Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

1. General Information

This Privacy Policy and Terms of Service describes how APT News ("we," "our," or "us") collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use our mobile application and services, and establishes the terms and conditions governing your use of our services. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in an open and transparent manner.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Automatically Collected Information

When you use our app, we may automatically collect certain technical and usage information to provide and improve our services, including device information, app usage data, and general location data for relevant news content.

2.2 Information You Provide

We may collect information that you voluntarily provide, such as:

• Notification preferences
• Feedback and support communications
• User preferences and settings
• Upvote and downvote interactions

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: To provide you with news content and app functionality
• Push Notifications: To send you relevant news alerts and updates based on your preferences
• Analytics: To understand app usage patterns and improve our services
• Technical Support: To troubleshoot issues and provide customer support
• App Improvement: To develop new features and enhance user experience

4. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect and analyze information about app usage. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to track user interactions. The information collected by Google Analytics includes:

• App usage statistics
• User engagement metrics
• Technical performance data
• Anonymous demographic information

Google Analytics data is processed in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy. You can learn more about Google's data practices at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

5. Push Notifications

With your consent, we may send you push notifications to deliver breaking news, important updates, and other relevant content. You can:

• Enable or disable push notifications through your device settings
• Customize notification preferences within the app
• Opt-out at any time without affecting other app functionality

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: With trusted third-party service providers who help us operate our app (such as Google Analytics)
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or government regulation
• Safety and Security: To protect our users, app, or the public from harm or illegal activity
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. When we no longer need your information, we will securely delete or anonymize it.

9. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request information about the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data
• Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured format
• Objection: Object to certain processing of your personal data
• Consent Withdrawal: Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

10. Children's Privacy

APT News is not intended for children under the age of 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States and other countries where our service providers are located. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information during such transfers.

12. News Content Disclaimer and Limitations of Liability

12.1 Service Availability

APT News is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee that:

• The service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free
• News content will always be available or up-to-date
• Technical issues, server downtime, or data loss will not occur
• Third-party news sources will remain accessible or accurate

12.2 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, APT News shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from:

• Reliance on aggregated news content or third-party information
• Service interruptions, app crashes, or technical failures
• Loss of data, settings, or user preferences
• Actions taken based on news content displayed in the app
• Inaccurate, outdated, or misleading information from news sources

13. Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate user accounts under the following conditions:

13.1 Prohibited Activities

• Abuse of voting system: Manipulating upvote/downvote functions through automated tools or fake accounts
• Spam behavior: Excessive or repetitive interactions designed to disrupt service functionality
• Technical abuse: Attempting to hack, reverse engineer, or exploit the app's systems
• Illegal activity: Using the service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of applicable laws
• Terms violation: Repeated or severe breaches of these terms and conditions

13.2 Termination Process

Account termination may be immediate for severe violations or following a warning for minor infractions. Upon termination:

• Access to your account and app features will be permanently revoked
• User data will be handled according to our data retention policy
• You may appeal termination decisions by contacting our support team

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy in the app and updating the "Last Updated" date above.

15. Contact Information

16. Third-Party Content and Links

APT News aggregates and references content from various news sources and may contain links to external websites and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or policies of these third-party websites or news sources. When you access external links through our app, you are subject to the privacy policies and terms of those third parties, not ours. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.

17. Age Restrictions

APT News is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete that information immediately. If you believe we have collected information from a child under the applicable age, please contact us at info@apt.news.

18. Data Security Disclaimer

While we implement appropriate security measures to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information, though we maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

19. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy and Terms of Service is governed by the laws of the Netherlands and the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Any disputes will be resolved in the competent courts of Rotterdam, Netherlands.