Last Updated: June 25, 2026 | Effective Date: June 25, 2026
1. Introduction
Welcome to CropSense AI ("the App"), developed and operated by ANNAM.AI, a research initiative of the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar (IIT Ropar), Punjab, India. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information when you use our mobile application.
By downloading, installing, or using CropSense AI, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the App.
2. About the App
CropSense AI is an AI-assisted agricultural data collection platform designed to help farmers and agricultural researchers document crop conditions, monitor plant health, and contribute to agricultural research. The App enables users to:
- Capture and upload crop images with environmental metadata
- Record planting dates and crop health status
- Track weather and location data for agricultural context
- Contribute to agricultural AI research and crop identification models
3. Information We Collect
We collect the following categories of information:
3.1 Personal Information (Provided by You)
| Data Type | Purpose | Required |
|---|
| Full Name | User identification and account management | Yes |
| Email Address | Account authentication and communication | Yes |
| Mobile Number | Account verification and support | Yes |
| Password | Account security (stored encrypted) | Yes |
| Designation | User role classification | At signup |
| Bank Account Details | Payment processing for data contributors | Optional |
3.2 Automatically Collected Data
| Data Type | Purpose | When Collected |
|---|
| GPS Location (latitude/longitude) | Geo-tagging crop images for research accuracy | During image capture |
| Weather Data (temperature, humidity, conditions) | Environmental context for crop analysis | During image capture |
| Device Information (platform, OS) | App compatibility and debugging | During uploads |
| Timestamp | Recording when data was collected | During image capture |
3.3 User-Generated Content
| Data Type | Purpose | When Collected |
|---|
| Crop Photographs | Agricultural research and AI model training | When user captures |
| Crop Type Selection | Data categorization | During capture |
| Planting Date | Growth stage analysis | During capture |
| Pest/Disease Indicators | Plant health monitoring | During capture |
| Field Notes | Additional context for research | Optional, during capture |
4. How We Use Your Information
We use the collected information for the following purposes:
- Agricultural Research: Crop images and metadata are used to train AI models for crop identification, disease detection, and agricultural analytics at IIT Ropar.
- App Functionality: To provide core features including image upload, history tracking, and crop management.
- Account Management: To authenticate users, manage sessions, and process payments to data contributors.
- Service Improvement: To improve app performance, fix bugs, and enhance user experience.
- Communication: To notify users about account status, app updates, or important changes.
- Data Integrity: To prevent duplicate uploads and ensure data quality through AI verification.
5. Data Storage and Security
5.1 Where We Store Your Data
- Authentication Data: Stored securely in AWS Cognito (Amazon Web Services), US-East-1 region, with industry-standard encryption.
- Crop Images: Stored in AWS S3 (Simple Storage Service) with server-side encryption.
- Metadata: Stored in AWS DynamoDB with encryption at rest.
- Local Device: Temporary image files are stored locally only until upload completes, then automatically deleted.
5.2 Security Measures
- All data transmitted over HTTPS (TLS 1.2+)
- Passwords hashed and encrypted via AWS Cognito
- Session validation on every app open/resume
- Automatic session expiry for inactive accounts
- SHA-256 content hashing for data deduplication
- No sensitive data stored in plain text on device
6. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell your personal information to any third party. We may share data in the following limited circumstances:
- Research Purpose: Anonymized and aggregated crop data may be shared with academic researchers and agricultural institutions affiliated with IIT Ropar for scientific publications and research.
- Service Providers: We use Amazon Web Services (AWS) for cloud infrastructure. AWS processes data on our behalf under strict data processing agreements.
- Weather Data: We send GPS coordinates to OpenWeatherMap API solely to retrieve local weather information. No personal identifiers are shared with this service.
- Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, legal process, or government request.
We Do NOT:
- Sell personal data to third parties
- Share individual farmer data with competitors
- Use data for targeted advertising
- Share bank account details with anyone except payment processors
- Transfer data outside of secured AWS infrastructure without consent
7. Permissions We Request
| Permission | Why We Need It | When Used |
|---|
| Camera | To capture crop photographs | Only when you tap "Capture" |
| Location (GPS) | To geo-tag images and fetch weather data | During image capture |
| Internet Access | To upload images and sync data | Throughout app use |
| Storage | To temporarily save images before upload | During capture and upload |
All permissions are requested at the time they are needed, with clear explanation. You can revoke permissions at any time through your device settings, though this may limit app functionality.
8. Data Retention
- Crop Images and Metadata: Retained indefinitely for ongoing agricultural research purposes.
- Account Information: Retained as long as your account is active. Upon account deletion, personal identifiers are removed within 30 days.
- Local Device Data: Temporary image files are automatically deleted immediately after successful upload to our servers.
- Session Data: Authentication tokens expire and are refreshed automatically. Cached preferences are cleared on logout.
9. Your Rights
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Access: You can view your upload history and profile data within the App.
- Correction: You can update your profile information at any time through the App.
- Deletion: You can request deletion of your account and associated personal data by contacting us at the email address below. We will process deletion requests within 30 days.
- Data Export: You can request a copy of your personal data by contacting us.
- Withdraw Consent: You can stop using the App at any time. You can revoke device permissions through your phone settings.
10. Children's Privacy
CropSense AI is not intended for use by children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly. If you believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.
11. Third-Party Services
The App uses the following third-party services:
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by:
- Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
- Displaying a notice within the App
- Sending notification through the App if the changes are material
Your continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
13. Governing Law
This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of India, including the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Rupnagar (Ropar), Punjab, India.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:
15. Consent
By using CropSense AI, you consent to:
- The collection of crop images, location data, and weather data as described above
- The use of this data for agricultural research at IIT Ropar
- The storage of your data on AWS cloud infrastructure
- The processing of your data as described in this Privacy Policy
You may withdraw your consent at any time by discontinuing use of the App and requesting account deletion.