Privacy Policy
Last updated & verified: August 2026
Sambandh - Saraswath Matrimonial Platform ("we," "our," or "us", operated by GSB Sabha® Mulki) is committed to safeguarding the digital privacy, dignity, and autonomy of our community members. This Privacy Policy is published in strict compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 (Act No. 22 of 2023), the Information Technology Act, 2000, the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (Rule 3), and the IT (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011.
1. Information Collection
To provide personalized matrimonial matchmaking and astrological compatibility, we collect personal data directly from you with your explicit, informed consent:
Personal Identification
- Full legal name, email address, phone number, gender
- Date of birth, time of birth, and place of birth (for Kundli)
- Marital status (Single, Divorced, Widowed, Awaiting Divorce)
Verification Artifacts (Temporary)
- Government-issued Aadhaar Card / photo ID for identity validation
- UPI / Bank payment receipt for platform maintenance fee
- Auto-Purged: Both files are irreversibly erased immediately after verification.
Profile & Background Details
- Education, occupation, employer, annual income bracket
- Height, dietary preferences, disability status (if any)
- Family details (parents' names/occupations, sibling counts)
Spiritual & Horoscope Data
- Gothra, Nakshatra, Rashi, Charana, Kuladevatha, Math affiliation
- Vedic Kundli charts calculated exclusively for Gunamilan matching
Platform Fee Transparency
A nominal one-time maintenance fee of ₹ 500/- is collected via direct UPI to support administrative vetting. We do not store credit/debit card numbers or CVVs.
2. Use of Collected Information
Your personal data is processed strictly for the following specified matrimonial purposes (DPDP Act § 4 & § 5):
- Community Matchmaking: Facilitating verified matrimonial introductions within the Saraswath community.
- Vedic Compatibility (Gunamilan): Generating 36-point Guna Milan astrological compatibility reports.
- Community Authenticity & Safety: Manual administrative vetting of identity proofs to maintain a zero-fraud ecosystem.
- Downloadable Matrimonial Folios: Allowing verified members to download structured PDF bio-data for offline consideration.
3. Verification & Mandatory Auto-Purge Protocol
Statutory Auto-Purge under DPDP Act § 8(7)
To prevent unauthorized exposure, identity theft, or long-term storage of sensitive documents, all uploaded Aadhaar identity cards and payment receipts are automatically and permanently deleted from our server file storage immediately upon profile approval and activation.
is_verified = true), timestamp of verification, and the verifying administrator ID.4. Disclosure of Information
We do not sell, rent, commercialize, or trade your personal data. Disclosures occur only in the following controlled contexts:
- To Verified Members: Profile details (excluding unmasked direct contact info) are accessible only to authenticated, admin-approved community members.
- Sub-Processors: Direct integrations for essential infrastructure (e.g. SMS delivery via MSG91, transactional emails, cloud hosting) governed by Data Processing Agreements.
- Statutory Compliance: In response to lawful orders issued by courts of competent jurisdiction or authorized law enforcement agencies under the Information Technology Act.
5. Data Security & AES-256 Encryption
In adherence to Section 8(5) of the DPDP Act and IT SPDI Rules 2011, we implement enterprise-grade technical safeguards:
AES-256 Encryption at Rest
All PII columns (names, emails, phones, dates of birth) are encrypted at rest using AES-256-CBC cryptographic ciphers.
HMAC Blind Index Search
Database search operations utilize one-way salted HMAC-SHA256 blind indices, preventing plaintext database scraping.
TLS 1.3 & Role-Gated Storage
All network traffic is encrypted via TLS 1.3. Pending documents are placed in non-public disks with authenticated streaming.
6. User Responsibilities & Conduct
Under Rule 3(1)(b) of the IT Intermediary Rules, 2021, members agree to adhere to community standards:
- OTP & Credential Confidentiality: Never share your login OTP or Membership ID with third parties.
- Bio-Data Confidentiality: Profile bio-data downloaded for matrimonial consideration must remain strictly private and must not be posted on social media, WhatsApp groups, or public websites.
- Truthful Representation: All details regarding age, education, marital status, and horoscopes must be truthful and accurate.
7. Statutory Rights under DPDP Act, 2023
As a Data Principal under India's DPDP Act, 2023, you enjoy the following unconditional statutory rights:
Download a complete structured JSON summary of your personal data, profile metadata, and third-party processors directly from your Account Settings.
Self-service hard deletion permanently purges all photos, child database records, search indices, and auth tokens immediately without administrative veto.
Submit privacy grievances directly to our Data Protection Officer with a statutory resolution commitment within 30 calendar days.
Designate a representative in your Account Settings to manage or request erasure of your data in case of death or incapacity.
8. Implemented Compliance Features (IT Act & DPDP Act)
We have engineered specific technical architectures across our frontend and backend to ensure 100% legal compliance:
1. Legal Marriage Age Gating (DPDP Act § 9)
Strict client and server-side validation rejecting female registrations under 18 years and male registrations under 21 years. Minors cannot register, ensuring child data processing under Section 9 is strictly out of scope.
2. Unbundled Consent & 5-Language Notice Modal (DPDP Act § 5 & § 6)
Registration forms feature un-ticked affirmative consent checkboxes with a dedicated statutory notice modal available in English, Konkani (कोंकणी), Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ), Marathi (मराठी), and Hindi (हिन्दी) per DPDP Act § 5(3).
3. Automated Document Auto-Purge Engine (DPDP Act § 8(7))
Automated hard deletion of Aadhaar verification documents and payment receipts upon admin activation, supported by an automated backend purge pipeline.
4. Self-Service Cascade Hard Deletion (DPDP Act § 12)
A dedicated Account Erasure workflow in Settings that requires logged-in Membership ID confirmation to irreversibly delete profiles, photos, and child records with zero admin veto.
5. Immediate Marriage Delisting & Lockdown (DPDP Act § 8(7))
Members can mark their status as "Married / Match Fixed", which instantly delists the profile from search results, unindexes search keys, and locks personal contacts.
6. Success Stories Opt-In & One-Click Takedown (DPDP Act § 6(4))
Success stories require explicit consent and feature an instant self-service takedown endpoint to withdraw photos and testimonials at any time.
9. Grievance Officer & DPBI Escalation
Under Rule 3(2) of the IT Rules 2021 and Section 13 of the DPDP Act 2023, you may contact our designated Grievance & Data Protection Officer for any queries or rights enforcement:
Data Protection Officer (DPO) & Grievance Officer
Statutory Escalation to Data Protection Board of India (DPBI)
If your privacy complaint is not resolved within 30 days, or if you are unsatisfied with the resolution, you hold the statutory right under Section 13(3) of the DPDP Act, 2023 to register a grievance with the Data Protection Board of India.