Privacy Policy
Last updated: 24 February 2026
The short version
We keep things simple. We only collect what we need to send you sunrise forecasts and run the service. We don't sell your data, we don't track you across the internet, and we don't use your information for ads. This page explains exactly what we collect, why, and how we protect it.
What we collect and why
Here's a clear breakdown of everything we store:
| What | Why | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | So we can send you forecasts and manage your account | Our database (encrypted at rest) |
| Name (optional) | To personalise your emails and greetings | Our database |
| Password | To keep your account secure | Stored as a bcrypt hash — we never see or store the actual password |
| Beach preference | So your forecast is for the beach you care about | Our database |
| Telegram chat ID | To send you alerts and connect you to the AI assistant | Our database |
| Payment info | To process your Premium subscription | Razorpay handles this entirely — we never see or store your card details |
| Chat messages | So the AI assistant remembers context during your conversation | Server memory only — automatically cleared after 2 hours or on restart. Never saved to a database |
| Support tickets | To track and resolve your issues | Our database — includes the issue description you provide and your contact info |
| Community feedback | Your sunrise accuracy ratings help us improve the algorithm | Our database |
What we don't do
Just to be clear:
- We don't track your location or use GPS.
- We don't use advertising cookies or track you across websites.
- We don't sell, rent, or share your data with anyone for marketing.
- We don't store your credit card or bank details — Razorpay handles all of that.
- We don't run analytics trackers or third-party tracking scripts on the website.
How we use your data
- Forecast emails: Free users get the morning forecast at 4 AM IST. Premium users also get an evening preview at 8:30 PM IST to plan ahead.
- Personalisation: Showing you the forecast for your chosen beach.
- Telegram: Sending sunrise alerts, AI assistant responses, and support ticket confirmations.
- Improving the algorithm: Aggregated, anonymous community feedback helps us calibrate how scores are calculated.
- Subscription management: Processing payments and managing your Premium status through Razorpay.
- Support: Responding to tickets raised via the Telegram bot or email.
Services we work with
We use a few external services to keep things running. Each one has their own privacy practices:
- Open-Meteo — provides the weather and atmospheric data. We only send location coordinates for Chennai's beaches, never any user data.
- Razorpay — handles all payment processing. They're PCI DSS compliant. We only receive your subscription status, never your card details.
- Telegram — delivers alerts and hosts the AI assistant. Your chat ID is stored so we can send you messages.
- Google (OAuth) — if you sign in with Google, we get your name and email. Nothing else — no contacts, no files, no browsing data.
- AI providers (Gemini, Groq) — power the chatbot. Messages are sent to generate responses but aren't stored by these providers beyond processing.
- Resend — delivers our forecast emails. Your email address is shared with them solely for delivery.
How we keep things safe
We take reasonable steps to protect your data:
- Passwords are hashed with bcrypt — we can't see them even if we wanted to.
- Login sessions use JWT tokens over HTTPS only.
- The entire site runs on HTTPS (encrypted in transit).
- Database access is restricted and authenticated.
- Chat conversations live in server memory and auto-clear after 2 hours.
That said, no system is bulletproof. We do our best, but we'd recommend using a strong, unique password for your account — the usual good practice.
How long we keep your data
- Active accounts: As long as you're using the service.
- Free subscribers: Until you unsubscribe. Hit unsubscribe in any email and your data is removed from the mailing list.
- Premium accounts: Until you cancel and request deletion.
- Chat messages: Never saved permanently. Cleared after 2 hours of inactivity or when the server restarts.
- Support tickets: Kept for reference until the issue is resolved, then archived.
- Community feedback: Kept to help improve the algorithm. Doesn't contain personal info beyond what you voluntarily share.
Your rights
You're in control of your data. You can:
- See your data — ask us for a copy of what we have.
- Fix it — if anything's wrong, let us know and we'll correct it.
- Delete it — email us and we'll remove your account and data within 7 days.
- Unsubscribe — every email has a one-click unsubscribe link. No hoops to jump through.
- Export it — request your data in a format you can take with you.
Kids
Seaside Beacon isn't aimed at children under 13. We don't knowingly collect data from kids. If you think a child has signed up, let us know and we'll remove their information right away.
Changes
If we update this policy, we'll change the date at the top. For anything significant, we'll let Premium subscribers know by email. No surprises.
Talk to us
Questions about your privacy, data requests, or just want to know more? Reach out at hello@seasidebeacon.com or chat with our AI assistant on Telegram — it can handle support queries and raise tickets for you too.