Privacy Policy & Terms
Privacy
We are committed to the principle of maximum user anonymity. The Dhamma.gift project is designed to ensure that searching for and reading Pali texts does not require users to reveal their personal identity.
Products Covered
Telegram Services
- Telegram Bots: @Dhammagift_bot (main bot for sutta search and Pali dictionary lookups), @Dgift_bot (shortname alias).
- Telegram Mini Apps: Search, Reader, Dictionary.
Web, Android & iOS Apps
- Dhamma.Gift PWA — installable Progressive Web App.
- Dhamma.Gift for Android (online and offline) — available on Google Play.
- Dhamma.Gift for iOS (online and offline) — the same application for iPhone and iPad; it behaves exactly as the Android one does throughout this policy.
- Dict.Dhamma.Gift PWA — specialized dictionary PWA.
- Dict.Dhamma.Gift for Android — available on Google Play.
Browser Extensions
Cloud Synchronization (Optional)
This is an opt-in feature available on the website and within the PWA and the Android and iOS applications, used solely to synchronize your settings, favorites, and history across multiple devices.
- Infrastructure — data is stored in Google Firebase (a third-party cloud database).
- Authentication methods:
- Anonymous passphrase — if you use a secret passphrase, it is hashed locally on your device (SHA-256) before transmission. Only the anonymous identifier is stored; your original passphrase never reaches the database.
- Google Account — we use your email address solely for session identification. The email is stored as a hashed entry to protect your privacy.
- Data storage — only your bookmarks (favorites), search history, and interface preferences are saved. This data is accessible only to you upon successful authentication.
- Data deletion — you may permanently delete all your cloud data at any time using the "Delete Cloud Data" button in the Sync menu.
Data Processing
Our products process only the minimal technical data required for core functionality:
- Search — only search queries, text references, or selected dictionary terms are transmitted.
- Synchronization — when enabled, we process session metadata (OS type and browser) to help you manage your active devices.
- Technical logs — standard request metadata (IP address, User-Agent) is collected by web servers for security purposes and DDoS protection.
Information We Do Not Collect
- Personal identification (except the email address used during Google Login).
- Telegram user IDs or private chat histories.
- Browsing history outside of our specific services.
- Persistent tracking identifiers (beyond the scope of a user-initiated sync session).
Data Transmission
Data is transmitted exclusively to our core services or trusted infrastructure:
- dhamma.gift / dict.dhamma.gift — for search and reader functionality.
- dpdict.net — for comprehensive Pali dictionary results.
- Google Firebase — solely to provide the optional cloud synchronization service.
We do not share, sell, or transmit user data to any third parties for marketing or advertising purposes.
Data Retention
- Without synchronization — search queries and history are not stored
on our servers; all data remains local to your browser's
localStorage. - With synchronization — favorites, settings, and history are stored in the Google Cloud database until deleted by the user.
- Offline library — the full text database (about 200 MB to download, about 590 MB on the device) is downloaded from dhamma.gift and kept on your device only. On the website and in the PWA the download starts only with your consent. In the Android and iOS apps it starts automatically on Wi-Fi and can be cancelled; on mobile data the app asks first. It contains texts only and no data about you. In offline mode, searching and reading texts run on the device without requests to our server. Database updates are offered at most once every two weeks. You can remove the database with the "Delete" button in the offline library settings.
- Logs — technical server logs are retained for a maximum of 30 days.
Updates to This Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically. Your continued use of the Services after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
For inquiries regarding your privacy, please contact us at agiftofdhamma@gmail.com.
Last updated: September 2026.
Terms
The Pali root text, its traditional commentarial material, and translations served here come from SuttaCentral (Bilara data) and the Dhamma.gift project's own curated translations, under their respective licenses. Dhamma.gift adds no restrictions of its own beyond those already carried by the source material.