Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how SocioTurtle Technologies LLP ("SocioTurtle," "we," "us," "our"), a Limited Liability Partnership incorporated in India (LLPIN: ACP-9452; DPIIT #238236; UDYAM-MH-26-1046979; Patent #202521103224 Published), collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data of Students, Mentors/Educators, and other users ("you," "User") of the SocioTurtle platform ("Platform").

By registering for or using the Platform, you consent to the data practices described in this Policy, in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act"), the Information Technology Act, 2000, and other applicable Indian law.

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Information you provide directly:

• Full name, email address, phone number
• Age/date of birth (to verify eligibility — 18+ only)
• Educational institution, course, year of study
• Academic and skill-related information (portfolio entries, project descriptions, certifications)
• Video, image, and text content you upload (e.g., short skill-showcase videos, posters)
• Payment information for membership fees (see Section 6)
• Mentor/Educator credentials, verification documents, and professional details (for Mentors)
• Communications you send us (support queries, feedback)

2.2 Information collected automatically:

• Device information (device type, operating system, browser type)
• IP address and approximate location (city/region level)
• Usage data (pages viewed, features used, time spent, click patterns)
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 9)

2.3 Information from third parties:

• If a Mentor refers you for an internship/employment opportunity, limited profile information may be shared with the receiving organization, only with your explicit consent at the time of referral (see Section 5.3)
• Data received from our payment processor, cloud hosting provider, and (where used) login/authentication services

3. Why We Collect Your Data (Purpose of Processing)

We process personal data only for the following specified, legitimate purposes:

• To create and maintain your account and verified profile
• To enable educators to review and verify your skill claims
• To generate career-pathway analytics and role-matching recommendations
• To facilitate mentor-student connections and communication within the Platform
• To process membership fee payments
• To facilitate internship/employment referrals, where you have separately consented
• To communicate service updates, respond to support requests, and (where you've opted in) send promotional communications
• To maintain platform security, detect fraud, and prevent misuse
• To comply with applicable legal, regulatory, or tax obligations

We do not process your personal data for any purpose beyond what is disclosed here without seeking fresh consent.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (under DPDP Act, 2023)

We process your personal data primarily on the basis of your explicit consent, given at the time of registration and at each subsequent point where new processing purposes arise (e.g., consenting separately before your profile is shared with a prospective employer). Certain limited processing (e.g., fraud prevention, legal compliance) may be carried out under "legitimate use" exemptions recognized under the DPDP Act, where applicable.

You have the right to withdraw consent at any time (see Section 8), though this may affect your ability to use certain features of the Platform.

5. How We Share Your Data

5.1 With Educators/Mentors on the Platform: Your portfolio content and skill claims are visible to Mentors/Educators for the purpose of verification, as core to the Platform's function. This is disclosed to you at signup and is a condition of using the verification feature.

5.2 With other Students/the Platform community: Certain profile elements (e.g., name, verified badges, public portfolio items) may be visible to other Students on the Platform, depending on your privacy settings (see Section 10).

5.3 With third-party employers/organizations (internship/placement referrals): We do not share your personal data with any prospective employer or organization without your explicit, separate consent at the time of each specific referral. You will always be informed of which organization is receiving your information and what data is being shared, before it happens.

5.4 With service providers: We share limited data with trusted third parties who help us operate the Platform, including:

• Payment gateway providers (for processing membership fees) — PhonePe
• Cloud hosting providers — Google Cloud
• Analytics providers — to be announced once finalized

These providers are contractually bound to use your data only for the specific service they provide to us, and not for their own independent purposes.

5.5 For legal reasons: We may disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or government request, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of SocioTurtle, our Users, or the public.

5.6 We do not sell personal data. SocioTurtle does not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties for their marketing purposes.

6. Payment Data

Membership fee payments are processed through PhonePe, a third-party payment processor. SocioTurtle does not store your full card number, CVV, or banking credentials on its own servers — these are handled directly by the payment gateway in compliance with applicable RBI and PCI-DSS security standards.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Policy, including:

• Active account data: retained while your account remains active
• Post-deletion: our exact retention period is still being finalized; our current practice is to delete data within 30 days of an account closure request, except where retention is required for legal/tax compliance, in which case data is retained for the statutory period
• Payment records: retained as required under Indian financial/tax record-keeping laws (typically 1 year)

8. Your Rights (under the DPDP Act, 2023)

As a Data Principal under Indian law, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure — request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements
• Withdraw consent — withdraw previously given consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal
• Grievance redressal — raise a complaint with our Grievance Officer (see Section 13), and if unresolved, escalate to the Data Protection Board of India

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at admin@socioturtle.com. We will respond within 30 days, as required under applicable law.

9. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

The Platform uses cookies and similar technologies to:

• Keep you logged in
• Remember your preferences
• Understand usage patterns to improve the Platform

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect certain Platform functionality.

10. Your Privacy Controls

You can control the visibility of certain profile information (e.g., portfolio items, verified badges) through your account privacy settings — for example, "public," "verified mentors only," or "private" visibility tiers.

11. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data, including encryption of data in transit, access controls, and secure cloud infrastructure. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

In the event of a data breach affecting your personal data, we will notify you and relevant authorities as required under applicable law.

12. Children's Data

The Platform is intended for users aged 18 and above only. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected data from a minor, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

13. Grievance Officer

In accordance with applicable Indian law, the following person is designated as Grievance Officer for privacy-related concerns:

Name: Poonam Pal
Designation: Founder
Email: admin@socioturtle.com
Address: SocioTurtle Technologies LLP, Plot 35, Survey 84/3/9, Pawar Wasti, Lohegaon, Pune–411047, Maharashtra, India.

14. International Data Transfers

If data is stored or processed outside India, this section will disclose that and confirm compliance with the DPDP Act's cross-border transfer requirements, which restrict transfers to certain notified countries. Details will be added once our hosting infrastructure is finalized.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to you via email or in-platform notice before they take effect. Continued use of the platform after such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

16. Contact Us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, contact:

SocioTurtle Technologies LLP, Plot 35, Survey 84/3/9, Pawar Wasti, Lohegaon, Pune–411047, Maharashtra, India.
Email: admin@socioturtle.com