TEDxColombo App Privacy Policy

Last updated: 19 October 2026

1. Introduction

TEDxColombo (“TEDxColombo”, “we”, “us” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information responsibly.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store and delete personal information when you use the TEDxColombo mobile application (the “App”).

The App is operated by TEDxColombo, an independently organised TEDx event operating under licence from TED.

This Privacy Policy applies to information processed through the App and related systems used to provide its features. External websites and services linked from the App may have their own privacy policies.

For privacy enquiries or account-deletion requests, contact [email protected].

2. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you use the App and which features you enable.

2.1 Account and authentication information

When you sign in using Google Sign-In or Sign in with Apple, we may receive and process:

• Your name or display name.
• Your email address.
• An account or authentication identifier.
• A profile image, where made available by the sign-in provider.
• Information necessary to maintain and secure your sign-in session.

The information available to us depends on the sign-in provider and the information you authorise it to share.

Authentication and account records are managed using our self-hosted authentication infrastructure.

2.2 Information you provide

Depending on the features you use, we may collect:

• An optional phone number for the Connect feature.
• Questions submitted through the App.
• Reactions and feedback.
• Private notes.
• Your preferences and notification settings.
• Information you provide when contacting us.

A phone number is not required to create an App account.

2.3 Activity and personalisation information

To provide account-linked features, we may store:

• Content you save.
• Video or talk viewing progress.
• Podcasts you follow.
• Submitted questions and their status.
• Reactions and participation activity.
• Connect requests and accepted connections.
• App preferences.
• Event access entitlements and attendance or check-in records.

Private notes are associated with your account but are not made publicly visible through the App.

2.4 Event and attendee information

The App does not sell tickets, process payments or provide in-app event registration.

When you purchase an event ticket through a third-party ticketing provider, that provider handles the booking and payment process under its own terms and privacy policy.

TEDxColombo may receive attendee information from the provider and import it into an organiser administration system.

We may use an attendee's email address to match ticket information with an existing App account. Where a match is established, we may link an event-specific access entitlement to the account so that eligible event-day features become available.

We may also record event attendance or check-in status.

The App does not store payment card information or ticket QR codes.

2.5 Device and technical information

Depending on your device, settings and use of the App, technical information may include:

• Device type and operating-system information.
• App version and performance information.
• Diagnostic information and crash reports.
• App usage events, where usage statistics are enabled.
• Device or application identifiers used by relevant services.
• Push notification tokens needed to deliver notifications.
• Network and request information required to operate and secure the App.

We use this information to operate, secure, troubleshoot and improve the App, subject to the controls described below.

3. Camera, Microphone and Local Media

The App may request access to your device's camera or microphone for specific features.

Camera access may be used to:

• Scan Connect QR codes.
• Capture photographs using TEDxColombo-branded features.
• Record videos using TEDxColombo-branded features.

Microphone access may be used when recording video.

Photographs and videos captured through these features are processed and stored locally on your device. They are not uploaded to TEDxColombo's servers by the App.

If you save, export or share a photograph or video through your device or another application, that action may involve services outside TEDxColombo's control.

You can manage camera and microphone permissions through your device's operating-system settings. Denying a permission may make the relevant feature unavailable.

4. How We Use Personal Information

We use personal information for purposes connected with operating the App and TEDxColombo activities, including to:

• Create, authenticate and maintain App accounts.
• Provide saved content, notes, viewing progress and podcast-following features.
• Process submitted questions and reactions.
• Enable Connect requests and accepted connections.
• Match eligible event attendees to App accounts.
• Provide event access and attendance-related features.
• Deliver requested or enabled push notifications.
• Respond to feedback, support enquiries and privacy requests.
• Monitor reliability, investigate crashes and maintain security.
• Understand App usage and performance where the relevant usage-statistics setting is enabled.
• Prevent misuse, protect users and comply with applicable legal obligations.

We use personal information only for purposes that have an appropriate basis under applicable law.

5. Connect: Requests and Contact Sharing

The Connect feature allows users to exchange contact information after mutually establishing a connection.

5.1 Scanning a Connect QR code

When one user scans another user's Connect QR code, the App sends a connection request.

No contact information is shared with the other user merely because the QR code was scanned or a request was sent.

5.2 After a request is accepted

Once a connection request is accepted, the connected person may see:

• Display name: Shared with accepted connections.
• Email address: Shared by default, but you can turn off email sharing in the App.
• Phone number: Not shared by default. It is shared only if you provide a number and enable phone-number sharing.

Your profile photograph is not shared through Connect.

Your sharing preferences determine which optional contact details are visible to accepted connections.

5.3 Managing connections

The App does not currently provide an option to remove an individual accepted connection.

Deleting your account removes the connection records from both users' connection lists in the active system.

Information another person has already copied, saved or used outside the App cannot necessarily be retrieved or deleted by TEDxColombo.

We encourage users to consider their privacy preferences before enabling contact sharing.

6. Questions, Reactions and Public Visibility

Questions you submit through the App are not automatically published to other users.

If TEDxColombo organisers answer a submitted question, the question text may be displayed publicly and anonymously.

The public display does not include the submitter's name or profile.

For account management and operation of the feature, the question may remain associated with the submitting account within our internal systems until the relevant information is deleted.

Although the App does not identify the submitter publicly, you should avoid including personal information in the text of a question if you do not want that information to become visible when the question is answered.

Reactions and other participation information may be processed to operate the corresponding features.

7. Saved Content, Private Notes and Viewing Activity

The App may store your saved content, private notes, viewing progress and podcast follows so that these features remain associated with your account.

Private notes are not displayed publicly to other App users.

These records are removed from the active backend when your account is deleted, subject to the limited exceptions described in the Delete Account section.

8. Analytics, Crash Reporting and Performance Monitoring

We use Google Firebase services to support the App's operation and reliability.

These may include:

• Firebase Analytics: Helps us understand App usage and feature engagement.
• Firebase Crashlytics: Helps us identify crashes and technical problems.
• Firebase Performance Monitoring: Helps us understand App performance.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging: Supports push notification delivery.

The App provides a “Share usage statistics” setting.

When this setting is disabled, the App disables its use of Firebase Analytics and Firebase Performance Monitoring for usage-statistics collection.

Disabling “Share usage statistics” does not disable Firebase Crashlytics. Crash reporting remains active to help us identify and resolve technical failures.

Technical information processed by these services may include device characteristics, application identifiers, diagnostic events and other information necessary for their respective functions.

Google's handling of information through its services is subject to applicable Google terms and privacy documentation.

9. Push Notifications

The App may send push notifications through Firebase Cloud Messaging and, on supported Apple devices, the Apple Push Notification service (APNs).

We may process a device push token and relevant notification preferences to deliver notifications.

The App provides separate controls for three categories:

• Updates: TEDxColombo announcements and updates.
• Activity: Notifications such as answers to questions you submitted or availability of recordings you requested.
• Podcasts: Notifications about new episodes of podcasts you follow.

You can disable these categories in the App. You can also manage notification permissions through your device settings.

Notification delivery depends on the relevant device and notification services.

The App does not use an external email provider to send App notifications.

10. Videos, Podcasts and Linked Content

The App may provide access to content through external services.

These may include:

• YouTube, for video playback and related content information.
• Podcast hosting services, for audio playback.
• Flickr, for linked photo galleries.

When you play, view or open externally hosted content, the relevant provider may receive technical information or process data according to its own privacy practices.

Where content opens in an external application or browser, the provider's privacy policy and settings apply.

TEDxColombo does not control all information collected independently by these services.

11. How We Share Information

We do not make all account information publicly available.

We may disclose or make information accessible in the following circumstances.

11.1 With accepted Connect connections

We share the contact information described in Section 5 only after a connection request is accepted and in accordance with the applicable sharing settings.

11.2 Through answered questions

The text of an answered question may be displayed publicly and anonymously, without the submitter's name or profile.

11.3 With service providers

We use technical services necessary to operate the App, including:

• Google and Apple sign-in services.
• Google Firebase services for analytics, diagnostics, performance and notifications.
• Apple push notification infrastructure.
• Cloudflare for network, proxy and related infrastructure services.
• External video, podcast and gallery providers where relevant.

Our account authentication and primary application database use self-hosted infrastructure, including self-hosted Supabase Auth. Supabase Auth is used as part of our own hosted system rather than as a separately hosted third-party account database.

Service providers may process information as necessary to perform their respective functions, subject to their applicable terms and safeguards.

11.4 With event administration personnel

Authorised TEDxColombo organisers may access information needed to administer events, verify attendee eligibility, handle questions, manage check-ins, provide support and maintain operational accountability.

Access should be limited to legitimate administrative purposes.

11.5 For legal, security or protective purposes

We may disclose information where required by applicable law, a valid legal process or where reasonably necessary to investigate misuse, protect rights and safety or maintain the security of the App.

11.6 When you choose to share information externally

If you export or share content, contact details, photographs or videos through another application or service, that information may be handled by the recipient or external provider.

12. Third-Party Ticketing

Where the App includes a ticket booking link, it directs you to a third-party ticketing provider outside the App.

The third-party provider is responsible for collecting information needed for ticket booking and payments and for applying its booking, cancellation and refund terms.

TEDxColombo may receive attendee information from the provider for event administration.

We may import this information into our organiser portal and match an attendee's email address to an App account to enable event-related access.

The App stores relevant event entitlements and check-in information but does not process ticket payments or store ticket QR codes.

Because TEDxColombo may use different ticketing providers for different events, you should review the privacy policy of the provider handling your particular booking.

13. Storage, Security and Infrastructure

We use technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal information against unauthorised access, misuse, alteration and loss.

The App's authentication and primary database services are self-hosted. Cloudflare is used in connection with server traffic and related infrastructure.

Security measures may include access controls, authentication protections, operational monitoring and backup arrangements.

No method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

You should protect access to your Google or Apple sign-in account and promptly report suspected unauthorised access.

14. International Data Processing

Some technology providers used by the App operate infrastructure or process information across different countries.

As a result, certain technical information may be processed outside Sri Lanka.

Where personal information is transferred or processed internationally, we seek to use arrangements and safeguards appropriate to the information and applicable law.

The location and handling of information by external providers may depend on their infrastructure and policies.

15. How Long We Keep Information

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to operate the App, provide requested features, administer events, maintain security and meet applicable obligations.

Account-linked information generally remains in the active system while the account exists, unless it is deleted earlier or no longer needed.

When an account is deleted, the account and associated records are removed from the active backend immediately through the in-app deletion process, subject to the exceptions below.

15.1 Backup copies

Older copies of information may remain temporarily in backups after deletion from the active system.

Our current backup arrangements include:

• Off-site Cloudflare R2 backups: Older copies may remain for up to approximately two weeks.
• Monthly local backups: Older copies may remain for up to approximately six months.

These backup copies are not used to provide ordinary App access. They expire according to the applicable backup retention schedule.

15.2 Internal audit records

Limited records in the organiser administration portal's internal audit logs may be retained indefinitely.

An email address may remain in an audit record in two circumstances:

• An organiser removed that person's event check-in.
• The deleted account belonged to an authorised TEDxColombo organiser.

These records are retained for internal accountability and administration. They are separate from the ordinary active App account and its associated personal features.

15.3 Push delivery logs

Push delivery logs may remain after account deletion, but the associated device token is blanked or removed.

These logs are separate from the active push token associated with an App account.

15.4 Other legal requirements

Where applicable law requires us to preserve particular information, we may retain only the information necessary for the relevant obligation.

16. Delete Account

You can delete your TEDxColombo App account directly in the App or request deletion by email.

16.1 Delete your account in the App

Open the App and go to:

You → Settings → Delete Account

Follow the displayed steps to confirm deletion.

In-app account deletion is immediate and permanent for the active backend.

It removes the account and associated active-system information, including:

• Profile and account information.
• Authentication and sign-in records.
• Apple authentication token, where one exists.
• Saved content and private notes.
• Viewing progress.
• Podcast follows.
• Submitted questions and reactions.
• Connect requests and accepted connections, including connection records on the other user's side.
• Event ticket entitlements and attendance or check-in records associated with the account.
• Push notification tokens and notification preferences.
• Feedback and other account-linked information.

Deleted information cannot be restored through the App.

Limited internal audit records, token-redacted push delivery logs and older backup copies may remain as described in Section 15.

16.2 Request deletion by email

If you cannot access the App or prefer to request deletion outside the App, email:

[email protected]

Please identify the email address associated with your App account and state that you want the account deleted.

We may contact you to verify account ownership or clarify information necessary to complete the request. Verification may involve a response from the registered email address or another proportionate and secure method.

Do not send passwords, authentication tokens or identity-document scans.

We will complete verified email deletion requests within 30 calendar days, provided you respond in a timely manner to reasonable additional verification or information requests needed to process the deletion.

The same active-system deletion and retention exceptions apply whether deletion is initiated in the App or through a verified email request.

16.3 What deletion does not control

Account deletion does not necessarily remove:

• Contact information another user previously copied or saved outside the App.
• Information held independently by a third-party ticketing provider.
• Information held by external platforms under their own accounts and policies.
• Limited audit records and backup copies retained as described above.

If you wish to delete information held by a separate service, you may need to contact that service directly.

17. Your Privacy Choices and Rights

Depending on applicable law, you may have rights concerning personal information, including the ability to request access, correction or deletion and to raise concerns about how your information is processed.

The App also provides controls that allow you to:

• Change whether your email address is shared with accepted Connect connections.
• Enable or disable sharing of your optional phone number.
• Manage notification categories.
• Turn off sharing of usage statistics for Firebase Analytics and Firebase Performance Monitoring.
• Manage camera, microphone and notification permissions through your device settings.
• Delete your account.

Some processing, such as crash diagnostics through Firebase Crashlytics, continues even when usage-statistics sharing is disabled.

To exercise a privacy right or ask a question about your information, email [email protected].

We may request proportionate verification before responding to a request involving account information.

18. Children's Privacy

The App is intended for users aged 16 years or older.

We do not currently use a formal age-verification mechanism.

If we become aware that an account belongs to a person below the intended minimum age, we may take appropriate steps to restrict access and delete the account information, subject to applicable law and the retention exceptions described in this policy.

A parent or guardian who believes a younger person has created an account may contact us at [email protected].

19. Third-Party Privacy Policies

The App may contain links to websites, platforms or services not operated by TEDxColombo.

These may include ticketing websites, Google and Apple authentication services, YouTube, podcast hosts and Flickr.

Their collection and use of information are governed by their own privacy policies.

We encourage you to review those policies before providing information or using the relevant service.

20. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in the App, its features, our technical infrastructure, applicable law or our information-handling practices.

The date at the beginning of the policy indicates when it was last updated.

Where a change is material, we may provide additional notice through the App or another appropriate channel.

The current version will apply from its stated effective or last-updated date, subject to applicable legal requirements.

21. Contact Us

For questions, concerns, privacy requests or account-deletion requests, contact:

TEDxColombo
Email: [email protected]

Please provide enough information for us to understand and respond to your request. Do not include passwords or other sensitive authentication credentials.

TEDx Notice

TEDxColombo is an independently organised TEDx event operating under licence from TED. The TEDxColombo mobile application is operated by TEDxColombo and is not operated by TED itself.