Editorial Policy
Effective date: 1 July 2026
Indian Decode publishes for readers, not for brands. This page documents the standards we hold ourselves to — the process behind every article, how we handle mistakes, and how we stay independent. If you ever think we’ve fallen short of what’s written here, tell us.
1. Our mission
We help everyday Indian readers make better tech and business decisions by producing clear, accurate, locally relevant journalism — priced in rupees, grounded in the Indian ecosystem, and free of the marketing spin that dominates most product coverage.
2. Editorial independence
Indian Decode is not owned by, funded by, or under commercial arrangement with any device manufacturer, telecom operator, marketplace, or fintech company. No advertiser, sponsor, or PR agency has approval over what we publish. We reserve the absolute right to write critically about any brand, product, or service.
If our funding model changes — for example, if we add affiliate links or accept sponsored placements in the future — we will disclose it prominently on each relevant article and update this page before the change goes live.
3. How we produce articles
Every published article follows a consistent process:
- Research. We start from official sources — manufacturer product pages, brand-published spec sheets, government portals (TRAI, RBI, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, GST portal), and mainstream Indian retailer listings.
- Cross-checking. Claims about price, specification, availability, or regulation are verified against at least one independent source before publication.
- Writing. Articles are drafted for clarity first. We favour concrete examples, real Indian pricing bands, and buyer-centric framing over jargon and hype.
- Citation. Non-obvious factual claims link to their source. Readers should be able to verify any material claim in our articles.
- Date-stamping. Every article carries a publication date, and price-sensitive pieces carry a “last updated” note.
4. Sources and attribution
We prefer primary sources — the brand’s own product page, the operator’s own tariff page, the government’s own notification — over aggregators. When we quote or paraphrase from other publications, we credit them and link to the original. We do not republish other outlets’ work without permission.
5. Use of AI tools
We may use AI-assisted tools for research, outlining, editing, or draft acceleration. However:
- No article is published without human editorial judgment, fact-checking, and final review.
- Facts, prices, and citations are verified by a human against original sources before publication.
- We do not publish AI-generated content that has not been reviewed and edited by a human.
6. Corrections policy
Mistakes happen. When they do:
- Factual errors are corrected in the article as soon as we’re aware of them, with a “Correction” or “Updated” note explaining what changed and when.
- Price and availability drift is updated on a rolling basis; the “last updated” line reflects the most recent revision.
- Significant errors — those that materially change the article’s recommendation — are flagged at the top of the article, not buried at the bottom.
To report a correction, email admin@indiandecode.com with the article URL and the specific issue. We aim to review corrections within two working days.
7. Conflicts of interest
Where a writer has a personal, professional, or financial connection to a subject — for example, owning shares in a company being reviewed, or having previously worked for a brand mentioned — we disclose it in the article. Writers do not review products they cannot be objective about.
8. Product loans and review samples
We do not currently accept product loans or review units in exchange for coverage. If this changes, we will publish our review-unit policy on this page and disclose the arrangement in every article that uses one. Accepting a review unit will never buy positive coverage.
9. Advertising and sponsored content
The Site does not currently carry advertising or sponsored content. If we introduce advertising in the future, we will clearly label sponsored material as such, keep it visually and structurally distinct from editorial content, and never allow advertisers to review or approve editorial articles.
10. Reader feedback
Reader questions, tips, and disagreements sharpen our reporting. Every email to admin@indiandecode.com is read. We can’t answer every message individually, but reader feedback regularly shapes what we cover next.
11. Diversity of coverage
We try to cover the full price ladder of the Indian market — from ₹10,000 phones to premium flagships, from a solo GST filing to a small factory’s compliance stack — because our readers span that range. We resist the pull of premium-only coverage that ignores how most Indians actually shop.
12. Ownership and contact
Indian Decode is an independent publication. Editorial responsibility rests with the founder, Krishna. All editorial correspondence, including tips, corrections, and complaints, goes to admin@indiandecode.com.
Last updated: 1 July 2026.