, the student's data will be deleted within 30 days
3.3 What We Do NOT Do With Children's Data
- We NEVER sell children's data to any third party
- We NEVER use children's data for targeted advertising
- We NEVER share student data outside the school ecosystem without explicit consent
- We NEVER use children's data to train AI models without explicit consent
- We NEVER allow children's data to be accessed by unauthorized users
3.4 Children's Data Access Controls
- Students can only see their OWN data
- Teachers can only see data for students in THEIR assigned classes
- Parents can only see data for THEIR OWN children
- Principals can see all data within THEIR school only
- No cross-school data access is permitted under any circumstances
- GlobalTalks staff access to student data is strictly limited and logged
4. Data Storage and Localization
4.1 Current Storage
- Data is currently stored on Google Firebase infrastructure
- Firebase uses Google's secure data centers
- All data is encrypted at rest and in transit
4.2 India Data Localization
- We are committed to storing Indian user data on Indian servers
- We are in the process of migrating to Firebase Mumbai region (asia-south1)
- School/EduConnect data will be prioritized for India-based storage
- We will notify users when India-based storage is fully implemented
4.3 DPDP Act 2023 Compliance
- GlobalTalks is committed to full compliance with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023
- We treat student data as sensitive personal data requiring highest protection
- We maintain records of all data processing activities
- We will appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO) as required by law
- Data breach notification will be provided within 72 hours as required
5. Third-Party Services
Important: Student and children's data is NEVER shared with third-party services for advertising, marketing, or any purpose other than providing the EduConnect service.
6. Device Permissions
- Camera: For OCR text extraction and translation
- Microphone: For voice translation, voice messages, and voice calls
- Storage: For saving translations and documents
- Location: For Emergency SOS GPS detection
- SMS: For sending emergency location messages
- Phone: For Emergency SOS calling
- Internet: For translation, chat, and cloud services
7. Data Security
- AES-256 encryption for all chat messages
- HTTPS/SSL for all data transmission
- Firebase security rules for strict database access control
- Secure authentication via Firebase Auth
- Role-based access control for EduConnect (student/teacher/parent/principal)
- Encrypted storage for sensitive student academic records
- Regular security audits and monitoring via Sentry
- No plain-text storage of passwords or sensitive personal data
8. Data Retention
8.1 General Users
- Account data is retained while your account is active
- Location data is not permanently stored — used only during emergency SOS
- Voice data is processed in real-time and not permanently stored
- Usage analytics are retained for 12 months
- Upon account deletion, all personal data is deleted within 30 days
8.2 EduConnect School Users
- Active school data is retained for the duration of the school subscription
- Student academic records are retained for the current academic year plus one year
- Upon school subscription cancellation, data is retained for 90 days then permanently deleted
- Schools can request immediate data deletion at any time
- Parent communication records retained for 1 academic year
- Upon student graduation or transfer, data is archived and accessible only to the school
9. Your Rights
9.1 General Rights (All Users)
- Access your personal information
- Correct inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data
- Opt out of AI processing of your data
- Withdraw consent at any time
- Data portability — receive your data in a readable format
9.2 Additional Rights (EduConnect Users)
- Parents: Right to access, correct, and delete their child's data at any time
- Parents: Right to withdraw consent for their child's data processing
- Schools: Right to export all school data in standard format
- Schools: Right to request complete data deletion upon contract termination
- Students (18+): Right to access and control their own academic data
To exercise these rights, contact us at support@globaltalksapp.com
10. AI Disclaimer
GlobalTalks uses AI for translation and companion features. AI can make mistakes. Users should verify important translations, especially in medical, legal, or emergency situations. GlobalTalks SOS is not a replacement for official emergency services — always call 112 directly in life-threatening situations.
For EduConnect: AI translation of school notices and academic content is provided for communication assistance only. Schools and teachers remain responsible for the accuracy of academic information communicated to students and parents.
11. Cookies
Our web version uses cookies for authentication and analytics. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect app functionality.
12. GDPR — European Users
If you are in the EU/UK, you have additional rights under GDPR including the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. Our legal basis for processing is consent and legitimate interests.
13. CCPA — California Users
California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect, request deletion, and opt out of sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.
14. India DPDP Act 2023
GlobalTalks is committed to compliance with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. As an Indian startup serving Indian users and schools, we treat this law as our primary data protection obligation. Key commitments:
- We collect only data necessary for providing our services
- We obtain explicit consent before processing personal data
- Children's data receives special protection as required by law
- We will notify affected users within 72 hours of any data breach
- Users can withdraw consent and request data deletion at any time
- We will appoint a Data Protection Officer as required
15. School Data Agreement
Schools using GlobalTalks EduConnect agree to:
- Obtain verifiable parental consent before registering student accounts
- Use GlobalTalks EduConnect only for legitimate educational purposes
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date student and parent information
- Notify GlobalTalks immediately of any suspected data breach
- Not share school login credentials with unauthorized persons
- Comply with applicable Indian education and data protection laws
16. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes through the app or email. For EduConnect schools, we will provide 30 days notice before any significant policy changes affecting student data.
17. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data:
GlobalTalks is committed to protecting your privacy and the privacy of children in our care.
We believe language should never be a barrier — and neither should trust.