Privacy policy

Last updated 3 October 2026

Vaidhika Dharma is a free, non-commercial library of Vedic texts. We collect as little information as we can, we never sell it, and we do not show advertising. This page explains what is collected and why.

Reading the site

You can read every text without an account. While you read:

Your browser stores your reading preferences (script, font size, theme, bookmarks and your last-read position) in local storage on your own device. This never leaves your device, and you can clear it at any time from your browser settings.
We use Google Analytics to count visits and see which texts are read most, so we know what to proofread and add next. Google Analytics sets cookies and receives your IP address, browser type, the pages you view and roughly where you are. We do not combine this with your account. You can opt out with an ad or tracking blocker or withGoogle’s opt-out add-on. SeeGoogle’s privacy policy for how Google handles this data.
Our server keeps standard access logs (IP address, time, page requested and browser) for security and troubleshooting. These are rotated and deleted regularly.

Creating an account

An account is optional. It is only needed to post in the forum and to manage your profile. When you sign up we store:

Your name and email address.
Your password, stored only as a secure one-way hash. If you sign in with Google or Apple instead, we receive your name, email address and profile picture from that provider and never see your password.
Sign-in sessions: a session cookie that keeps you logged in, plus the IP address and browser of each session so you can spot unfamiliar sign-ins and so we can stop abuse.

We email you only for account matters such as verifying your address or resetting your password. We do not send newsletters or marketing email.

Sending feedback

The feedback form lets you report corrections or suggestions. We store your message, the page it is about, and the name and email address if you choose to give them. To prevent spam we also store your browser type and a scrambled (hashed) version of your IP address, which cannot be turned back into the address itself. Feedback is seen only by the site team.

The community forum

Forum posts are public. Anything you post, together with your display name, profile picture and the time of posting, can be read by anyone and may be indexed by search engines. Please do not post personal information you would not want to be public.
You can edit your own posts while a thread is open (the team may set a time limit for edits). You can delete your own replies, and your own thread while nobody has replied to it, from the thread or from your account page.
Each member has a forum page listing their public threads and replies. It shows only your display name, picture, join date and public posts, and it is kept out of search engines.
If you watch a thread, we email your verified address when someone replies, at most once until you visit the thread again. Threads you start or reply to are watched automatically unless you turn this off in your account. Every email has a link to stop watching.
If another member mentions you with @, we email your verified address with a link to the post. If you turn on the weekly digest in your account, we email you a list of new threads once a week; every digest has a link to stop it.
When you mark a post as helpful, we store that you did so. Others see only the total number of helpful marks, and members with the most marks may be listed as “most helpful” on the forum. To show which threads have new replies for you, we record when you last read each thread; this is not shown to anyone.
Posts from new members, and posts that contain blocked words or many links, may be held for a moderator to approve before they are published. Until then only you and the moderators can see them.
If you report a post, the report and your account name are visible only to moderators. The moderators may hide or remove posts that break the forum’s purpose or are abusive, and every moderation action is recorded in an internal activity log.
Moderators can keep private notes about a member’s forum conduct, send a warning by email, or stop a member from posting for a time. Notes are visible only to the team; you will always be told about a warning or a posting ban and the reason for it.

Who can see your information

Only the small Vaidhika Dharma team (administrators and editors) can see account details, feedback and reports. We share information with others only when it is needed to run the site:

Our hosting provider, which stores the site and its database.
Our email provider, which delivers account and forum reply emails.
Google and Apple, only if you choose to sign in with them.
Google Analytics, as described above.

We will disclose information if the law requires it. We never sell or rent personal information.

How long we keep it

Account details are kept until you ask us to delete your account.
Sign-in sessions expire automatically and are then removed.
Feedback is kept while it is useful for improving the texts, then deleted.
Forum posts stay up so that discussions remain readable. If your account is deleted, your posts remain but are shown as written by a “Deleted user”. You can ask us to remove specific posts.

Your choices and rights

You can:

See and update your name, email and password on your account page.
Ask for a copy of the information we hold about you.
Ask us to correct it, or to delete your account and associated data.
Clear the reading preferences stored in your browser at any time.

To make a request, email info@vaidhikadharma.org from the address on your account, or use thefeedback form. We will reply as soon as we can. Depending on where you live, laws such as the GDPR or India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act may give you further rights, and you may also complain to your local data protection authority.

Security

The site is served only over HTTPS, passwords are hashed, and access to the admin area is limited to the site team. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information.

Children

Reading the site is suitable for everyone. Creating an account or posting in the forum is intended for people aged 13 or over; younger readers should ask a parent or guardian first.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle information, we will update this page and the date at the top. Significant changes will also be announced on the site.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data: info@vaidhikadharma.org