1 Introduction

Welcome to fluenza.org (“we,” “us,” or “our”). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information when you visit or interact with our website at https://fluenza.org.

Our website is operated from India and is primarily intended for users in the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Jordan. By accessing or using our website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

2 Applicable Laws & Jurisdiction

This website is operated from India and governed by applicable Indian law. We also respect the data protection principles of the Middle Eastern countries we serve.

3 Information We Collect

a) Comments & Submissions

When you leave a comment, we collect the information you provide — name, email address, and optional website URL — along with your IP address and browser user agent string for spam detection and security.

b) Cookies

We use cookies to improve your experience. Here is what we set:

• Comment cookies — If you opt in after leaving a comment, your name, email, and website are saved for 1 year for convenience.
• Session cookies — A temporary cookie checks browser cookie support on the login page. It holds no personal data and is discarded when you close the browser.
• Login cookies — If you log in, cookies save your session (2 days) and screen preferences (1 year). “Remember Me” extends login to 2 weeks. Logging out removes all login cookies.
• Editor cookies — If you publish or edit content, a cookie records the post ID for 1 day. No personal data is stored.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect certain site functionality.

c) Uploaded Media

If you upload images, please remove embedded location data (EXIF GPS) beforehand. Visitors may be able to extract location data from any uploaded images on the website.

d) Analytics

We may use analytics tools to understand how users interact with our site, collecting anonymized data such as pages visited, time on page, browser type, device type, and general geographic region.

e) Technical & Server Data

Like most websites, we automatically collect technical information including IP addresses, browser type, operating system, referral URLs, and access timestamps, used for security monitoring and spam prevention.

4 How We Use Your Information

• To display and manage user comments on the website
• To detect and prevent spam, abuse, and unauthorized access
• To maintain and improve website security and performance
• To analyze website usage and improve user experience
• To respond to inquiries submitted through the site
• To comply with applicable legal obligations under Indian law

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.

5 Embedded Content from Third Parties

Our website may include embedded content such as videos, images, or articles from third-party platforms (e.g., YouTube, X/Twitter). Embedded content behaves as if you have visited those websites directly — they may collect data about you, use cookies, and monitor your interactions, particularly if you are logged into their platforms.

We do not control the data practices of third-party platforms and encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.

6 How We Share Your Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share limited data only in these specific circumstances:

• Gravatar — An anonymized hash of your email may be sent to Gravatar to fetch your profile picture. See Gravatar’s Privacy Policy.
• Spam Detection — Submitted comments may be processed by an automated spam detection service.
• Password Resets — If you request a password reset, your IP address may be included in the automated reset email for security purposes.
• Legal Requirements — We may disclose data if required by Indian law, court order, or to protect our rights, property, or user safety.

7 Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored on servers accessible to website administrators. We implement reasonable technical and organizational security measures aligned with the IT (SPDI) Rules, 2011, to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration.

No method of internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data. In the event of a data breach posing risk to users, we will take appropriate steps to notify affected individuals as required by applicable law.

8 How Long We Retain Your Data

• Comments & metadata — Retained indefinitely to support moderation and spam prevention.
• Registered user profiles — Retained as long as your account is active. You may request deletion at any time.
• Cookies — Expire as described in Section 3(b).
• Server logs & IP records — Retained for up to 90 days for security purposes.

9 Your Rights

Regardless of your location, you have the following rights over your personal data:

Indian users also have rights under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, including the right to information about processing, correction, erasure, and grievance redressal. To exercise any rights, contact us via fluenza.org. We aim to respond within 30 days.

10 Children’s Privacy

Our website is not intended for children under the age of 13 (or under 18 in jurisdictions where a higher threshold applies). We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately so we can delete such data promptly.

11 Notice to Users in the Middle East

Our website is designed for users across the Middle East. We recognize the importance of regional data protection standards and aim to align our practices with your local expectations.

• UAE users — We acknowledge the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021) and align our practices with its principles of consent, purpose limitation, and data subject rights.
• Saudi Arabia users — We are aware of the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) and its requirements, including lawful bases for processing and data subject rights.
• All GCC users — We treat your personal information with the care and respect consistent with regional privacy expectations.

Your data may be processed or stored in India. By using our website, you consent to the transfer of your information to India, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.

12 Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party website you visit through links on our platform.

13 Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or website operations. When we do, we will revise the effective date at the top of this page. Continued use of the website after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.