App: Hoichoi Durga Puja 2026 (web app, Android & iOS apps)
Data controller: Hoichoi Netherlands (the Bengali community of the Netherlands), Amstelveen, The Netherlands
Contact: info@hoichoi.nl
Last updated: 18 June 2026
Hoichoi Netherlands is the data controller for the personal data described here. For any privacy question or to exercise your rights, contact info@hoichoi.nl.
The following stays only on your own device and is never sent to us:
Remove it any time by clearing the app's data or uninstalling.
If you tap “🔔 Notify me” and allow notifications, we use OneSignal to deliver festival alerts. OneSignal stores a push/device token (an online identifier) used only to send notifications; it is not linked to your name. Turn it off any time in the app or your device settings. See OneSignal's privacy policy.
We keep anonymous, aggregate counts (e.g. how often a page is opened, tickets uploaded, sponsor banners viewed/tapped). This uses no cookies, no IP addresses, and no per-user identifiers — it cannot identify you, so it is not personal data. Stored on our serverless backend (Netlify Blobs).
The optional “Ask Hoichoi” assistant answers festival/community questions. When you send a message, the text you type (and your recent messages in the same chat, for context) is forwarded via our backend to Anthropic (the “Claude” AI service) to generate a reply. We send no name, email, or device identifier. We do not store your conversations; a short-lived answer cache is keyed by a hash of the question, not by you. To limit abuse and cost we keep a daily counter against a one-way hash of your IP address (never the IP itself), reset daily. Please don't type sensitive personal information into the assistant. See Anthropic's privacy policy. Using it is optional.
You may choose to share a memory: a name, city/para, a short text and (optionally) a photo. If you submit one — and only after you tick the consent box — this is stored on our backend and, after the team reviews it, shown publicly in the app to other users. Please share only what you're happy to make public, and only photos you have the right to share. You can ask us to remove your submission at any time (see §11–12), and you may withdraw consent at any time.
The optional Gate Scanner (for volunteers) uses the camera to read ticket QR codes — frames are processed on the device and never stored or uploaded. The optional voice input in the chatbot uses the microphone and your device's speech recognition to turn speech into text; the resulting text is then handled exactly like a typed question (§5). Both ask for permission first and can be declined.
Event organizers may be given an admin login (email + PIN) to send notifications and manage sponsors/content. These are created by the super administrator, not open to the public, and stored on our backend only to run the organizer tools. Organizers can request deletion by email.
We use no advertising or tracking cookies and do not track you across other sites or apps. The only on-device storage we use is strictly functional (your preferences, seen-state, offline ticket and service-worker cache), which does not require a consent banner. The app shows no third-party ads.
| Data | Purpose | Legal basis (Art. 6 GDPR) | Recipient / processor | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Push/device token | Send festival alerts | Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) | OneSignal (USA) | Until you unsubscribe |
| Chatbot message text | Generate an answer | Consent / your request (Art. 6(1)(a)) | Anthropic (USA) | Not stored by us; cache ≤24h keyed by hash |
| Hashed IP counter | Prevent abuse, control cost | Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) | Netlify (hosting) | Reset daily |
| Pujo Tales submission | Show a community memory wall | Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) | Netlify Blobs; shown publicly | Until you ask us to remove it / end of the season |
| Admin email + PIN | Operate organizer tools | Legitimate interest / contract | Netlify Blobs | Until account deletion |
| Anonymous counts | Understand app usage | Not personal data | Netlify Blobs | Aggregate only |
International transfers. OneSignal and Anthropic are based in the United States. Such transfers rely on appropriate safeguards (the EU–US Data Privacy Framework and/or the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses) as provided by those processors. Netlify hosts our site and data; see each provider's privacy/DPA documentation for details.
Under the GDPR you have the right to: access your data; rectify it; have it erased; restrict or object to processing; data portability; and to withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior processing). To exercise any of these, email info@hoichoi.nl or see the Data & Deletion page. We respond within one month.
If you believe we've handled your data improperly, you can lodge a complaint with the Dutch data protection authority, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl), or your local EU supervisory authority. We'd appreciate the chance to resolve it first — please email us.
The app is suitable for all ages and has a kids' activities section that collects no data. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. The Pujo Tales submission and chatbot are intended for adults; please supervise children's use.
The app links to external pages (e.g. hoichoi.nl, Google Maps, social links) and loads
one open-source QR library (jsQR) from a public CDN. Those services have their own privacy policies.
We may update this policy; the latest version is always at this URL, with the date above.
Questions or requests: info@hoichoi.nl.