Introduction
Nearest.in ("we," "us," "our") operates a platform that helps photographers, filmmakers and creative teams discover shoot locations and studios across India, and helps location and studio owners list their spaces. This policy explains what information we collect when you use the site, how we use it, and the choices you have.
Information we collect
We collect information in three ways: what you give us directly, what we collect automatically, and what other users share about their interactions with you.
- Account information — name, email address and password when you register.
- Listing information — if you list a location or studio, we collect the address, coordinates, pricing, facilities, photos and any other details you submit.
- Contact details — phone number and WhatsApp number, if you choose to add them to a listing or an inquiry.
- Inquiries & reviews — messages you send through the inquiry system, and reviews you write.
- Usage data — pages visited, searches made, and general interaction with the site, collected automatically to keep the service working and to understand what's useful.
- Session cookies — used to keep you logged in and protect forms from cross-site request forgery. See Cookies below.
How we use your information
- To operate the core service — showing you listings, letting you save bookmarks, and connecting you with location owners.
- To process and route inquiries between photographers and location owners.
- To send account-related emails — welcome messages, inquiry notifications, review updates, and listing approval status.
- To review listing submissions before they go live, for quality and accuracy.
- To respond when you contact us for support.
- To improve the platform based on how it's actually used.
How we share information
We don't sell your personal information. We share it in these specific situations:
- When you send an inquiry — the location owner sees your name, the message you wrote, and the shoot details you provided, so they can respond.
- When you list a location — the contact details you choose to add (phone, email, WhatsApp) are shown to photographers on that listing page, generally behind a "tap to reveal" step rather than in plain text.
- Reviews — your name and review text are shown publicly on the listing you reviewed, once approved.
- Service providers — we use third-party services to run the platform, such as our email delivery provider (for transactional emails) and our hosting provider. These providers only receive what they need to perform their function.
- Legal requirements — if required by law, regulation, or a valid legal process.
Cookies & similar technologies
We use a session cookie to keep you logged in and a CSRF token to protect forms from being submitted by malicious third-party sites. We don't currently use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. If that changes, this policy will be updated.
Data retention
We keep your account information for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, or ask us to, we remove your personal information within a reasonable time, except where we're required to keep certain records for legal or accounting reasons.
Your rights
Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act and general good practice, you can ask us to:
- Give you a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct information that's inaccurate or out of date.
- Delete your account and associated personal information.
- Tell you who we've shared your information with.
To exercise any of these, email us — see Contact us below.
Data security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including encrypted password storage and access controls on our admin systems. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we can't guarantee absolute security.
Children's privacy
Nearest.in is intended for users who are 18 or older. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we'll remove it.
Third-party links & services
Listing pages may link out to Google Maps, WhatsApp, or the location owner's own contact channels. Those services have their own privacy policies, which we'd encourage you to review — we're not responsible for how they handle your information.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we'll update the "last updated" date at the top of this page.
Contact us
Questions about this policy, or want to exercise any of the rights above? Email us at hello@nearest.in.