This Privacy Policy explains how Pyramid Scale, Inc. ("Pyramid Scale", "we", "us" or "our") collects, uses, shares and protects personal data when you use Consul Bot, including our Telegram bot and our website at consul.bot (the "Service"). A visa application needs sensitive personal information, and we treat it with care.
1. Information we collect
Information you give us, in the chat or by uploading documents:
- identity details: full name (in Latin and Cyrillic letters), sex, date and place of birth, citizenship, marital status;
- passport details: international and internal passport numbers, issue and expiry dates, issuing authority;
- contact details: email address, phone number, home and registration address;
- trip details: destination, dates, purpose, accommodation, inviting person or organisation;
- employment, study and financial details needed for the application;
- details of family members or children travelling with you, which you provide on their behalf;
- documents and photos you send, such as passport scans, bank statements, bookings and certificates.
Information collected automatically:
- your Telegram user ID, username, display name and language;
- your messages and interactions with the bot;
- basic technical data when you visit the website, such as browser type and pages viewed.
Payment information. Payments are processed by Telegram. We receive confirmation of the payment, not your card details.
2. How we use your information
- to provide the Service: answer questions, prepare checklists, fill in forms, check and book appointments;
- to arrange reservations you ask for, such as flights, hotels and insurance;
- to send you notifications you asked for, such as new appointment dates;
- to provide support, prevent fraud and keep the Service secure;
- to improve the Service, including fixing errors in how we read documents and fill forms;
- to comply with legal obligations.
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not use it for advertising.
3. Legal basis
We process your data to perform our agreement with you (providing the Service you request), on the basis of your consent (for example, when you ask us to submit your details to a visa centre), for our legitimate interests in running and securing the Service, and where the law requires it.
4. Who we share it with
- Visa centres and consulates, only when you ask us to fill a form or book an appointment for you, and only the information that step requires.
- Service providers who process data for us under contract: Telegram (messaging and payments), Cloudflare (hosting, databases, file storage and email), OpenAI (AI processing of messages and documents) and Browserbase (secure browser sessions used to fill visa centre websites). They may only use your data to provide their services to us.
- Booking partners, such as airlines, hotels and insurers, when you ask us to make a reservation.
- Authorities, when required by law or to protect rights and safety.
5. International transfers
Our service providers may store and process data in countries other than yours, including the United States and the European Union. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for these transfers.
6. How long we keep it
We keep your data for as long as you use the Service and as needed to provide it. You can delete documents you uploaded at any time in the bot, and ask us to delete all of your data. We may keep limited records where the law requires it, such as payment records.
7. Your rights
Depending on where you live, including under the Russian Federal Law No. 152-FZ "On Personal Data" and the EU General Data Protection Regulation, you may have the right to:
- access the personal data we hold about you and get a copy;
- correct inaccurate data;
- have your data deleted;
- withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting processing done before;
- object to or restrict certain processing; and
- complain to your data protection authority.
To use any of these rights, write to hi@consul.bot.
8. Children
The Service is for adults. A parent or legal guardian may provide a child's details to prepare the child's visa application, and is responsible for doing so lawfully.
9. Security
We protect your data with encryption in transit, access controls and limited internal access. No system is perfectly secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect your information and will notify you of a breach where the law requires it.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the bot.
11. Contact
Pyramid Scale, Inc. is responsible for your personal data. Questions or requests: hi@consul.bot.
See also our Terms of Service.