ThinkGist is a news app that boils the day's news down into short cards and longer explainers, with links to the original reports. This policy explains what personal information the app and its servers handle, why, and what choices you have. We have tried to write it in plain English.
ThinkGist is run by Raunak Kalra in India ("we", "us").
1. Reading without an account
You can read ThinkGist without creating an account. If you do, we do not ask for your name, email address or any other personal information.
2. What we collect when you create an account or use its features
Account details: your email address, a username (shown next to your comments) and your password. The password is stored only as a one-way scrambled "hash", never in readable form.
Your activity: the topics you follow, the stories you save, and the comments, upvotes and reports you make. Comments are public and appear with your username.
Notification settings: if you switch on notifications, your phone's notification token (a code Apple gives us so we can send a notification to that phone), which notifications you chose, and the account it is linked to.
Staying signed in: a sign-in token. The app keeps it in your iPhone's Keychain, and our server keeps only a scrambled copy of it.
Basic technical records: like any server, ours records the address of each request, your IP address and the type of device in short-term logs. We use them to keep the service secure, fix problems and stop abuse, not to build a profile of you.
On your phone: the app stores a copy of the latest briefing and your settings (such as dark mode) on your device so it opens quickly and works offline.
3. What we do not collect
We do not collect your location, contacts, photos, camera or microphone. We do not use an advertising ID. Today the app has no analytics and no advertising, and we do not sell your personal information.
If we add analytics or advertising in future, we will update this policy first and ask for your permission wherever the law or Apple requires it.
4. Why we use it
to create and secure your account and keep you signed in;
to show your comments and to let you save stories and follow topics;
to send you the emails you ask for (email confirmation and password reset);
to send the notifications you switch on;
to keep the service safe, review reports about comments and answer your requests.
We rely on your consent, which you give when you create an account or switch on a feature, and which you can withdraw at any time (see "Your choices and rights").
5. Who we share it with
We share personal information only with the services that help us run ThinkGist, and only as needed:
Fly.io hosts our servers (in Singapore).
Google sends our emails (Gmail) and holds private backup copies of our data (Google Cloud Storage).
Apple delivers notifications to your phone and distributes the app.
Anthropic provides the AI that helps write the news summaries. Only public news text is sent to it, never anything about our readers.
Your comments are public by design. We may also disclose information if the law requires it or to protect people's safety.
6. Where your data is kept
Your data is processed on servers outside India (Singapore) and in Google's cloud. We choose providers that protect data in transit and at rest, and we only send them what they need.
7. How long we keep it
Account details, saved stories and followed topics: until you delete your account.
Comments: until you delete them, or your account (they then stay, without your name).
Sign-in tokens: they expire after 30 days.
Notification registrations: until you switch the notifications off or sign out.
Server logs: a short, limited time.
Backup copies: up to 30 days, then replaced by newer ones. A deleted account can still sit in a backup until then.
8. Your choices and rights
Notifications: switch them off in Account settings in the app, or in iOS Settings.
Comments: you can delete your own comments in the app.
Delete your account: in the app, open Account settings, tap "Delete my account" and enter your password. It happens at once: your account, saved stories, followed topics and sign-in tokens are deleted and your phone is unlinked from you. Your comments stay, without your name (shown as "Deleted user") so replies still make sense; delete any comment yourself first if you prefer. If you cannot sign in, email us from the address you signed up with, saying "Delete my account", and we will do it within 30 days.
Access and correction: ask us what we hold about you, or to correct it.
Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 you may also ask us to explain how your data is used, nominate someone to act for you if you cannot, and raise a complaint with us. Write to info@thinkgist.com. If we do not resolve your complaint you may take it to the Data Protection Board of India.
9. Security
Everything between the app and our servers is encrypted (HTTPS). Passwords and sign-in tokens are stored only as scrambled hashes. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong, unique password and tell us at once if you think your account has been misused.
10. Children
Creating an account is for readers aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you think a child has given us personal information, write to us and we will delete it.
11. Changes to this policy
We will update this page when what we do with your information changes, and change the date at the top. For important changes we will also tell you in the app.
12. Contact
Questions, requests or complaints about your privacy: info@thinkgist.com. We are also @thethinkgist on Instagram, X, Facebook and LinkedIn, but please do not send personal information in public messages.