STech Cable Billing App

Last updated: 5 September 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Smartgem Technologies ("we", "our", "us") and the STech Cable Billing Android application (the "App" or "Service") handle information. We have designed the App to be offline-first and privacy-respecting: your billing records are stored on your device and are never sent to our servers.

By using the App, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

1. Information we process

The App stores only the information that you (the operator) enter and manage. This may include:

• Operator account details you create during sign-up: operator name, email address, an auto-generated username, a password (stored as a salted hash — never in plain text), language preference, and answers to security questions (also stored hashed and salted).
• Customer records you add: customer ID, name, contact number, area, sub-location, LCO number, STB number, and assigned network.
• Payment / billing records you record: monthly payment status and collected amounts per customer.
• Audit logs of payment amount changes (old value → new value, with month and timestamp).
• Imported data from CSV or XLSX files that you choose to import (e.g. customer bulk import).

We do not collect personal information from your device or contacts, and we do not read files outside of those you explicitly select for import or export.

2. Where your data is stored

• All data is stored locally on your device in the App's private database (SQLite via Room) and in private app preferences (SharedPreferences).
• No server, cloud account, or developer infrastructure receives your billing data.
• We do not have access to, and do not view, your subscribers' billing records.

Because data lives only on your device, you are responsible for backing it up if you change or lose your phone or uninstall the App. We strongly recommend using the App's backup features.

3. Google Drive backup (optional)

The App offers an optional feature to upload a backup of your records to your personal Google Drive.

• The upload happens only when you tap "Upload to Google Drive" in the App's Settings.
• The App requests the narrow Drive permission DRIVE_FILE ("see and manage files created by this app"). It does not read, modify, or delete other files in your Drive.
• The backup file (STechCableBilling_backup_<date>_<time>.json) is saved to the root of your own Google Drive account associated with the Google account you choose at sign-in.
• You can delete this backup file at any time from your Google Drive.
• Once stored in your Google Drive, the file is subject to Google's terms and privacy policy, not ours. See Google's policies at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

We do not receive, store, or have access to your Google account credentials or to the backup files you upload to your own Drive.

4. Advertising (Google AdMob)

The App displays advertisements using Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK) to support development and maintenance.

• Data processed by AdMob: Google AdMob may collect and process device identifiers (such as Android Advertising ID), IP addresses, and diagnostic/interaction data for serving non-personalized or personalized ads and fraud prevention.
• Privacy Policy: The collection and processing of advertising data are governed by Google's Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy and https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads.
• Your Billing Data is Never Shared: Your customer lists, payment transactions, and cable operator business records stored locally in the App are never shared with or accessed by Google AdMob or any third-party advertisers.

5. What we do NOT do

• No proprietary user tracking. We do not run custom tracking servers, user profiling databases, or third-party analytics SDKs.
• No selling or sharing of billing records. We never sell, rent, or share your subscriber data or financial records with third parties.
• No cloud storage of your data. Except for your explicit optional backups uploaded directly to your personal Google Drive, all billing data resides 100% locally on your device.

6. Permissions the App uses

7. Security

• Passwords and security-question answers are hashed using SHA-256 with a unique per-user salt before storage. We recommend using a strong password and keeping your device locked.
• The App runs a login session to protect access to your billing records.
• As with any local app, the safety of your data also depends on the security of your device (lock screen, updates, and so on).

8. Children's privacy

The App is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the applicable minimum age in your jurisdiction), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

9. Your choices and rights

• Backup and export: You can export a JSON backup and CSV reports at any time from the App's Settings.
• Restore: You can restore from a previous backup (this replaces the current on-device data).
• Delete data: Deleting a customer also removes their payments and audit history. Deleting the App removes all locally stored data (except any backup file you uploaded to your own Google Drive).
• Account deletion: Deleting the App removes your locally stored operator account. You can also delete the Google Drive backup file yourself at any time.

Where applicable under data protection law, you have the right to access, correct, and delete the personal information you have stored in the App.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of the App after changes means you accept the updated policy.

11. Contact us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how the App handles data, contact us at:

This document is provided in English. Where translated versions exist for convenience, the English version governs.