Privacy Policy

Welcome to GreenCast. This Privacy Policy explains how GreenCast ("we", "our", or "us") collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards your information when you use our podcast application available on Android and the Web (collectively, the "Service"). Please read this policy carefully. If you disagree with its terms, please discontinue use of the Service.

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create a GreenCast account, we collect:

• Email address — used for authentication, account recovery, and transactional emails such as password resets.
• Display name — the name shown on your profile, which you provide during sign-up.
• Profile picture — optionally provided by you, or retrieved from your Google account when you sign in with Google. No profile picture is required.
• Hashed password — if you use email/password authentication. Passwords are hashed using bcrypt before storage. We never store or transmit your plaintext password.

Listening & Usage Data

To deliver core features such as cross-device sync, we store the following data associated with your account:

• Subscriptions — the podcasts you follow or subscribe to.
• Playback position & history — per-episode timestamps so you can resume exactly where you left off on any device.
• Downloaded episodes — records of which episodes you have downloaded. Downloaded audio files are stored locally on your device only and are never uploaded to our servers.
• Queue & playlist — your current episode queue and up-next list.
• Playback settings — speed, silence trimming, volume boost, and other preferences you configure in the app.

Device & Technical Information

When you use the app, we automatically collect limited technical data for diagnostics and service improvement:

• Device type and operating system version (Android version or Web browser type)
• Application version number
• IP address (used for security and rate-limiting; not retained long-term beyond server access logs)
• Authentication session tokens and creation timestamps

Payment Information

If you subscribe to GreenCast Premium, payment processing is handled entirely by Stripe. We receive only a non-sensitive subscription status token (confirming whether your subscription is active, its renewal date, and a Stripe customer ID). We do not store, process, or have access to your credit card number, bank account details, or other payment instrument data.

Feedback & Support

If you submit feedback via our feedback portal (powered by Fider, hosted on our own infrastructure), you may voluntarily provide your email address and a description. This information is stored separately and is used only to respond to and track product feedback.

Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect precise GPS location, contacts, call logs, or any data unrelated to the core podcast-listening experience. We do not use session-recording or keystroke-logging tools.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect solely for the following purposes:

• Providing and maintaining the Service — account management, authentication, and all core app features.
• Cross-device sync — syncing your subscriptions, playback history, and preferences between Android and Web so you can seamlessly switch devices mid-episode.
• Podcast recommendations — surfacing trending and relevant shows in the Discover section based on your listening history and subscriptions.
• Transactional communications — sending password reset emails, account confirmations, and critical service notices. We do not send marketing or promotional emails.
• Subscription management — verifying and managing your GreenCast Premium subscription status via Stripe.
• Advertising (free tier only) — displaying relevant native ads to free-tier users via Google AdMob. Premium subscribers are never shown ads and the advertising SDK is never initialised for their sessions.
• Security and abuse prevention — detecting and preventing unauthorized access, account takeovers, and violations of our Terms of Service.
• Service improvement — analysing aggregated, anonymised usage patterns to improve app features, fix bugs, and plan new functionality.
• Legal compliance — meeting applicable legal obligations and responding to lawful requests.

3. Third-Party Services

GreenCast integrates with the following third-party services. Each provider operates under its own privacy policy, which we encourage you to review:

4. Data Sharing & Disclosure

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

• Service providers: We share data with third-party vendors listed above solely as necessary to operate the Service (e.g. Stripe for billing, Google AdMob for ads). These providers are contractually bound to use your data only for the purpose of providing their services to us.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by applicable law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request.
• Protection of rights: We may disclose information to enforce our Terms of Service, detect fraud, or protect the rights, property, or safety of GreenCast, our users, or the public.
• Business transfer: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, user information may transfer as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or prominent in-app notice before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
• With your explicit consent: We may share data with third parties when you have separately and explicitly consented.

5. Advertising

GreenCast displays native advertising to users on the free tier using Google AdMob. Ads appear in the podcast feed, discovery grid, and episode detail views. For GreenCast Premium subscribers, all advertising code is fully suppressed — the AdMob SDK is not initialised at all during a premium session.

How AdMob Uses Your Data

Google AdMob may collect and use data such as the Android Advertising ID (AAID), coarse location, and app-usage signals to serve relevant advertisements. This is governed by Google's advertising policies and your device's advertising preferences, not by GreenCast.

EU / EEA Consent (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or UK, GreenCast uses Google's User Messaging Platform (UMP) to collect your consent before serving any personalised advertisements. On first launch, a consent dialog will appear and allow you to choose whether to allow personalised ads. You can change your choice at any time via Settings → Ad Preferences within the app, or by using the options below. If you decline personalised ads, you will still see non-personalised ads (contextual only).

Opting Out of Personalised Ads

You can opt out of personalised advertising at any time using these methods:

• In-app (EEA/UK): Tap Settings → Ad Preferences to open the Google UMP consent manager and change your choice.
• Android system: Go to Settings → Google → Ads and tap "Delete advertising ID" or enable "Opt out of Ads Personalisation".
• Web: Visit Google Ads Settings to manage your ad personalisation preferences.
• Go Premium: Upgrading to GreenCast Premium removes all visual ads from the app UI. Note: GreenCast does not insert or control audio ads embedded in podcast episodes — those are managed by each podcast's platform or host.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Service. Specific retention periods:

• Account data (email, display name, profile picture): Retained until you delete your account. Upon deletion, your personal data is permanently removed from our active databases within 30 days.
• Playback history, subscriptions, and settings: Retained as part of your active account and deleted along with your account.
• Downloaded episode files: Stored locally on your device only. We do not retain copies on our servers.
• Payment records: Stripe retains payment transaction history subject to its own retention policies and applicable financial regulations (typically 7 years). GreenCast retains only the subscription status token.
• Server access logs: Logs containing IP addresses are retained for up to 90 days for security and abuse prevention, then automatically purged.
• Feedback submissions: Retained in our feedback portal until you request deletion or your linked account is removed.

7. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

• All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher (HTTPS).
• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt with an appropriate work factor before storage. Plaintext passwords are never stored or logged.
• Authentication is managed via short-lived JSON Web Tokens (JWTs), cryptographically signed and verified on every API request.
• Our backend infrastructure runs on access-controlled servers with regular security patches and automated dependency updates.
• Payment card data never touches our servers — all billing is delegated to Stripe, which is PCI-DSS Level 1 certified.

While we take these precautions seriously, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password and to keep your device software up to date.

If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it responsibly to info@greencast.tech. We will investigate and respond promptly.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights regarding your personal data. We honour all of the following regardless of jurisdiction:

Rights Available to All Users

• Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: You may update or correct inaccurate information directly in the app settings or by contacting us.
• Deletion: You may request permanent deletion of your account and all associated personal data at any time.
• Data portability: You may request your listening history and subscription list in a structured, machine-readable format (JSON or CSV).

European Economic Area (EEA) & UK — GDPR

If you are located in the EEA or UK, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives you additional rights:

• Right to restrict processing: You may request that we limit how we process your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to object: You may object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including profiling.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
• Right to lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.

Our lawful bases for processing under GDPR are: (a) contract performance — to provide the Service you signed up for; (b) legitimate interests — security, fraud prevention, and service improvement; and (c) consent — where explicitly obtained for optional features.

California Residents — CCPA

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants you the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect about you and how it is used and shared.
• Request deletion of your personal information (subject to certain exceptions).
• Opt out of the "sale" of personal information — we do not sell personal information.
• Non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights.

To exercise any of the rights above, contact us at info@greencast.tech. We will acknowledge your request within 72 hours and respond fully within 30 days (or sooner as required by law).

9. Children's Privacy

GreenCast is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EEA/UK), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at info@greencast.tech and we will take steps to remove that information from our systems promptly and without charge.

By using GreenCast, you represent that you are at least 13 years of age (or the applicable minimum age required in your jurisdiction).

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
• Notify you via a prominent notice within the app or by email when changes are material (e.g. a new category of data being collected, or a new third-party sharing arrangement).

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of GreenCast after any changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. Previous versions are available upon request by emailing us.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal data, please reach out:

• Email: info@greencast.tech
• Feedback portal: feedback.greencast.tech
• Website: greencast.tech

We are committed to resolving privacy-related complaints transparently and in a timely manner. All substantive inquiries will receive a response within 5 business days.