Privacy Policy

PW ARise — a children's augmented-reality app by PW Kids (Physics Wallah)

At a glance

This summary is provided so parents and guardians can understand the policy quickly. The full policy below is the legally binding version.

1. About this policy

This Privacy Policy explains how PW Kids handles information in connection with the PW ARise mobile application (the “App”). It applies to your use of the App on iOS and Android devices.

PW Kids is the children's brand of Physics Wallah, an Indian education company. References in this Policy to “PW Kids”, “we”, “us” and “our” mean PhysicsWallah Limited, having its registered office at KLJ Noida One, 1st Floor, Industrial Area, Block B, Sector 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201309, India.

By downloading, installing, or using the App, you agree to the practices described in this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

2. This is a children's app

PW ARise is designed and intended for children aged 5 to 10. It is published under Apple's Kids Category and under Google Play's Designed for Families programme. PW Kids treats every user of this App as a child under the applicable laws of India and the United States.

Because PW ARise is built for children, we have designed the App so that it does not ask for or collect personal information from users, transmits only the limited technical data described in Section 4, contains no third-party advertising, requires no account or login, and keeps the experience inside a closed, child-safe environment with no open web access and no social features. These protections apply across all content in the App — including augmented-reality experiences, activities, and games.

This Policy is written so that parents and guardians can read and understand it. If anything in this Policy is unclear, please contact us using the details in Section 14.

3. Information we do not collect

PW ARise has been designed so that none of the following is collected from any user, including children:

• Names, usernames, nicknames, or any identifying labels

• Email addresses, phone numbers, or postal addresses

• Photographs, video, voice recordings, or any media captured by the device

• Precise or approximate geographic location

• Device identifiers used for advertising (such as IDFA on iOS or the Android Advertising ID)

• Contacts, calendar entries, photo library content, or any other personal data on the device

• Browsing history, search history, or activity outside the App

• Financial information, payment details, or purchase history

• Health, biometric, or fitness information

• Any other sensitive personal data as defined under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

The App does not include a login flow, an account-creation flow, a chat or messaging feature, a comment feature, user-generated content, or any link that allows a child to leave the App and browse the open internet.

The only data transmitted off the device is the limited technical data required by our augmented-reality technology provider, described in Section 4.

4. Third-party AR technology (Vuforia Engine)

The App's augmented-reality features are powered by the Vuforia Engine software development kit (“SDK”), provided by PTC Inc. (“PTC”). When the App runs, the Vuforia Engine automatically transmits limited technical data to PTC's servers. This data includes:

• Device information, such as the device model and operating system version

• A technical device identifier used for licence verification and service statistics

• The Vuforia Engine version and licence-validation data

• Basic SDK lifecycle events (for example, when the AR engine starts and stops)

PTC uses this data to verify our licence to use the Vuforia technology and to produce aggregate usage statistics about the Vuforia Engine. This transmission:

• Is required for the App's AR features to function and cannot be switched off by the user

• Is encrypted in transit

• Is not used for advertising, behavioural profiling, or tracking children across apps, websites, or services

• Does not include camera images, names, contact details, location, or any content created by the child

Camera images are processed on the device by the Vuforia Engine and are never uploaded (see Section 5). For more information about how PTC handles this data, please see PTC's privacy policy at https://www.ptc.com/en/documents/policies/privacy.

5. Camera usage

PW ARise uses the device camera for one purpose only: to recognise supported targets — such as printed pages, cards, or surfaces — so that the App can display augmented-reality content. Depending on the experience, this content may be educational, interactive, or a game.

Camera images are processed locally on the user's device by the Vuforia Engine. Specifically, the App does not:

• Record video or audio from the camera

• Save or store any camera images, frames, or stills

• Upload camera images, frames, or stills to any server, including PTC's servers

• Share camera images, frames, or stills with any third party

The camera permission is required by the operating system in order to enable the augmented-reality experience. A parent or guardian may revoke camera access at any time through the device's system settings; however, the App will not be able to display its AR content without camera access.

6. No advertising

PW ARise does not contain:

• Third-party advertising of any kind

• Behavioural or interest-based advertising

• Sponsored content or paid placements

• Advertising networks, ad SDKs, or ad mediation services

We do not show advertisements to children, and we do not allow any third party to do so through the App.

7. Analytics and tracking

PW ARise does not use advertising identifiers, behavioural analytics services, or cross-app tracking technologies. We do not track user behaviour across apps, websites, or services, we do not maintain profiles of individual users, and we do not monitor what a child does inside the App.

Apart from the limited technical data transmitted by the Vuforia Engine for licence verification and aggregate service statistics (described in Section 4), the App does not transmit usage data, event data, session data, or diagnostic data about the user's activity in the App.

8. No accounts, no in-app purchases

PW ARise does not require any of the following:

• Creation of a user account or profile

• Sign-in with an email address, phone number, or social-media account

• In-app purchases, paid subscriptions, or any other paid content

The App is free to download and free to use in its entirety.

9. How information is shared

PW ARise does not collect personal information provided by users, and we do not sell, rent, lease, or trade any information from the App to anyone.

The limited technical data described in Section 4 is transmitted directly from the device to PTC Inc., the provider of the Vuforia Engine, which processes it to verify our licence and to produce aggregate statistics. PTC handles this data in accordance with its own privacy policy.

If we are required by law, by an order of a competent court, or by a regulator with valid jurisdiction to disclose any information in our possession, we will do so to the limited extent required, and we will, where lawful, notify the affected user.

10. Data retention

PW ARise does not maintain user accounts and does not store personal information on PW Kids' servers. There is therefore no personal information held by PW Kids to retain or delete on a per-user basis.

Any settings or progress created by the App (for example, audio volume preferences, or progress within an experience or game) are stored only on the user's device. These local settings remain on the device and are removed automatically when the App is uninstalled.

The technical data transmitted to PTC (Section 4) is retained by PTC in accordance with its privacy policy and data-security practices.

11. Data security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to the nature of the App. Because PW ARise has been designed not to collect personal information:

• There is no central PW Kids database of user information that could be exposed in a breach

• Camera content is processed only on the device and is not transmitted

• The App does not maintain user accounts, advertising identifiers, or session keys; the only identifier transmitted off the device is the technical device identifier used by the Vuforia Engine for licence verification and aggregate statistics (Section 4), and it is encrypted in transit

Where the App downloads content (such as 3D models, audio, or game assets) from PW Kids' content infrastructure, this transfer is one-way — from PW Kids to the device — and does not transmit personal information about the user.

12. Children's privacy — COPPA and Apple Kids Category

PW ARise is directed to children under the age of 13. We have designed the App to comply with the principles of the United States Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (“COPPA”) and with Apple's App Store Review Guidelines for the Kids Category, regardless of where the App is used.

In line with these principles:

• We do not knowingly collect personal information from children, except that our AR technology provider transmits a persistent technical identifier used solely to provide support for the internal operations of the App (licence verification and aggregate service statistics), as permitted by COPPA. This identifier is never used for behavioural advertising, profiling, or to contact any child

• We do not require children to provide personal information as a condition of using any feature of the App

• The App does not contain third-party advertising, behavioural advertising, or links that take a child out of the App to external websites or social media

• The App does not include in-app purchases or any other commerce flow that targets children

If we become aware that we have inadvertently received personal information from a child under the age of 13 beyond what is described in this Policy, we will delete that information promptly. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe that we may have collected personal information from your child, please contact us using the details in Section 14, and we will investigate immediately.

13. Compliance with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

PW Kids is committed to compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDP Act”). This section sets out how the DPDP Act is reflected in the design of PW ARise.

13.1  Children under the DPDP Act

Under the DPDP Act, a “child” means any individual under the age of 18 years. PW ARise is intended for children and, for the purposes of the DPDP Act, every user of the App is treated as a child.

13.2  Lawful basis for processing

PW ARise is designed so that we do not ask for or collect personal data provided by users. The only data transmitted off the device is the limited technical data described in Section 4, which is processed by our AR technology provider for licence verification and aggregate service statistics.

To the extent that this technical data, or any incidental processing, is considered “personal data” (as defined in Section 2(t) of the DPDP Act), it is processed only as necessary for operating, maintaining, securing, and improving a children's educational service, in a manner that does not cause any detrimental effect on the well-being of the child, and that does not involve tracking, behavioural monitoring, or targeted advertising directed at children — consistent with Section 9 of the DPDP Act.

13.3  Verifiable parental consent

Section 9(1) of the DPDP Act requires verifiable consent of a parent or lawful guardian before processing the personal data of a child. PW ARise has been designed to avoid the processing of children's personal data to the greatest extent possible: the App does not ask any user to provide personal data, and PW Kids does not collect personal data through the App. On that basis, no in-App parental consent flow is presented.

If a future version of the App introduces any feature that collects personal data from children, we will implement a verifiable parental consent mechanism in line with the DPDP Act and the rules made under it, and we will update this Policy before that feature is released.

13.4  Prohibited practices

Consistent with Section 9(3) of the DPDP Act, PW ARise does not undertake any of the following:

• Tracking or behavioural monitoring of children

• Targeted advertising directed at children

• Any processing of children's personal data that is likely to cause any detrimental effect on the well-being of the child

The technical data described in Section 4 is not used for any of these purposes.

13.5  Rights of Data Principals

To the extent the DPDP Act applies, parents and guardians acting on behalf of their child (as Data Principals) have the following rights:

• Right to information about any personal data being processed

• Right to correction and erasure of personal data

• Right of grievance redressal

• Right to nominate another individual to exercise these rights in the event of death or incapacity

Because PW Kids does not hold personal data of users, requests for access, correction, or erasure will, in the ordinary course, return a confirmation that no personal data is held by PW Kids. Where a request concerns the technical data processed by PTC (Section 4), we will assist in directing the request to PTC. You may raise any concern or request information by contacting us using the details in Section 14. We will respond within the timelines prescribed by the DPDP Act and the rules made under it.

14. How to contact us

If you have any questions about this Policy, or if you would like to exercise any of the rights described above, please contact us using the details below.

We aim to respond to privacy enquiries within 3 to 5 working days, and to formal Data Principal requests under the DPDP Act within the timelines prescribed by law.

15. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Effective date” and “Last updated” at the top of the Policy and add an entry to the revision history in Section 16. If we make a material change — for example, if we introduce any new collection of personal data, or change the categories of third parties involved in the App — we will provide a more prominent notice, including, where appropriate, an in-App notice on the next launch of the App.

We will not retroactively apply any new term to information already collected in a way that materially reduces the protections it enjoyed when it was collected.

16. Revision history

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