Privacy Policy
Last updated 18 October 2026
Osmo is a science news app for children aged about 5 to 14, set up by a parent or guardian. We built it to collect as little as possible: no sign-up, no email, no real names, no photos, no location, no advertising and no tracking.
1. Who we are
Osmo: Science News for Kids is published by Neobound AI, 804, Tower-19, Plot No. 9, Unitech Habitat, Sec Pi-2, Alpha Greater Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India – 201310. Email info@neobound.ai. We decide how the information described here is used (we are the "data fiduciary" under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and the "controller" under the EU and UK GDPR).
2. What Osmo stores
| Information | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| A random Osmo ID and session key, created when the app is first opened | To keep the child's settings and progress on that device. It is not linked to a name, phone number, email, advertising ID or Google account. |
| Nickname (we ask children not to use their real name), grade, space-suit colour, chosen topics and story language | To show stories at the right reading level, on the topics the child chose, in the chosen language. |
| Which stories were read, quiz answers, story reactions and stories reported as a problem | To show the child their progress, stamps and ranks, and to remove stories children find upsetting or wrong. |
| Sound on/off and the date and time the parent gave consent | To respect the grown-up's settings and keep a record of consent. |
| For Osmo Plus subscribers only: the Google Play purchase token, plan, renewal status, order ID and expiry date | To unlock Plus, keep it working after a reinstall, and keep the accounting records the law requires. Payment is handled entirely by Google Play. We never see card, UPI or bank details. |
| Daily totals of feature use (for example "worksheets opened today: 12") and which days a profile was active | To understand which features help families and to count active users. Totals contain no child's identity. |
3. What Osmo never collects
- Real names, email addresses, phone numbers or accounts (no Google or other sign-in)
- Location, contacts, photos, camera, microphone or voice recordings. Read to Me uses the phone's own speech engine, or for Plus a recording made by our server from the story text. Nothing the child says is ever recorded.
- Advertising IDs or device identifiers such as IMEI. Osmo shows no ads and contains no advertising, analytics or tracking software.
Story pictures are downloaded by our server and passed to the app from there, so news websites never see the child's device. Links to original articles open only after a grown-ups-only check.
4. Children's data and parental consent
A parent or guardian must confirm they are the child's parent or guardian and agree to this policy before a child profile is created. We process children's information only to provide Osmo. We do not carry out tracking, behavioural monitoring or targeted advertising directed at children, and we never sell, rent or share their information. Children cannot contact other users and cannot post anything publicly.
5. Who we share information with
We don't sell or share personal information. We use these service providers, who receive only what is described here:
- Google Cloud (servers in Mumbai, India) hosts Osmo's server and database.
- Microsoft Azure AI services rewrite and translate published news articles and turn finished stories into narration. They receive only public story text, never information about a child.
- Google Play processes Osmo Plus payments under Google's own terms and privacy policy.
We may disclose information if the law requires it, and only the minimum required.
6. Where information is kept and for how long
Information is stored on servers in India (Google Cloud, Mumbai). Deleting the profile in the app removes it from our servers immediately. A profile that is not used for 400 days is deleted automatically. Purchase records (order ID, plan, amount, date) are kept without any link to the deleted profile for as long as tax and accounting laws require. Our servers don't keep visitors' IP addresses in their logs.
7. Security
All traffic between the app and our server is encrypted (HTTPS). The database is not reachable from the internet. Staff access the admin portal with individual accounts, and every change they make is logged. App backups to Google Drive are switched off so no copy of a child's profile leaves the device that way.
8. Your rights and choices
You can see, correct or erase your child's information, withdraw consent, or nominate someone to act for you. You can change or delete everything yourself in the app under Passport → Grown-ups, or see Delete your data. Withdrawing consent means deleting the profile.
9. Families outside India
European Union, United Kingdom and similar laws: we rely on the parent's consent (and, for Plus, on the subscription contract) to process information. You have the right to access, correct, erase, restrict or object to processing, to data portability, and to complain to your local data protection authority. Information is processed in India under appropriate safeguards.
United States (COPPA): Osmo is directed to children. We collect only a random device identifier and a nickname, grade and topic choices, used solely to run the app for that child. We do not condition use on providing more information than necessary. A parent can review or delete the information at any time from Grown-ups or by emailing us. California: we do not sell or share personal information and do not use it for cross-context behavioural advertising.
More detail: GDPR & UK GDPR notice, Children's privacy (COPPA) and Cookies & device storage.
10. Grievance officer and contact
Ajay Kumar, Neobound AI, 804, Tower-19, Plot No. 9, Unitech Habitat, Sec Pi-2, Alpha Greater Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India – 201310. Email info@neobound.ai. We acknowledge complaints within 48 hours, reply within 7 days and resolve them within 30 days. If you are not satisfied, you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India, or to your local data protection authority.
11. Changes
If we ever want to collect anything new, we will update this page and ask the parent again in the app first.