Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy – EELA INDIA
Last updated: 10 November 2025

At EELA INDIA (Encourage Independent Journalism), we take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains, in simple language, what information we collect, how we use it, and what choices you have. We have tried to avoid legal jargon so that every reader can understand it easily.

By using our website https://eelaindia.in/ (and any related pages, services, or features), you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Who We Are

EELA INDIA is an independent news media organisation focused on real-time news, social justice, and public-interest journalism.

In this policy, when we say “we”, “us”, or “our”, we mean EELA INDIA.
When we say “you”, we mean any person using or visiting our website or interacting with our services.

If you have questions about this policy, you can reach us at:
📧 Email: contact@eelaindia.in (please replace with your actual contact email if different)

2. What This Policy Covers

This Privacy Policy applies to:

  • Our website: https://eelaindia.in/

  • Any newsletters, forms, or contact options provided through the site

  • Our official online platforms where this policy is linked or referenced

It does not apply to third-party websites, apps, or services that we do not own or control, even if you access them through links on our site.

3. Information We Collect

We collect information in three main ways:

a) Information You Give Us Directly

You may provide information directly when you:

  • Contact us through forms or email

  • Subscribe to our newsletter or updates

  • Comment on articles (if comments are enabled)

  • Submit local news, stories, or issues to us

  • Participate in surveys, polls, events, or campaigns

This information may include:

  • Name

  • Email address

  • Phone number (if provided)

  • Location (city/state, if provided)

  • Any content you write or upload (messages, story details, documents, images, etc.)

b) Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, some information is collected automatically by your browser or device, such as:

  • IP address

  • Browser type and version

  • Device type (mobile, desktop, tablet)

  • Operating system

  • Pages viewed and time spent on pages

  • Referring URL (how you arrived at our site)

  • Date and time of your visit

  • General location (based on IP, at city/country level)

We may collect this data using:

  • Cookies

  • Log files

  • Web beacons / pixels or similar technologies

c) Information from Third Parties

We may also receive limited information about you from:

  • Analytics providers (e.g., traffic statistics)

  • Social media platforms (when you interact with our posts or share content)

  • Advertising or newsletter partners (where you have given them permission)

4. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website.

We use cookies to:

  • Remember your basic preferences (like language or region)

  • Understand how many people visit our site and which pages are popular

  • Improve website performance and user experience

  • Sometimes support analytics and advertising

You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. If you disable cookies, some parts of our site may not work properly, but you can still read most of the content.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Provide access to our news, articles, and other content

  • Respond to your messages, story submissions, and queries

  • Send newsletters or updates you have subscribed to

  • Improve our website’s design, content, and performance

  • Analyse how readers use our site so we can focus on what matters most

  • Maintain the safety and security of our platform

  • Comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

6. Legal Basis for Using Your Information

Depending on your location, we may rely on different legal bases to process your data, including:

  • Your consent (for example, when you subscribe to a newsletter)

  • Legitimate interests (for example, to understand and improve our journalism and website)

  • Legal obligations (for example, when we need to keep certain records)

You can withdraw your consent at any time by following unsubscribe links in emails or by contacting us.

7. How We Share Your Information

We may share your information with:

  1. Service Providers
    Trusted third parties that help us operate our website and services, such as:

    • Web hosting providers

    • Email/newsletter services

    • Analytics tools
      These providers are only allowed to use your information to perform services for us, not for their own purposes.

  2. Legal and Safety Reasons
    We may share information if we believe it is necessary to:

    • Comply with law, regulation, or legal process

    • Respond to requests from authorities

    • Protect our rights, safety, or property, or that of our readers, journalists, or the public

  3. Editorial and Reporting Purposes
    If you share news tips, documents, or local issues with us, we may use that information in our reporting. We handle sensitive information with care and, where appropriate, may discuss anonymity or confidentiality, but this depends on context.

We do not share your contact details with third parties for their direct marketing.

8. Analytics and Advertising

We may use third-party analytics services to understand how visitors use our website. These services may:

  • Use cookies or similar technologies

  • Collect aggregated data on page views, time on site, and basic device information

We may also work with advertising partners to show ads on our site. These partners may:

  • Use cookies or unique identifiers

  • Show you ads based on your visits to this or other websites (interest-based advertising)

You can limit this by:

  • Adjusting your browser’s cookie settings

  • Using “Do Not Track” (if supported)

  • Managing ad preferences on the relevant platforms (e.g., Google, social media)

9. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external sites, including:

  • Other news organisations

  • Social media platforms

  • Partner or reference sites

We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external websites. When you visit them, their own privacy policies will apply. We recommend reading those policies if you interact with those sites.

10. Data Retention – How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep your information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law.

For example:

  • Contact or query details: kept until we respond and for a reasonable period afterward

  • Newsletter data: kept as long as you remain subscribed

  • Analytics data: kept in aggregated or anonymised form where possible

When information is no longer needed, we aim to delete it or anonymise it securely.

11. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your country’s laws, you may have some or all of the following rights:

  • Access – to ask what personal data we hold about you

  • Correction – to update or correct inaccurate information

  • Deletion – to request that we delete certain information

  • Restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in some cases

  • Objection – to object to certain types of processing (such as direct marketing)

  • Withdrawal of consent – where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, you can contact us at:
📧 Email: contact@eelaindia.in

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests, to protect your privacy.

12. Children’s Privacy

Our website and content are generally aimed at a broad audience and are not specifically directed at children under 13 (or under the age defined by local law).

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without appropriate consent.
If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without consent, please contact us and we will take steps to delete such information.

13. How We Protect Your Information

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information from:

  • Unauthorised access

  • Unlawful use

  • Accidental loss, damage, or destruction

However, no website or online service can guarantee 100% security. Please use strong passwords, avoid sharing sensitive information in comments or public areas, and contact us if you suspect any misuse.

14. International Visitors

Our servers and main operations may be based in India. If you access our website from outside India, your information may be transferred to, stored, or processed in India or other countries.

By using our website, you agree to such transfers, subject to this Privacy Policy and applicable law.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:

  • Changes in our services

  • Changes in laws or regulations

  • Improvements in how we explain things

When we make changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. In case of major changes, we may also post a notice on our website.

We encourage you to review this page regularly so you stay informed about how we handle your information.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, you can contact us at:

📧 Email: theeelaindia@gmail.com
🌐 Website: https://eelaindia.in/