Privacy Policy

BHARATPAHCHAN.COM — PRIVACY POLICY

BharatPahchan.com is a venture of CITILINE TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED.

Corporate Office: 301, Dreampoint, PN 1156, Khandela House, Nirwan Marg, Jaipur - 302016, Rajasthan, India.
Registered Office: 715, Mastermind V, Royal Palm Estate, Goregaon (East), Mumbai - 400065, Maharashtra, India.
Official Contact / Support / Grievance Email: bharatpahchan.helpline@gmail.com
Phone: +91 7891-131-132

1. Introduction and Scope

This Privacy Policy explains how CITILINE TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED ("CTPL", "Company", "we", "us" or "our"), through BharatPahchan.com, collects, receives, uses, processes, stores, shares, protects, retains and deletes personal data when a person visits, searches, browses, registers, submits information, claims or verifies a profile, purchases a service, communicates with us, submits a grievance or otherwise uses the website, applications, dashboards, forms and related services (collectively, the "Platform").

BharatPahchan is a private digital identity, discovery, profile, information and visibility platform. Depending on the feature used, the Platform may contain self-submitted profiles, claimed profiles, public-source information, professional or community information, photographs, achievements, media references, directory information, verification indicators, paid visibility services, advertisements and other digital services.

2. Applicable Legal Framework

We intend to process personal data in accordance with applicable Indian law, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 as and when their respective provisions are in force, the Information Technology Act, 2000, applicable rules and directions, and other laws governing electronic records, cyber security, consumer transactions, intellectual property and lawful disclosure.

The DPDP framework has phased commencement. References in this Policy to rights, duties, notices, safeguards or procedures are therefore to be read as applying when and to the extent the relevant statutory provisions are in force. Where a foreign privacy law mandatorily applies to a particular processing activity, we will endeavour to comply with those mandatory obligations.

3. Categories of Information We May Collect

We may collect identity/profile information such as name, photograph, profession, designation, organisation, biography, achievements, awards and professional information; contact information; account and authentication records; profile-claim and verification evidence; transaction, invoice and refund information; user submissions and communications; IP address, browser/device data, access logs, cookies, diagnostics and security events; approximate location where relevant; and fraud/security information.

Verification information may include declarations, links, authority letters, professional credentials or identity evidence reasonably necessary to verify a claim or prevent impersonation. Complete card credentials are ordinarily handled by the relevant payment provider and are not intentionally retained by us.

4. Information We Normally Do Not Need

Do not send passwords, PINs, complete payment-card credentials, unnecessary Aadhaar numbers, medical records, intimate information, children's information or other highly sensitive material unless the Platform specifically requests it for a lawful and clearly stated purpose. Where verification can reasonably be completed with a less intrusive document or redacted copy, users should prefer the less intrusive option.

5. Sources of Information

Information may be obtained directly from you; automatically through Platform use; from a person or organisation authorised by you; from contributors; from payment, hosting, analytics, communication, security or verification providers; and from lawfully accessible public records, official publications, public websites, media and professional sources.

6. Purposes of Processing

We may process information to operate, secure, maintain and improve the Platform; create, claim, authenticate, update, correct or verify profiles/accounts; provide requested or paid services; process payments, invoices, taxes and refunds; prevent impersonation, fraud, forged verification, spam, cyber abuse and unauthorised access; moderate and investigate content; respond to grievances and legal notices; preserve evidence; conduct analytics and quality control; communicate service/security information; and comply with applicable law, court orders and lawful directions.

7. Consent and Other Permitted Processing

Where consent is required, we may seek it through a separate notice, checkbox, form, account flow, email, OTP-based flow or another legally recognised method. Consent may be withdrawn through the relevant mechanism or by contacting us. Withdrawal does not invalidate processing lawfully undertaken before withdrawal and may make a service unavailable where the relevant data is necessary to provide it.

We may process personal data without consent where applicable law permits such processing, including specified legitimate uses, legal compliance, emergencies, legal claims, security or other legally recognised circumstances.

8. Public Profiles, Searchability and Indexing

A central feature of BharatPahchan may be public discovery of identity/profile information. Information intentionally supplied for a public profile, lawfully obtained from public sources or otherwise lawfully published may be visible to the public and may be indexed or cached by search engines and third-party services outside our control.

Removal from BharatPahchan does not automatically remove copies independently indexed or published by third parties. Where technically and legally appropriate, we may take reasonable steps concerning de-indexing or cache refresh, but cannot guarantee action by an independent search engine.

9. Profile Claim, Verification and Anti-Impersonation

We may require proportionate evidence before allowing a person to claim, control, materially alter or obtain a verification indicator for a profile. Verification confirms only the checks expressly described for the service; it is not government certification, police verification, a character certificate, professional licence, credit assessment or guarantee of every statement on a profile.

We may refuse, suspend or revoke a claim or verification if documents appear forged, authority is disputed, information is materially inconsistent, fraud is suspected or continued verification would be misleading or unlawful.

10. Information Submitted About Another Person

If you submit a biography, photograph, contact detail, professional record or other personal information about another person, you represent that the submission is lawful and that you have the necessary consent, authority or other lawful basis. You must not use BharatPahchan to dox, harass, threaten, stalk or unlawfully expose another person. We may request evidence of authority, contact the person concerned, restrict public display, redact information or remove the submission.

11. Children and Minors

The Platform is not intended to encourage unnecessary collection of children's personal data. Where a profile or service involves a child, we will apply requirements then in force under applicable law, including verifiable parental or lawful-guardian consent where required. We may decline to publish contact details, precise location, school routines or other information that creates an unreasonable safety risk.

12. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We may use cookies, pixels, local storage, server logs and similar technologies for authentication, security, preferences, analytics, performance, fraud prevention, advertising measurement and other lawful purposes. Some technologies are necessary for core functionality. Where law requires prior consent for non-essential cookies or tracking, appropriate controls should be presented.

13. Payments and Financial Information

Payments may be processed through third-party payment gateways, banks, UPI providers or other payment-service providers. Such providers may independently process payment credentials under their own terms. We generally retain transaction references, status, amount, invoice and reconciliation data rather than complete card credentials.

14. Sharing with Service Providers and Affiliates

We may share information on a lawful, proportionate and need-to-know basis with cloud/hosting providers, payment processors, communication providers, analytics/security vendors, professional advisers, auditors, contractors, verification providers and other service providers necessary to operate the Platform. Information may also be shared with affiliates or a successor in connection with a lawful merger, acquisition, restructuring or transfer of business, subject to applicable law.

15. Legal Disclosure and Evidence Preservation

We may preserve or disclose information where required or permitted by law, including in response to a valid court order, statutory notice, law-enforcement request, regulatory direction or cyber-security requirement. We may verify the authority and scope of a request before disclosure unless law requires otherwise.

Where a dispute, suspected offence, impersonation, fraud, cyber incident, intellectual-property claim or other legal issue arises, relevant logs, communications, documents and transaction records may be preserved for investigation, compliance or legal proceedings.

16. Cross-Border Processing

Our technology or service providers may operate infrastructure in more than one country. Where personal data is processed outside India, we will comply with cross-border restrictions and safeguards applicable under Indian law and any other mandatory law that applies to the specific processing.

17. Information Security

We use reasonable technical, organisational and administrative safeguards proportionate to the nature and risk of the data. Measures may include role-based access, authentication, logging, encryption where appropriate, backups, malware protection, security monitoring, vendor controls, incident response, access reviews and confidentiality obligations. No internet, cloud, email or electronic-storage system is completely immune from risk.

18. Personal Data Breach / Security Incident

If a personal data breach or material security incident occurs, we may contain and investigate the incident, preserve evidence, restore services and reduce harm. Notifications to affected persons and competent authorities will be made when, in the form and within the period required by the law then applicable.

19. Retention and Deletion

We retain information for no longer than reasonably necessary for the stated purpose, service delivery, statutory/accounting requirements, security, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, enforcement, evidence preservation and legal claims. Different categories may have different retention periods. Information may thereafter be deleted, anonymised, de-identified or securely archived. Backups may retain residual copies until overwritten under normal cycles.

20. User / Data Principal Rights

Subject to applicable law and identity verification, a person may request information about processing, correction or completion of inaccurate/incomplete data, updating of outdated data, erasure where legally available, withdrawal of consent, grievance redressal, nomination where recognised by law, and any additional mandatory right that becomes applicable. A request does not require deletion of information that law requires or permits us to retain.

21. Profile Correction, Claim, De-indexing or Removal Requests

If you are represented in a BharatPahchan profile and believe information is inaccurate, misleading, impersonating you, unlawfully published or requires correction/removal, email bharatpahchan.helpline@gmail.com. Include the exact profile/page URL, disputed material, requested action, your contact details and sufficient information to verify your identity or authority. Do not send unnecessary sensitive documents.

We may seek clarification or proportionate verification. Submission of a request does not guarantee deletion where publication or retention remains lawful, but we will assess the request under applicable law and Platform policy.

22. Marketing Communications

Where permitted, we may send information about Platform services. Users may opt out of promotional communications through an unsubscribe mechanism where provided or by contacting us. Transactional, account, legal, security and service communications may continue where necessary.

23. Third-Party Links and Embedded Services

The Platform may contain external links, social-media embeds, maps, payment gateways or other third-party features. Independent third parties process information under their own terms and privacy notices. CTPL is not responsible for their independent privacy practices.

24. Grievance Redressal and Privacy Contact

Privacy questions, correction/removal requests, account/profile complaints and grievances may be addressed to: Grievance Officer / Privacy Contact, BharatPahchan.com, CITILINE TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED, Email: bharatpahchan.helpline@gmail.com. Please identify the relevant URL/account/order, explain the issue and requested action, and provide a reliable contact method.

We will acknowledge, assess and respond within the period required by the law applicable to the particular grievance. We may ask for additional information necessary to verify identity, authority or the factual basis of the request.

25. Law-Enforcement / Court Requests

Official requests should identify the issuing authority, legal basis, scope of information or action sought and verifiable official contact details. CTPL may verify authenticity, jurisdiction and legal validity before acting unless applicable law requires otherwise.

26. Changes to this Policy

We may revise this Policy to reflect changes in law, technology, services or processing practices. The current version will be posted with an updated effective/last-updated date. Where applicable law requires a fresh notice or consent for a material change, we will take the required steps.

27. Governing Law and Contact

This Policy is governed by applicable laws of India, subject to mandatory privacy, data-protection, consumer and other statutory rights and forums that cannot lawfully be excluded. For privacy, profile correction, data requests, impersonation complaints or other concerns, contact bharatpahchan.helpline@gmail.com or write to the Corporate Office stated above.