Privacy Policy

Last Updated: May 16, 2026

Welcome to UniChalo, an AI-powered mobile application designed for university admissions in Pakistan. UniChalo is committed to protecting the privacy of our users, including Students, University Administrators, and Ambassadors.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use the UniChalo mobile application (the "App") and our associated backend services.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using the App, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal data as described in this Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the App.

1. Information We Collect

To provide our services, UniChalo must collect and process certain personal data. The types of data collected depend on your selected role (Student, University Admin, or Ambassador).

A. Information You Give Us directly

We collect information you provide when you create an account, create a profile, interact with AI, make posts, or communicate with other users.

• Account Data: When you sign up, we collect your email address, password, and assigned Role (Student, University Admin, or Staff/Ambassador).
• Profile Data: We collect information to build your profile, which may include your name, bio, and profile image (uploaded via your device's image picker).
• Role-Specific Data:
  • Students: We may collect academic data you input for the AI Merit Calculator (e.g., test scores, grades).
  • University Admins: Specific registration details related to your institution.
  • Staff/Ambassadors: Data related to your invitation and verification.
• User-Generated Content: We collect and store the content you create within the App, including posts (text and images), comments, likes, follows, and invitations you send or accept.
• Direct Messages (Chat): We use Socket.IO for real-time messaging. We collect and store the messages you send to other users to maintain your conversation history and provide read-receipts.
• AI Chatbot Prompts: We collect the text prompts you send to the UniChalo AI chatbot to provide you with answers.

B. Information Collected Automatically

We collect certain information through the technology stack used by the App.

• Authentication Data: We store limited data required to maintain your session on your device using AsyncStorage. This includes a persistent login state. On our backend, we use HttpOnly cookie refresh tokens to maintain secure sessions.
• Online Presence: For real-time chat functionality, we track your online status using Socket.IO. Other users in your conversations can see when you are online.

C. Information from Third Parties

If you choose to use the Google Sign-In feature, we will collect your email address, name, and profile picture URL from Google, as authorized by your Google account settings.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the data we collect for the following purposes:

• Service Provision: To manage your account, verify your identity via OTP, and facilitate role-based access for Students, Admins, and Ambassadors.
• Social Functionality: To display your posts and comments on the social feed, manage follow requests, and process notifications.
• Communication: To deliver your direct messages to other users, show unread badges, and manage your online presence status.
• AI Guidance: To process your prompts through our AI chatbot to provide university discovery tools, merit calculations, and admission guides.
• Platform Maintenance: To maintain secure sessions (JWT refresh), silent token renewal through Axios interceptors, and ensure the App survives restarts.

3. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information in the following ways:

A. Sharing with Other Users (Social Feed & Profile)

By using UniChalo, certain information is visible to other users: your profile (name, bio, profile image), your social feed posts and comments, and your online/offline status in chat lists.

B. Third-Party Service Providers

We may share data with service providers that perform services on our behalf (such as cloud hosting, email verification services for OTP, and the AI model processing your chatbot prompts). These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only as directed.

C. Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law in Pakistan or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or a government agency).

4. Security of Your Information

UniChalo takes the security of your data seriously. We have implemented technical measures to safeguard your information, including encryption, API security, and data minimization. However, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure.

5. Your Rights Regarding Your Data

Depending on your location and applicable law (such as the Pakistan Protection of Personal Data Act), you may have the following rights: right of access, rectification, deletion, and withdrawing consent by logging out to clear active tokens from device storage.

6. Children's Privacy

UniChalo is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information.

7. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy within the App. Changes are effective when posted within the App.

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: unichalo49@gmail.com