Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 2025

Effective Date: January 2025

In Plain English: Capital Friends is a free Google Sheets template you copy to your own Google Drive using Google's native copy feature. We collect ZERO personal data from you - no email, no financial information, nothing. The template is 100% yours from the moment you make the copy, and we have absolutely no access to your data.

1. Introduction

Welcome to Capital Friends by Jagadeesh Manne ("we," "our," or "us"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our Google Sheets-based family wealth tracking template.

Capital Friends is an open-source project hosted on GitHub that provides a Google Sheets template for personal family finance management. Unlike traditional web applications, Capital Friends operates entirely within your Google Drive after initial setup.

How Capital Friends Works

  1. You Visit the Landing Page: You visit our website at capitalfriends.in or jagadeeshkmanne.github.io/capital-friends
  2. You Click "Get My Copy": This opens Google's native spreadsheet copy URL in a new tab
  3. You Make a Copy: Google Sheets creates a copy directly in YOUR Google Drive (you own it immediately)
  4. You Own Everything: The sheet is 100% yours from the moment you copy it. It lives in your Google Drive, and we collect ZERO data from you

Key Privacy Principle: Capital Friends collects ZERO personal data. You own your copy from day one. We never have access to your copy, your email, or any data you enter.

2. Information We Collect

NONE. We collect ZERO personal data from you.

Capital Friends does not collect, store, or transmit any of the following:

Why We Collect Nothing: Capital Friends uses Google's native /copy URL feature. When you click "Get My Copy", Google Sheets creates a copy directly in YOUR Drive - we're not even involved in that process. The template code bound to your copy runs entirely under YOUR Google account permissions. We have no server, no database, no analytics service - just an open-source template.

2.1 About the Questionnaire Feature

Your copy includes an optional 8-question security questionnaire feature. Important clarification:

2.2 No Tracking Code

While the template includes an onOpen() trigger function called trackFirstTimeCopy() in the code, this function:

3. Data You Control

All data in your Capital Friends copy belongs to YOU and is accessible ONLY by YOU:

Why We Don't Have Access: When you use Google's native /copy feature, Google creates a completely independent copy owned by YOU. The Apps Script code bound to your sheet runs under YOUR Google account permissions, not ours. We have no access to your copy - even attempting to open it would result in a "Permission Denied" error.

4. How We Use Your Information

We don't collect any information, so there's nothing to use.

4.1 No Analytics or Tracking

4.2 Technical Support

4.3 No Marketing

5. Data Storage & Security

5.1 No Central Database

Capital Friends has NO central database or tracking system:

Why no tracking? The template code includes a trackFirstTimeCopy() function, but due to Google's authorization model for simple triggers, it cannot access your email or copy details. It fails silently and doesn't interrupt your use.

5.2 Your Copy (Your Google Drive)

Your copy is stored in YOUR Google Drive with:

5.3 Data Sources

Capital Friends uses Google Sheets' IMPORTRANGE function to fetch public reference data:

5A. Data Protection Mechanisms & Security Safeguards

Capital Friends implements multiple layers of security to protect sensitive user data. This section details the technical and organizational measures we employ.

5A.1 Encryption & Data Protection

Encryption at Rest

Encryption in Transit

5A.2 Access Controls & Authentication

User Authentication

Ownership-Based Access Control

OAuth Scope Restrictions

5A.3 Data Minimization & Retention

Zero Data Collection

No Data Retention

5A.4 Secure Development Practices

Code Security

Dependency Management

5A.5 Infrastructure Security (Google Cloud Platform)

Capital Friends inherits Google Cloud Platform's enterprise-grade security infrastructure:

5A.6 Monitoring & Incident Response

Security Monitoring

Incident Response

5A.7 User Security Responsibilities

While we implement robust security measures, user security also depends on YOUR actions:

5A.8 Compliance & Certifications

Data Protection Regulations

Google's Compliance

By building on Google Workspace, Capital Friends benefits from Google's compliance with:

5A.9 Data Breach Notification

In the unlikely event of a data breach:

Security Summary: Your sensitive financial data is protected by Google's enterprise-grade encryption (AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.2+ in transit), ownership-based access controls (zero developer access), minimal OAuth scopes (only 4 scopes: spreadsheets.currentonly, gmail.send, script.scriptapp, script.container.ui), and Google Cloud Platform's SOC 2/ISO 27001 certified infrastructure. The spreadsheets.currentonly scope ensures the code can ONLY access your Capital Friends copy - not other files in your Drive. We implement defense-in-depth security with open-source code transparency, input validation, and no data collection.

6. Data Sharing & Third Parties

We do NOT sell, rent, or share your information with any third parties.

The only "sharing" that occurs is:

6.1 Google Services (Required)

This is unavoidable because Capital Friends is built on Google Workspace. By using Capital Friends, you're subject to Google's Privacy Policy.

6.2 No Marketing, No Analytics, No Advertising

6.3 Open Source Code

Capital Friends is open source on GitHub: https://github.com/jagadeeshkmanne/capital-friends

6.4 Payment Processing (Razorpay)

Capital Friends is 100% free to use. However, if you choose to make a voluntary donation to support the project, payments are processed by Razorpay, a third-party payment gateway.

What Data Razorpay Collects

When you make a donation through Razorpay, the following information is collected by Razorpay (NOT by us):

How Razorpay Uses Your Data

What We Receive from Razorpay

We (Capital Friends) receive only minimal transaction information from Razorpay:

We do NOT receive:

Razorpay's Privacy Policy

Razorpay has its own privacy policy and data protection practices:

Your Rights Regarding Payment Data

Donation Policy

For information about refunds, cancellations, and donation terms, see our Cancellation & Refunds Policy.

Important: Donations are 100% voluntary and non-refundable (except for genuine payment errors). They do NOT unlock any features - Capital Friends remains completely free for everyone. Donations simply help maintain the website required for Google verification.

7. Your Email Reports (Important Clarification)

Capital Friends includes an optional feature that sends daily security reminder emails. Here's how it works:

These Emails Are Sent BY You, TO You

What Triggers These Emails

You Can Disable This Anytime

8. Google Apps Script Permissions (OAuth Scopes)

When you create your copy and start using features, Google will ask you to authorize specific permissions. These are called "OAuth scopes" and control what the Apps Script code can do within YOUR Google account.

8.1 Required Scopes

Capital Friends requires these 4 OAuth scopes to function. Google will show an authorization screen requesting these permissions:

Scope Permission Name Why Needed
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/spreadsheets.currentonly See, edit, create, and delete only the specific Google Sheets files you use with this app Allows the template to read and modify YOUR copy of the spreadsheet. Used for: adding new sheets (e.g., Portfolios, Goals), updating cell values when you add investments, creating charts for the dashboard, applying conditional formatting, and all core spreadsheet operations. This scope ONLY applies to the current spreadsheet (your copy) - NOT other files in your Drive.
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.send Send email on your behalf Sends optional security reminders and weekly portfolio summary emails to your email address. No inbox access - only sends emails. All emails are sent from YOUR Gmail account to YOU. Disable anytime in Settings menu.
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/script.scriptapp Manage your Apps Script triggers Installs optional time-based triggers for automated email reports and reminders. Allows you to manage/delete triggers through the Settings menu. Users have full control over all automation.
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/script.container.ui Display and run third-party web content in prompts and sidebars inside Google applications Displays custom dialog boxes and sidebars for features like adding investments, managing portfolios, viewing dashboards, and generating reports. Enables the interactive user interface within the Google Sheets environment.

8.2 External JavaScript/CSS Libraries (No OAuth Scope Required)

Capital Friends HTML dialogs load some external libraries directly in your browser:

Important: These resources are loaded by YOUR BROWSER (client-side), not by Apps Script server-side code. No OAuth scope is required because the browser makes these HTTP requests directly, just like visiting any website.

8.3 Important Notes About OAuth

9. Master Database Access (IMPORTRANGE)

Capital Friends uses Google Sheets' IMPORTRANGE formula to connect to public reference databases. This is different from OAuth permissions.

9.1 What are the Master Databases?

Your spreadsheet includes two sheets that import reference data from public databases:

Sheet Name Database ID Contains
MutualFundData 1pSvGDFTgcCkW6Fk9P2mZ5FSpROVClz7Vu0sW9JnPz9s 1000+ mutual fund names, AMC names, fund categories, and codes for search/lookup functionality
StockMasterData Public stock database 1000+ NSE and BSE stock symbols, company names, and ISIN codes for stock lookup

9.2 IMPORTRANGE Permission (Required)

When you first open the MutualFundData or StockMasterData sheets, you'll see a #REF! error with the message: "You need permission to access this external data."

What you need to do:

  1. Click the "Allow access" button that appears in the cell
  2. This grants permission for YOUR spreadsheet to read data from OUR public master databases
  3. Data will then load and update automatically

Important clarifications:

9.3 Why This is Safe

The IMPORTRANGE formula is a standard Google Sheets feature that:

You can verify the master databases are public: Visit the spreadsheet IDs listed above in any browser (while logged into Google) to see they're shared publicly with view-only access.

10. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Capital Friends does NOT use cookies.

Our web app (the initial page where you request a copy) is a simple Google Apps Script web app that:

Google's Apps Script platform may set its own session cookies for authentication purposes, but we don't control or access these.

9. Data Retention & Deletion

9.1 No Data Retention by Us

Capital Friends collects ZERO data, so there's nothing to retain:

9.2 Your Copy (Your Responsibility)

Your copy of the Capital Friends template is YOUR property. You can:

We have no control over your copy and cannot access or delete it for you.

10. Your Privacy Rights

Since we collect ZERO personal data, most traditional privacy rights don't apply. However:

10.1 Right to Access

We have no data about you to provide. Your financial data lives in YOUR Google Drive copy - you already have full access.

10.2 Right to Rectification

We have no data to correct. You can edit any data in your copy anytime.

10.3 Right to Erasure ("Right to Be Forgotten")

We have no data to erase. Delete your copy from Google Drive if you no longer want to use it.

10.4 Right to Data Portability

Your data is already portable - download your copy as Excel, CSV, or PDF anytime (File → Download).

10.5 Right to Object

We're not processing any of your data, so there's nothing to object to.

10.6 Right to Withdraw Consent

You own your copy from day one. You can stop using it anytime, delete it, or revoke OAuth permissions via Google Account Settings.

Questions? Email jagadeeshi.k.manne@gmail.com with your request.

11. Children's Privacy

Capital Friends is intended for adults managing family finances. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction).

If you are under 18, please obtain parental consent before using Capital Friends.

If we discover we've collected data from a child without proper consent, we'll delete it immediately.

12. International Data Transfers

Capital Friends is hosted on Google's infrastructure, which is global. Your data may be processed in:

Google complies with international data protection laws (GDPR, etc.). By using Capital Friends, you consent to this international processing.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect:

When we make changes:

Your continued use of Capital Friends after changes constitutes acceptance of the new policy.

14. Legal Compliance & Disclosure

Since we collect ZERO personal data, we have nothing to disclose.

If we receive legal requests (court orders, subpoenas, government investigations):

The only information we could potentially provide:

15. Open Source Transparency

Capital Friends is fully open source. You can verify our privacy claims by:

If you find any privacy-related issues in the code, please report them via GitHub Issues.

16. Contact Information

Capital Friends by Jagadeesh Manne

Developer: Jagadeesh Manne

Email: jagadeeshi.k.manne@gmail.com

GitHub: https://github.com/jagadeeshkmanne/capital-friends

Website: https://jagadeeshkmanne.github.io/capital-friends/

Jurisdiction: India

For privacy-related questions, data requests, or to report concerns, please email jagadeeshi.k.manne@gmail.com with "Privacy" in the subject line.


Summary: What You Need to Know

✅ What We Collect: NOTHING. Zero personal data. No email, no analytics, no tracking.

✅ How It Works: You use Google's native /copy feature to create your own spreadsheet - we're not involved

✅ You Own Your Copy: From the first moment, you own your copy - we have ZERO access to your data

✅ Your Financial Data: Stays in YOUR Google Drive, protected by YOUR Google account security

✅ No Sharing: We have no data to sell or share (because we collect none)

✅ Open Source: All code is public on GitHub - verify we collect nothing yourself

✅ Privacy by Design: We literally CAN'T access your data even if we wanted to - Google's permission model prevents it