What we do with your information
Written in plain language, because a policy nobody can read protects nobody. Last updated 7 August 2026.
PalSamaj.org is run by Pal Samaj, founded by Sarvesh Pal. We are the people responsible for your information — there is no separate company holding it. If you want to know what we hold about you, or want it removed, write to info@palsamaj.org and a person will answer you.
What we collect, and when
We only ask for information at the point you use a particular service. Joining does not require you to fill in everything.
Free membership
Your name, email address, and optionally your phone or WhatsApp number, city and country. This is the minimum needed to know who is in the samaj and to contact you.
Member directory
Whatever you choose to add — profession, area of expertise, the topics you are willing to help others with. You control every field, and you can leave them blank.
Scholarship applications
The student’s name and age, marksheets, proof of enrolment, the fee structure, a statement of financial need, and one reference. Collected only if you apply.
Matrimony profiles
Date of birth, photographs, phone number, email, city, state and country, plus whatever else you choose to add. Explained fully in Section 4.
Contact & event forms
Your name, email and the message itself. Event submissions include the details and any photographs you send.
Technical information
Standard web server logs and anonymous visit statistics. Explained in Section 9.
Who can see what
This is the part most people actually want to know.
| Information | Who can see it |
|---|---|
| Your name and city | Other signed-in members, in the directory |
| Your email address | Only the committee. Never shown to other members |
| Your phone number | Only the committee, unless you choose to reveal it |
| Scholarship application | Only the education committee members reviewing it |
| Statement of financial need | Only the education committee. Never published, with or without consent |
| Matrimony profile | Signed-in members only. Never search engines, never the public |
| Anything at all | Never advertisers, data brokers, or any other matrimony or recruitment service |
Why we hold it at all
- To run the samaj — a register of families is the whole point of a community organisation.
- Because you asked us to — a matrimony profile or directory entry exists because you created it.
- To assess scholarship applications fairly — we cannot judge need without asking about circumstances.
- To account for money — if we award funds, we must be able to show members where they went.
- To keep people safe — to investigate fake profiles, harassment or fraud when reported.
We do not profile you, we do not use your information to target advertising, and we do not make automated decisions about you.
Matrimony — the rules we bind ourselves to
Matrimonial information is the most sensitive thing we will ever hold. These rules apply from the day the service opens.
Your phone number is hidden by default
It is never displayed on your profile. Another member can send you a contact request, and your number is shared only when you agree. Matrimonial fraud and harassment almost always begin with a number lifted from a public profile, and we are not going to hand that out.
Profiles are invisible to search engines
Every profile sits behind a sign-in and carries a no-index instruction. Your photographs and details will not appear in Google, and cannot be found by anyone who is not a member of this samaj.
One photograph is enough to begin
We ask for at least one clear photograph and allow up to five. We deliberately do not demand more. Every additional photograph is additional exposure if anything ever goes wrong, and that is your risk to choose, not ours to impose.
Location stays general
City, state and country. We do not ask for your street address, and you should not put it in a free-text field.
You can hide or delete at any moment
Hiding takes your profile out of view immediately. Deleting removes it entirely. Neither requires a reason or a conversation.
When you marry, we delete
Tell us you are married and your profile is hidden the same day and deleted 30 days later. The delay exists only so an accidental click can be undone — nothing is visible during it.
Your matrimony information is never shared with any other matrimonial service, website or agency. We previously intended to work with an external partner and decided against it, so that your details stay inside our own samaj.
Children, and the scholarship
The scholarship is the one place where we handle information about people under 18, and it deserves separate rules.
- A scholarship application concerning a student under 18 must be made by a parent or legal guardian, who is a registered member.
- We collect only what is needed to assess the application — marksheets, proof of enrolment, fees and a statement of need. Nothing else.
- A child’s information is never used for any purpose other than assessing and administering that application.
- We do not track children across the internet, and we never use their information for advertising or promotion of any kind.
- A parent or guardian may withdraw an application and ask for the documents to be deleted at any point, including after an award.
- If we publish the name of a recipient, it is only with the written permission of the parent or guardian, and never alongside any financial detail.
How long we keep things
Most organisations keep everything forever. We would rather not hold what we no longer need.
| What | How long |
|---|---|
| Membership record | While your membership is active |
| Any deletion you request | Acted on within 30 days |
| Matrimony profile after you marry | Hidden immediately, deleted after 30 days |
| Inactive accounts | After 24 months without signing in we email you; deleted 90 days later if we hear nothing |
| Unsuccessful scholarship applications | Deleted at the end of that award cycle |
| Successful scholarship applications | Kept while support continues, plus the period we must account for the funds |
| Contact form messages | 24 months |
| Backups | Deleted data clears our backups within 90 days |
| Record that a deletion happened | Kept permanently — the date only, nothing that identifies you |
We are honest about backups because instant deletion is a promise no organisation can actually keep. Your data leaves the live site straight away; it takes up to 90 days to cycle out of backup copies.
What you can ask us to do
These rights apply to every member, wherever you live.
See it
Ask for a copy of everything we hold about you. We will send it within 30 days.
Correct it
Anything wrong, tell us and we will fix it. Most fields you can edit yourself.
Delete it
Ask us to remove you entirely. No reason needed, no attempt to talk you out of it.
Take it elsewhere
Ask for your information in a portable file you can use somewhere else.
Withdraw consent
Stop the emails, hide the directory entry, remove the matrimony profile — individually or all at once.
Complain
If we get it wrong, tell us. If we still get it wrong, you may complain to the data protection authority where you live.
To use any of these, write to info@palsamaj.org. Until the Executive Committee is seated and appoints a grievance officer, requests are handled by the founder personally.
Who else touches your information
We use a small number of outside services to run the site. Each is named here, with what it sees.
| Service | What it is for | What it sees |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | Hosting and email delivery | Everything stored on the site, as our hosting provider |
| MailerLite | Sending member emails | Your name and email address |
| Google Analytics | Anonymous visit statistics | Pages viewed, approximate region, device type. Not your name or email |
| UpdraftPlus | Backups | Encrypted copies of the site, held to restore it if something fails |
None of these are permitted to use your information for their own purposes. We do not use advertising trackers, Facebook pixels or any similar tool. There are links to our Facebook page and group; following them takes you to Facebook, whose own policies then apply.
Security, cookies and honesty about both
The site runs entirely over an encrypted connection. Member areas, the directory and matrimony profiles require a sign-in. Administrator accounts use two-factor authentication. We keep the software patched.
Cookies: we set a cookie to keep you signed in, and Google Analytics sets cookies to count visits. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. You can block cookies in your browser, though the sign-in will stop working.
Changes, and how to reach us
If we change this policy in a way that materially affects you, we will email members rather than quietly updating the page. The date at the top always shows when it last changed.
Questions, corrections, deletion requests or complaints: info@palsamaj.org. A person reads every message.