Privacy Policy

1. Imagery Collected and Shared by Users via our Services

We provide tools that allow users to capture and upload street-level flood imagery using our Services.

Because this imagery is captured in public spaces, it may incidentally include other people, vehicles, licence plates, house numbers, buildings, or other property belonging to individuals who are not users of SnapFlood. To reduce privacy impact, we ask users not to capture identifiable people or private property where it can be avoided. We also limit access to raw imagery to authorised personnel and approved partners, and take steps to minimise the use of identifying information. Where permitted under applicable law, we process such incidentally captured imagery on the basis of our legitimate interest in producing flood-risk data, supported by these measures.

If you are identifiable within any imagery on our Services, whether as a user or as someone who appears in an uploaded image, you may request its removal by contacting us at snapflood@iith.ac.in, and we will act on your request. Processed imagery and the outputs we derive from it may be used in connection with our Services and our flood-mapping and analytics activities in accordance with our Terms of Service.

2. Collection of Information

a. Information You Provide to Us

We collect information you provide directly to us. For example, you share information directly with us when you create an account, submit flood imagery or other content through our Services, request support, or otherwise communicate with us. The types of information we may collect about you include your name, email address, account credentials, profile photo, and any other information you choose to provide.

b. Information We Collect Automatically When You Use Our Services

When you access or use our Services, we automatically collect certain information about you, including:

• Device and Activity Information: We collect information about how you access our Services, including data about the device and network you use, such as your hardware model, operating system version, mobile network, IP address, unique device identifiers, browser type, and app version. We also collect information about your activity on our Services, such as the time and date you access our Services, which content you have uploaded, pages viewed, links clicked, and the page you visited before navigating to our Services.
• Location Information: In accordance with the permissions you set on your device, we may collect information about the precise or approximate location of your device, including metadata attached to imagery you share with us. You may stop the collection of location information at any time. Separate from your permission settings, we may infer your approximate location based on your IP address.
• Stored Information: We may access information you have stored on your mobile device via our mobile applications in accordance with permission settings you set on your mobile device. For example, with your permission, we may access photos or videos from your mobile device's photo gallery.
• We may use cookies or similar technologies in the future to improve functionality, analytics, or user experience. If we do so, we will update this Privacy Policy accordingly.

c. Information We Collect from Other Sources

We obtain information from third-party sources. For example, if you create or log into your SnapFlood account through another platform (such as when you sign in using Google or Apple authentication services), we will have access to certain information from that platform, such as your profile photo and language preference, in accordance with the authorisation procedures determined by such platform.

3. Use of Information

We may use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve our products and services, including improving the technology and algorithms that power our Services, and to develop new products and services;
• Process uploaded imagery through our algorithms to estimate flood water depth and to fuse it with satellite and other data sources;
• Create, develop, and commercially license anonymised and aggregated flood-risk data products, analytics, models, scores, and insights to public-sector, academic, non-profit, humanitarian, and commercial organisations, as our Services develop.
• Personalise and improve your experience on our Services.
• Send you technical notices, security alerts, and support and administrative messages.
• Communicate with you about products, services, and events we offer, and provide information that we think will interest you (see Choice of Marketing Communications below);
• Monitor and analyse trends, usage, and activities in connection with our Services;
• Operate leaderboards, contests, challenges, and reward programmes that encourage contributions, and process and deliver entries and rewards;
• Detect, investigate, and prevent security incidents and other malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity and protect the rights and property of SnapFlood and others;
• Debug to identify and repair errors in our Services;
• Comply with our legal and financial obligations; and
• Carry out any other purpose described to you at the time the information was collected.

4. Sharing of Information

We share information about you in the following circumstances or as otherwise described in this policy:

• Raw imagery uploaded by users is generally accessible only to authorised personnel, administrators, service providers, and approved partners involved in operating, improving, or supporting the Services. Such sharing occurs between and among SnapFlood and our current and future parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries, and other companies under common control and ownership.
• We process uploaded imagery to operate and improve our Services, including to estimate flood water depth and to generate flood-risk data products. We create anonymised and aggregated flood-risk datasets, scores, and analytics from this imagery, which we may license or sell to commercial customers and partners. Personal data is anonymised and aggregated so that no individual is identifiable before any such commercial sharing.
• If we believe that disclosure is in accordance with, or required by, any applicable law or legal process, including lawful requests by public authorities to meet national security or law enforcement requirements.
• If we believe that your actions are inconsistent with our user agreements or policies, or if we believe it is necessary to protect the rights, property, and safety of SnapFlood or others.
• In connection with, or during negotiations concerning, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business by another company.
• We also share anonymised and aggregated information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you or any other individual.

5. How We Process Personal and Shared Data

When we process your personal data, we do so in reliance on the following lawful bases:

• Performance of a contract: To perform our responsibilities under our contract with you as per the Terms of Service.
• Legitimate interests: When we have a legitimate interest in processing your personal data to operate our business or protect our interests (e.g., to provide, maintain, and improve our products and services, including our algorithms, to develop new products and services, conduct data analytics, and communicate with you).
• Legal obligation: To comply with applicable laws and our legal obligations (e.g., to maintain a record of your consents).
• When we have your consent to do so (e.g., when you opt in to receive marketing communications from us).

6. Data Retention

We retain the imagery you submit, and the flood-risk data derived from it, for as long as your account remains active or as needed to operate our Services. When you request deletion of your account or data, we will delete your personal data and remove your username and other information that identifies you from retained content. The remaining imagery, derived data, datasets, analytics, models, research outputs, and other materials may continue to be retained and used in anonymised form, in accordance with our Terms of Service. We may retain certain data for longer where required to meet legal obligations or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

7. Security of Information

We implement reasonable technical, administrative, and organisational safeguards designed to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, disclosure, or alteration. However, no method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure. In the event of a known personal data breach, we will notify the affected individuals and the relevant authorities.

8. Transfer of Information to India and Other Countries

We are based in India and primarily process and store information on servers located in India. We may also process or store information in other countries where our service providers, infrastructure providers, or partners operate, including cloud hosting providers. When personal data is transferred across jurisdictions, we take measures designed to protect it in accordance with applicable law, including, where required, appropriate contractual safeguards. For users in India, cross-border transfers are made in accordance with the applicable laws and any restrictions notified by the Central Government.

9. Your Rights and Choices

a. Rights of Data Principals

Subject to certain limitations, you have the right to request: information about how we process your personal data; access to a copy of the personal data we hold about you; correction or erasure of your personal data; and withdrawal of any consent you have previously provided. If you are in India, you also have the right to nominate another individual to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity, and the right to a readily available means of grievance redressal. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please email us at snapflood@iith.ac.in. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law, and we aim to resolve grievances within 90 days.

If you have a concern about our processing of personal data that we are not able to resolve, you may have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority where you reside. Contact details for your Data Protection Authority can be found on the respective authority's website.

• For individuals in India, the Data Protection Board of India (DPBI)
• For individuals in Japan, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC)

b. Right of Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account and associated personal data by contacting us at snapflood@iith.ac.in. We may retain certain information where required by law, for security purposes, or legitimate operational needs.

c. Choice of Marketing Communications

You may opt out of promotional emails at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in those emails or by contacting us at snapflood@iith.ac.in. You will still receive non-promotional messages such as security alerts and service notices.

10. Children's Personal Information

Our Services are intended only for individuals who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly allow children (individuals under 18 years of age) to create accounts or submit content, and we do not knowingly collect, track, or behaviorally monitor their personal data or direct advertising to them. If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child, we will delete it. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at snapflood@iith.ac.in.

11. Indian Residents

This section applies if you reside in India and supplements the rest of our Privacy Policy. We process your digital personal data in accordance with the applicable rules. We collect and use personal data only for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, based on your consent or for certain legitimate uses permitted under applicable law. We will provide notices in clear and plain language, including the personal data involved, the purpose of processing, and a way to withdraw consent or contact us about your rights.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or grievances about this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal data, please contact the grievance officer at snapflood@iith.ac.in.