EMPRI respects the privacy of all users of Pathanga. This statement sets out what personal information the platform collects, why it is collected, how it is safeguarded, and how sensitive biodiversity locations are protected from misuse.
To use Pathanga, users may be requested to provide:
This information is collected solely for:
EMPRI respects the privacy of all users.
Personal information will be processed in accordance with applicable Indian laws, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
Personal information will never be sold for commercial purposes.
EMPRI shall implement reasonable administrative and technical safeguards to protect personal information from unauthorised access, misuse or disclosure.
To protect threatened species and fragile ecosystems, EMPRI reserves the right to:
This measure helps prevent illegal collection, habitat disturbance or exploitation.
Location information provided by users may be used for:
For sensitive species, exact coordinates may not be publicly displayed.
Pathanga may employ Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Geographic Information Systems and other analytical tools to:
These analyses may use aggregated datasets.
Individual observations may be shared with government departments, research organisations, universities, conservation organisations and national biodiversity databases. The full list, and the uses those datasets may be put to, are set out in the Data Contribution Statement.
Personal information of contributors will not be shared except where required by law or with explicit consent.
Users may request deletion of their Pathanga account by contacting:
Pathanga Support Team
Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute (EMPRI)
Government of Karnataka
pathangaempri@gmail.com
Upon verification, personal information associated with the account will be deleted, except where retention is required under applicable law or where anonymised data have already been incorporated into aggregated scientific datasets.
Pathanga Support
Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute (EMPRI)
Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment
Government of Karnataka
pathangaempri@gmail.com