Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Scope

This Privacy Policy governs the collection, processing, storage, disclosure, and protection of personal and matrimonial data by NRI Rishta Matrimonial Services Private Limited ("NRI Rishta", "we", "us", or "our"), operating the matrimonial platform accessible via https://nri-rishta.com and our accompanying mobile applications on iOS and Android. This policy is formulated in compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act), the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

By registering, accessing, or utilizing the NRI Rishta platform, you expressly acknowledge that you have read, understood, and consented to the practices described in this Privacy Policy and our Terms and Conditions.

2. Information We Collect

To provide genuine matchmaking and matchmaking recommendation services, we collect information directly from users, automatically through device interactions, and from authorized representatives:

• Identity & Basic Demographics: Full name, date of birth, gender, nationality, current country of residence, citizenship, mother tongue, and marital status (never married, divorced, widowed, awaiting divorce).
• Cultural & Spiritual Background: Religion, community, caste, sub-caste, gotra, horoscope/kundli details (voluntarily provided), and dietary/lifestyle preferences.
• Education & Professional Details: Highest educational degree, institution, occupation, employer sector, residency status (Citizen, Permanent Resident, H1B, Work Permit, Student Visa), and annual income range.
• Photographs & Verification Media: Profile photographs, government-issued photo identity documents submitted exclusively for blue-tick badge verification (Passport, Aadhaar, Driving License, PR Card). Identity documents are encrypted and stored with restricted access.
• Contact & Communication Records: Verified email address, mobile phone number, WhatsApp contact info, on-platform chat messages, support tickets, and call records with our matchmaking advisors.
• Technical & Usage Data: IP address, device identifier, browser type, operating system, geolocation data, login timestamps, search queries, profiles viewed, and shortlists created.

3. Purpose of Processing

We process your personal data strictly for lawful matrimonial purposes, including:

1. Creating, maintaining, and authenticating your matrimonial profile.
2. Generating algorithmic matchmaking recommendations based on compatibility filters and user preferences.
3. Facilitating secure member-to-member communication via our verified chat system.
4. Conducting mandatory fraud prevention, blue-tick badge verification, and compliance audits.
5. Processing subscription upgrades and billing through certified, PCI-DSS compliant payment gateways.
6. Investigating reported abuse, harassment, financial solicitation, or violations of our Community Guidelines.

4. Profile Visibility & Privacy Controls

NRI Rishta empowers members with granular privacy controls over their personal information:

• Photo Privacy: Members can choose public visibility, visible to registered members only, or password-protected private photo view.
• Phone & Contact Shield: Phone numbers are never exposed to unauthenticated visitors and are shared only upon explicit mutual interest acceptance or through premium contact view credits.
• Search Engine Exclusion: Detailed member profile pages are protected behind authentication barriers with noindex meta directives to prevent unauthorized public search engine harvesting.
• Block & Report: You can instantly block any profile to terminate communication and report suspicious activity to our Trust & Safety team.

5. Data Sharing & Third-Party Processors

NRI Rishta does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for advertising or commercial marketing. We share data only with authorized service providers under strict data processing agreements:

• Cloud Infrastructure & Hosting: Secure tier-4 data centers with 256-bit AES encryption at rest and in transit.
• Payment Gateways: Razorpay, Stripe, and PayPal for tokenized, secure transaction processing.
• SMS & OTP Delivery: Certified telecommunication partners for multi-factor phone authentication.
• Legal & Regulatory Authorities: Where mandated by court orders, lawful government notices, or to prevent imminent fraud and harm.

6. Data Retention, Deletion & User Rights

Under the DPDP Act 2023, you retain fundamental rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of Access & Correction: You may review, edit, or update your profile details at any time via your Member Dashboard.
• Right to Withdraw Consent & Deletion: You may request profile deactivation or permanent account deletion. Upon account termination, personal data is purged from active databases, retaining only archived billing records and audit logs mandated by Indian tax and cyber laws.
• Right to Grievance Redressal: Submit privacy-related complaints to our designated Grievance Officer.

7. Grievance Redressal & Contact Details

In accordance with the Information Technology Act 2000 and Rule 3(2) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, the contact details of our Grievance Officer are: