Privacy Policy

1. Universal Anonymous Architecture

The first time you visit Verdict, our system generates an anonymous cryptographically-secure session identifier stored solely inside your device's browser (Local Storage). This allows you to cast verdicts on polls, post dilemmas, and write takes without ever providing identifying credentials.

If you choose to use Verdict purely anonymously, clearing your browser cache or site storage ends that local session permanently. We have no mathematical or technical means of reconstructing your identity from an anonymous session token.

2. Ghost Persona & Handle Protection

Users have the option to claim an authenticated handle (e.g. @handle) using an email address verified via a one-time passcode (OTP).

• Email Confidentiality: Your email address is stored encrypted in our database with Row-Level Security (RLS). It is used strictly for authentication and account recovery. It is never displayed publicly, never exposed to other members, and never shared with advertisers.
• Ghost Mode Toggle: Even after registering a handle, you can toggle Ghost Mode on any story or comment. When Ghost Mode is active, your public handle is severed from the post; it appears to the community as an "Anonymous Ghost" with a randomised vector illustration avatar.
• No Retroactive Linking: Claiming a handle does not retroactively link or expose past anonymous stories you created. Attribution is locked at the moment of publishing.

3. What Information We Store

• Public Story Content: Text submissions (up to 2000 characters), updates, and comment threads. Verdict is text-first: we intentionally do not allow photo, video, or document uploads to eliminate accidental visual doxxing.
• Poll Verdicts: Which of the three sides you cast on a dilemma ("Nah, you're good", "You're wrong", or "Need more context"), recorded to compute live tally percentages and enforce one-vote-per-story integrity.
• Reactions & Saves: Hype reactions and bookmarked stories associated with your session or handle.
• Moderation Reports: Flags submitted through the in-app reporting tool, retained for moderator auditing. Content authors are never shown who reported their story.

4. The AI Privacy Shield (De-Identification Scanner)

Before your story is published, its text passes through our automated AI Privacy Shield powered by secure, high-speed LLM inference (Groq). The Privacy Shield scans for Personally Identifiable Information (PII) — including full names, phone numbers, email addresses, exact residential addresses, social media handles, and defamatory employer accusations — and suggests neutral pseudonymised replacements.

Zero Model Training: Text evaluated by the Privacy Shield is processed ephemerally in-memory. Neither Verdict nor our AI inference partner uses your stories, comments, or drafts to train or fine-tune public foundation models.

5. Local Storage & Cookie Usage

Verdict does not use third-party tracking cookies, fingerprinting scripts, or cross-site ad retargeting pixels. We utilize standard browser Local Storage strictly for core product functionality:

• verdict:session — Authenticates your anonymous or verified session with our API.
• verdict:theme — Stores your display theme preference (Dark Mode or Light Mode).
• verdict:ghost_mode — Remembers your preference for anonymous ghost publishing.
• verdict:voted_* — Optimistically prevents duplicate voting within the UI.

6. Technical Infrastructure & Sub-processors

To provide high reliability and rapid worldwide delivery, we work with industry-standard infrastructure providers who process data in accordance with strict data protection agreements:

• Supabase: Managed PostgreSQL database hosting with strict Row-Level Security (RLS) policies ensuring users cannot query other members' private metadata.
• Cloudflare: Edge routing, DDoS defense, SSL termination, and Cloudflare Turnstile bot verification (verifies human interaction without invasive CAPTCHA challenges).
• Groq Inc.: Secure API inference for pre-publication AI privacy scanning.
• PostHog: Self-hosted/privacy-compliant event metrics (aggregating general usage trends without storing personal story content).
• Sentry: Real-time error reporting to monitor server exceptions and software crashes.

7. Data Retention & Deletion Rights (DPDPA 2023)

In compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA 2023) and applicable global data privacy standards:

• Account Deletion: You can purge your handle and associated profile at any time directly in the Settings page or by contacting our Grievance Officer.
• Post Removal: You can delete any story or comment you authored while logged in. Deleted content is purged from active feeds immediately.
• Moderation Archives: Content removed due to actionable violations (such as non-consensual imagery threats or doxxing) is retained in a secure restricted moderation audit log for legal compliance and law enforcement inquiries under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.

8. Protection of Minors

Verdict is strictly intended for individuals aged 18 years or older. We do not knowingly solicit or collect personal data from minors. If you have reason to believe a minor has submitted personal details on our service, please contact our Grievance Officer immediately for expedited removal.

9. Contact & Grievance Redressal

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, your rights, or wish to submit an erasure or takedown request, please reach out to our designated Grievance Officer:

Email: arclinelabs@gmail.com
Detailed Process: Visit our dedicated Grievance Redressal Page.