Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 12, 2026 · Operated by Mdot Technology (Shrikant Phutane)

1. Who We Are

BriefTrace is an AI-powered news brief service operated by Mdot Technology (Shrikant Phutane), accessible at www.brieftrace.com. "We", "us", and "our" refer to Mdot Technology operating BriefTrace.

2. What Data We Collect

2.1 Account Data (when you sign in with Google)

Your name and email address provided by Google OAuth
A unique user ID assigned by our authentication provider (Supabase)
Your profile picture URL from Google (used to display your avatar)

2.2 Usage Data

Articles you have read (tracked to calculate your daily reading streak)
Articles you have bookmarked
Your selected role (e.g. Founder, Developer, PM) and topic interests
Date and time of your visits

2.3 Technical Data

IP address (logged by our hosting provider Vercel for security purposes)
Browser type and device type
Cookie identifiers (see our Cookie Policy)

2.4 What We Do NOT Collect

Payment card details — no payment system is currently active
Your phone number
We do not sell your data to any third party

3. How We Use Your Data

To authenticate you via Google OAuth and maintain your session
To personalise your news feed based on your selected role and interests
To track your reading streak and bookmark history
To improve the quality of AI-generated briefs
To send you email notifications if you opt in (e.g. daily briefing, streak reminders)
To comply with legal obligations

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following bases:

Contract: processing is necessary to provide the BriefTrace service you requested.
Legitimate interests: to improve our service, detect fraud, and maintain security.
Consent: for optional email notifications. You may withdraw consent at any time from Settings.

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and United Kingdom, the above bases apply under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For users in India, processing is conducted in accordance with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act).

5. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We share your data only with the following service providers who process it on our behalf:

Supabase (Ireland / USA) — database and authentication
Vercel (USA) — website hosting and serverless functions
Google (USA) — OAuth sign-in and analytics (Google Analytics 4)
Groq (USA) — AI inference for generating briefs (article text only, no personal data)
Unsplash (Canada) — article images

All third-party providers are bound by data processing agreements and applicable data protection law. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data.

6. International Data Transfers

BriefTrace is operated from India. Your data may be transferred to and processed in the United States and Ireland where our service providers are located. Where required by law (e.g. GDPR), we ensure appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses are in place.

7. Data Retention

Account data: retained for as long as your account is active
Reading history and bookmarks: retained for as long as your account is active
Technical logs: retained for up to 30 days by our hosting provider

You may request deletion of your account and all associated data at any time from Settings → Danger Zone → Delete my account.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Correction: request correction of inaccurate data
Deletion: request deletion of your data (right to erasure)
Portability: request your data in a machine-readable format
Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests
Withdraw consent: for email notifications, unsubscribe at any time from Settings

To exercise any right, email us at brieftrace@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days. Indian users may also exercise rights under the DPDP Act by contacting us at the same address.

9. Children's Privacy

BriefTrace is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us at brieftrace@gmail.com and we will delete it promptly.

10. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including encrypted connections (HTTPS), secure authentication via Supabase, and access controls. No system is completely secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

11. Grievance Officer (India — DPDP Act)

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the DPDP Act, 2023, the grievance officer for BriefTrace is:

Name: Shrikant Phutane
Organisation: Mdot Technology
Email: brieftrace@gmail.com
Response time: within 30 days of receiving a complaint

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the new policy on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use of BriefTrace after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact

For privacy-related enquiries or to exercise your rights:
brieftrace@gmail.com
Mdot Technology (Shrikant Phutane), operating BriefTrace at www.brieftrace.com