Krishi Sahachar

Krishi Sahachar

Privacy Policy

Version 1.1 • Effective Date: September 16, 2026. Krishi Sahachar respects the privacy of farmers and rural communities. This policy explains how crop images, voice inputs, technical metadata, and user choices are handled transparently, securely, and responsibly across the Krishi Sahachar website and mobile application.

1. Information Usage & Data Protection

  • Unnecessary personal data is never requested. Information voluntarily provided through official website forms is used solely for pilot testing, onboarding, and institutional collaboration.
  • Krishi Sahachar never asks for or collects sensitive personal records, such as Aadhaar cards, bank account details, land ownership records (7/12 extracts), passwords, or financial credentials.
  • Information provided for pilot registrations or partnership inquiries is processed exclusively for genuine agricultural support and direct communication.
  • No background profiling, hidden tracking, or unauthorized analytics data is collected without explicit user consent.

2. AI Crop Image Analysis & External AI Relay

  • Explicit Consent Before Processing: Crop photos are processed for pest and disease diagnosis only after the farmer explicitly taps 'Accept' on the in-app AI processing consent modal.
  • Canvas Re-Encoding & EXIF/GPS Stripping: Before any crop image is relayed to external AI services, the mobile app re-encodes the image via an HTML5 canvas, completely stripping all camera metadata, GPS location coordinates, timestamps, and device properties.
  • Sanitized Minimal Payload: Diagnostic requests transmit only sanitized image bytes, the selected crop name, an optional crop ID, coarse district context (e.g., Nashik) for agronomic relevance, and language code.
  • Zero Personal Data in Diagnostic Relay: The app never sends farmer name, mobile number, Aadhaar number, bank details, village address, exact field GPS coordinates, or persistent hardware device identifiers to external AI services for crop diagnosis.
  • Authorized External Vision Providers: Krishi Sahachar utilizes Google Gemini (Gemini Vision) as the primary external vision provider for diagnostic analysis, with OpenAI Vision serving as an automated fallback when needed.
  • Fact-Based Processing: External AI processing is performed ephemerally over secure HTTPS for real-time diagnostic evaluation, adhering strictly to standard provider service terms without unverified zero-retention or deletion claims.
  • Non-Blocking Farmer Choice: If a farmer taps 'Decline', no image is relayed to external AI. The farmer can freely continue using all other features, including text-based Q&A, weather forecasts, market prices, government schemes, and direct KVK escalation.

3. Scan History & Safe Local Storage

  • Bounded History (Latest 3 Records): Recent scan history in the app is strictly capped at the latest three (3) sanitized diagnosis metadata records on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis.
  • No Raw Photo Storage: The app never stores raw photos, Base64 image strings, image blobs, signatures, EXIF tags, GPS coordinates, or direct personal identifiers in recent scan history; only crop name, diagnostic summary, and district are retained.
  • Complete Logout Purge: When a farmer logs out of the app, recent scan metadata is immediately purged from local storage, preventing subsequent users on shared devices from viewing prior scan records.
  • Consent Isolation on Logout: Image AI consent is tied to the active user session and is cleared upon logout, reverting to 'not_prompted' so that the next user must provide their own independent consent.

4. App Permissions & Hardware Access

  • Website Permissions: This website does not request camera, microphone, storage, or location permissions.
  • Camera & Photo Gallery: The Krishi Sahachar mobile app requests Camera or Gallery access only when the farmer deliberately chooses to capture or upload a leaf/crop image for disease diagnosis.
  • Microphone Permission: The mobile app requests microphone access solely for the optional voice input (speech-to-text) feature.
  • No Background Harvesting: The application never passively accesses location, contacts, SMS messages, or private filesystem storage in the background.

5. Voice & Microphone Privacy

  • Deliberate Microphone Use: The microphone is activated only when the user explicitly taps the mic button in the chat interface. No background listening or passive recording is performed.
  • Microsoft Azure Speech Services: Captured voice audio is securely transmitted over HTTPS via our backend proxy to Microsoft Azure Speech Services exclusively for transcription into text.
  • Transient Processing: Raw voice audio files are processed transiently in memory and are not permanently stored or saved on our servers.
  • User Verification: Transcribed text is displayed to the farmer for review and editing before the query is submitted to the advisory system.
  • Non-Blocking Text Alternative: Typing queries manually is always available. Denying microphone permission does not restrict access to any other application features.

6. Google Analytics & Cookie Consent

  • We use Google Analytics with Google Consent Mode v2 (Basic mode) to analyze website traffic and improve usability.
  • Aggregate Data Only: Only after the visitor explicitly clicks 'Accept analytics' on the cookie banner are aggregated metrics (page views, session duration, general city/region, browser type) processed.
  • No PII Collection: Directly identifiable personal data such as names, phone numbers, or email addresses is never transmitted to Google Analytics.
  • Opt-In Cookies: Analytics cookies are stored on your device only after affirmative user consent.
  • Consent Management: Visitors can modify or withdraw their cookie consent at any time via the 'Privacy settings' link in the website footer.

7. Agricultural Advisory Safety & Expert Verification

  • Preliminary Guidance Only: Krishi Sahachar delivers preliminary advisory guidance and is not a substitute for certified agronomists, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) scientists, agricultural extension officers, or veterinary doctors.
  • Mandatory Expert Consultation: Always verify chemical pesticide, fungicide, or fertilizer dosages with certified local agriculture officers or the national Kisan Call Center (KCC toll-free: 1800-180-1551) prior to application.
  • Weather & Spraying Caution: Never spray chemicals when rain or high winds are forecast; no guaranteed yields, subsidies, or direct profits are promised.

8. Contact & Privacy Inquiries

  • General inquiries and privacy questions: contact@krishisahachar.in
  • Institutional partnerships, FPOs, and research collaboration: partnerships@krishisahachar.in
  • Official website: https://krishisahachar.in (Official Brand: Krishi Sahachar)