Privacy Policy

At Alt Shows, we believe live culture should feel personal without feeling invasive. This Privacy Policy applies to AltShows, a platform operated by Harkat LLP (“AltShows”, “Alt Shows”, “Harkat LLP”, “we”, “us” or “our”). It explains how we collect, use, store, disclose and otherwise process personal data when you visit or use AltShows, create an account, book a ticket, interact with an organizer, use Mood Matcher, or use related features.

1. Information we collect

Depending on how you use AltShows, we may collect information you provide directly, including:

• name;
• email address;
• telephone or mobile number;
• city and profile information;
• profile photo, if you choose to upload one;
• booking, ticket and payment-status information;
• saved shows, wishlist activity and attended-show records;
• reviews, ratings, comments, photographs and other content you submit;
• messages or enquiries you send through the platform;
• Mood Matcher selections and words you choose to enter;
• organizer, venue or event-listing information; and
• information you voluntarily provide when contacting us or using the platform.

We may also automatically receive limited technical and usage information, such as:

• browser and device information;
• IP address and approximate location;
• pages and shows viewed;
• links or features used;
• referral information;
• date and time of visits; and
• cookies, browser storage, logs and diagnostic information.

Precise device location is used only where you grant the relevant browser permission.

2. Why and how we use information

We process personal data for lawful purposes, including where you ask us to provide a service, where you give consent for an optional feature or communication, and where processing is otherwise permitted or required by applicable law.

We may use information to:

• create and maintain your account;
• complete bookings, issue tickets and provide customer support;
• display saved, booked or attended shows in your profile;
• enable organizers to manage attendance and communicate essential event information;
• recommend relevant events and improve Mood Matcher;
• improve search, discovery, accessibility, usability and platform performance;
• personalise the website and remember preferences;
• detect abuse, fraud, security incidents and technical failures;
• send transactional messages and newsletters or alerts you have chosen to receive;
• maintain accounting, audit and legal records; and
• comply with applicable law and lawful requests.

3. Mood Matcher and Taste Memory

Mood Matcher helps you discover performances based on how you want to feel, not only by category. To generate and improve suggestions, we may use:

• the moods you select;
• the words you type into Mood Matcher;
• the shows you open, save or attend;
• your favourite venues;
• your preferred cities; and
• your previous recommendations and interactions.

Mood Matcher recommendations use show information together with your interactions on AltShows. They are suggestions, not guarantees.

If you are not logged in, AltShows may remember taste preferences and an anonymous or pseudonymous browser identifier using local storage. If you create or use an AltShows account, preference information may in future be associated with your account so that recommendations can remain available across devices.

Mood Matcher words and taste information are not displayed publicly and are not ordinarily shared with event organizers. They may be processed by AltShows and the service providers needed to operate, secure and improve the recommendation service. You can clear browser-stored preference data by clearing your browser storage.

4. Location

If you allow location access, AltShows may use it to:

• suggest nearby performances;
• help you filter shows by city; and
• improve local recommendations.

We do not intentionally collect precise device location unless you explicitly allow your browser to share it. You can deny or revoke location access through your browser or device settings.

5. Information shared with the event organizer

When you book or register for an event, AltShows may share the basic customer and booking information reasonably needed by the organizer responsible for that event. This may include:

• the name you entered;
• email address;
• telephone or mobile number;
• ticket quantity, category, booking reference and payment status;
• the selected date, time, venue or seat; and
• other information you deliberately submit for that booking or communication.

This disclosure is made so the organizer can administer entry, attendance, scheduling, venue changes, safety notices, event support, cancellations, postponements and other communications directly connected with that event. Organizers are independent parties and are responsible for their own handling of information after receiving it.

6. Information we do not ordinarily disclose

We do not sell your personal data. Except where you direct us to do so, where disclosure is necessary to provide a requested service, where trusted service providers process data on our behalf, or where disclosure is required or permitted by law, we do not release additional personal information to organizers or unrelated third parties.

In particular, your wider browsing activity, unrelated bookings, wishlist, private profile activity, Mood Matcher words and mood selections, internal recommendation history, internal analytics and information obtained for security or operational purposes are not ordinarily shared with an event organizer.

7. Cookies, local storage and analytics

AltShows may use cookies, browser storage and similar technologies to maintain sessions, remember your selected city, operate wishlists, remember Mood Matcher preferences, improve recommendations, measure performance, diagnose problems and protect the platform. Blocking necessary browser storage may prevent some features from functioning correctly.

Where applicable law requires consent for optional, non-essential analytics, advertising or similar technologies, we will request that consent before using them.

8. Service providers and processing locations

We may use trusted providers for hosting, authentication, payments, email and messaging, ticketing, security, analytics, customer support and other infrastructure needed to operate AltShows. They receive or process only the information reasonably necessary to provide their services and are subject to their own contractual obligations and privacy practices.

Some providers may process information in locations outside India. Where this occurs, we handle such processing subject to applicable law and any restrictions that may apply.

9. Google sign-in and other authentication providers

If you choose Google sign-in or another supported authentication provider, we may receive basic account information made available by that provider, such as your name, verified email address and profile image. We do not receive your Google password. Signing in with an authentication provider does not itself grant access to the AltShows administrative backend.

10. Ticket purchases and payments

Payments may be processed by third-party payment providers. AltShows does not ordinarily receive or store your complete card, bank-account or UPI credentials. We may receive transaction references, payment status and limited details needed for reconciliation, refunds, fraud prevention and customer support. Payment providers process payment data according to their own terms and privacy practices.

11. Reviews, community and public information

Information you choose to make public—including reviews, ratings, comments, photographs and public profile information—may be visible to other users. Please avoid publishing information you do not want to appear publicly.

12. Artificial intelligence and automated recommendations

Some recommendations, search results and organisational tools may use machine learning or artificial intelligence to better understand performances and user preferences. These systems assist discovery and recommendations; they are not used by AltShows to make legal or similarly significant decisions about you.

13. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards intended to protect personal data. However, no website, transmission, device, database or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, AltShows and Harkat LLP do not warrant absolute security or uninterrupted availability.

14. Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably required for the purposes described in this Policy, including service delivery, support, accounting, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, enforcement and legal compliance. We may delete or anonymise data when it is no longer reasonably required, subject to applicable law. Some booking, payment and transaction records may need to be retained even after an account is closed or consent is withdrawn.

15. Your choices, rights and grievances

Subject to applicable law, you may be able to:

• access information about personal data we process about you;
• request correction, completion, updating or erasure of personal data;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• unsubscribe from optional marketing messages or alerts;
• revoke location permission;
• clear browser-stored preference data;
• request deletion of your account, subject to required record retention;
• raise a grievance about our handling of your personal data; and
• exercise any right to nominate another person where applicable law provides such a right.

Withdrawal of consent does not affect processing already lawfully undertaken, and deletion may be limited where records must be retained for legal, accounting, security, fraud-prevention or dispute-resolution purposes.

16. Children's privacy

Some performances on AltShows are intended for children and families, but AltShows is not intended for young children to independently create accounts, provide personal information or enter into transactions where parental or guardian involvement is required by applicable law.

Where applicable law requires verifiable parental or guardian consent before processing a child's personal data, such consent is required. AltShows does not knowingly use children's personal data for targeted advertising or behavioural monitoring where prohibited by law. If we learn that personal data of a child has been collected without consent required by law, we will take reasonable steps to delete or otherwise handle it appropriately.

17. Third-party pages and organizer conduct

AltShows may link to organizer, venue, payment, social-media or other third-party pages. We do not control their privacy practices. Harkat LLP and AltShows are not responsible for how independent organizers or other third parties use information outside our possession or control, except to the extent responsibility cannot be excluded under applicable law.

18. Limitation

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Harkat LLP and AltShows shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive loss arising from unauthorized acts of third parties, independent organizers, venues, users, service providers or events outside our reasonable control. Nothing in this Policy excludes or limits any obligation or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

19. Changes to this Policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy when our services, legal obligations or data practices change. When significant changes are made, the current version will be published on this page with an updated effective date.

20. Contact and privacy grievances

For privacy questions, data requests, withdrawal requests or complaints, contact:

Harkat LLP / AltShows
Mumbai, India
altshows@harkat.in