Privacy Policy

Himopedia is a documentation-only encyclopedia of the Himalaya, Karakoram and Trans-Himalaya. It is an independent, founder-operated project based in India. We keep data collection to the minimum needed to run the site and to review what people contribute. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use advertising or analytics trackers.

Information we collect

• Messages you send us. If you use the contact form, we store the name, email and message you provide so we can read and reply to it.
• Contributions and corrections. If you suggest an edit or add knowledge, we store what you submit. Your name and email are optional — you may contribute anonymously. If you do share them, we use them only to follow up or to credit the contribution.
• Service listings. If listing features are enabled and you register a guide, homestay or agency, we store the details you enter (such as name, contact and region) to review and, once approved, to display them.
• Editor / administrator accounts. For the small number of people who edit the encyclopedia, we store an email address and a securely hashed password. A signed, HTTP-only session cookie keeps them logged in.
• Basic server logs. Like most websites, our hosting provider records standard technical logs (for example IP address, browser type and the pages requested) to keep the service secure and running. These are not used to build profiles of visitors.

Information we do not collect

We never ask for or store payment card numbers, bank details or government identity numbers on this site. We do not build advertising profiles, and we do not run third-party marketing or analytics scripts.

Cookies

The public encyclopedia works without cookies. The only cookie we set is a single essential, HTTP-only session cookie, and only for signed-in editors and administrators. There are no advertising or analytics cookies.

Third-party content (maps and images)

To show terrain maps and photographs, some pages load content directly from third-party services — map tiles from OpenStreetMap and OpenTopoMap, and images from Wikimedia Commons. When your browser loads that content, those services necessarily receive your IP address and standard request data, under their own privacy policies, which we do not control. Web fonts are served from our own domain, so no font provider is contacted.

How we use your information

To operate and improve the encyclopedia, to review and respond to submissions and messages, and to send you transactional email where relevant (for example, an acknowledgement that a contribution was received or approved). We send email through a standard email provider only when that feature is configured.

Who we share it with

We share information only with the service providers that help us run Himopedia — our website host (Vercel), our database host (Neon), and, when enabled, our email provider — and only as needed to deliver the service. We may also disclose information where the law genuinely requires it. Content you choose to publish (an approved contribution or listing) is, by its nature, shown publicly.

How long we keep it

We keep contact messages, contributions and listing details for as long as needed for the purpose they were given, and delete or anonymise them when they are no longer needed. You can ask us to remove information you have sent us at any time.

Your rights

You can browse and contribute without an account and without giving your name. To access, correct or delete information you have sent us — or to raise any concern about how your data is handled — please contact us and we will help. We aim to respond to every genuine request.

Children

Himopedia is a general-interest reference site and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Security

We take reasonable technical measures to protect the limited information we hold — passwords are stored only as secure hashes, connections are encrypted (HTTPS), and access to submissions is restricted to reviewers. No online service can be guaranteed perfectly secure, but we work to keep exposure minimal by collecting little in the first place.

Changes to this policy

If our practices change, we will update this page and revise the date above. Significant changes will be made clear on the site.

Contact

Questions about privacy, or a request about your data? Reach us through the contact page. See also our Terms of Use.