Privacy Policy

Who we are

Depression.pk connects people with independently licensed mental-health professionals, and provides free mental-health education and awareness resources. We are a facility and education provider, not a crisis line.

We are a team — volunteers and professionals, in Pakistan and around the world — and a technology company. Zara, who answers you in chat, is built using artificial intelligence, which is what lets her reply at any hour in your own language. AI can get things wrong; we have built safety rules around it and we explain them, and their limits, in our Terms of Use.

What we collect

When you use the Zara chat (web or WhatsApp), we collect:

• A one-way anonymised identifier (a hash of your phone number or browser session). We cannot reverse this to your real number.
• Your messages with Zara, stored securely to provide continuity of support.
• Optional information you share voluntarily: first name, city, faith, language preference.
• If you complete a self-assessment (PHQ-9, GAD-7), your answers and score.

We do not collect your IP address, device details, location data, or analytics tracking cookies.

If you apply to work with us or to volunteer

These two forms are the exception to everything above, and deliberately so. To consider someone for paid or voluntary work with people who are unwell, we have to know exactly who they are, so those forms collect a real name, contact details, a registration number and — for paid applications — a CV. That information is read only by the people assessing applications, is never published, is never shown to anyone using the service, and is used for nothing else. CVs are stored on our own server in a folder that is not reachable from the web. Write to hello@depression.pk and we will stop using your application and will not contact you again. We keep the record itself, as we keep every record, so there is a full history if anything ever needs checking.

How we use your data

• To provide Zara responses and maintain conversation context.
• To improve support for people in distress.
• If you share information suggesting you may be in danger, our care team may review relevant conversations for safeguarding. You are informed of this during consent.

Safeguarding

In situations where there is a risk to life, we may decrypt contact information to connect you with emergency services. Every access is logged. This is disclosed during consent.

Who sees your data

Only authorised Depression.pk team members for safeguarding or platform improvement. We never sell your data or use it for advertising. It is processed only by the services that make Zara work — see “Who else can see it” below.

How long we keep it

We keep your conversations for as long as this service runs. We do not delete them on a timer, and we want to be straight with you about why: your history is what lets Zara remember you instead of meeting you as a stranger every time, and if you are ever at risk it is what lets our care team understand what has been happening.

If you would rather we removed your data, email hello@depression.pk and a person will handle it.

Who else can see it

Two services help Zara work, and your messages pass through them:

• Google — your message is sent to Google’s AI service so Zara can write a reply.
• Telegram — if our safety checks suggest you may be in immediate danger, an alert goes to our care team so a human being can look in on you.

Nobody else. We do not sell your data, we do not profile you, we do not advertise, and there is no tracking on this site.

Your rights (GDPR / UK GDPR)

You can ask what we hold about you, ask us to correct it, object to how we use it, or ask for a copy. Write to hello@depression.pk

Cookies

No advertising, analytics or tracking cookies. One session cookie to maintain your chat.

Contact

hello@depression.pk