# Kinsmen — Privacy Policy
**Effective date: 30 July 2026**
Kinsmen ("the App", "we", "us") helps people discover others who share their
roots — village, district, culture, or language — when they cross paths in a
new city. Because this involves personal and sensitive data, privacy is not a
feature of Kinsmen; it is the product's foundation. This policy explains, in
plain language, what we collect, why, and the control you keep at every step.
Kinsmen is classified internally as an SPH (Sensitive Personal-data Handling)
Data Product and is designed to comply with India's Digital Personal Data
Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act).
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## 1. Information we collect
**Profile information you provide:** name, age, state, district, taluka,
village/town, the map location of your native place, culture/community, mother
tongue and languages, and optionally your schools/colleges and interests. This
information powers the App's matching features.
**Caste (optional and opt-in only):** you may optionally provide your caste.
It is stored in encrypted form, is never displayed on any profile, and is used
for matching only when BOTH people have separately opted in to caste-based
discovery. You can remove it or withdraw the opt-in at any time in your
profile settings.
**Phone number:** used only for account verification (OTP) and account
security. Your phone number is never visible to any other user unless you
yourself tap "Share my number" inside a chat. Every such share is recorded in
your private Connections Record and can be revoked.
**Selfie verification:** during sign-up we perform a one-time selfie liveness
check to keep fake and duplicate accounts out of the App. The selfie is
processed on your device; the photo itself is not uploaded. Only an encrypted,
irreversible face template is stored, used solely to (a) confirm you are a
real person and (b) prevent banned users from re-registering ("one face, one
account"). This template cannot be reversed into your photo.
**Profile photo (optional):** hidden by default. It is shown to other users
only if you switch on photo visibility, and only to people you have mutually
connected with.
**Location:** used to detect when someone who shares your roots comes near
you. We do not store your exact location or movement history. Your position is
converted on your own device into a coarse zone (approximately 150 metres
wide); only that coarse zone is processed, and it is automatically deleted
within 60 minutes. While you are inside your chosen Home Zone (the radius you
set around your native place), no location data is stored at all. Location is
collected only while the App is in use.
**Messages:** chats open only after both people consent to connect. Message
content is encrypted in transit.
**Connections Record:** for your safety, the App keeps a private log —
visible only to you — of your connections, shares (photo, phone number), and
blocks, with timestamps.
## 2. What we do NOT do
- We do not sell your data to anyone.
- We do not show ads, and we never use community, caste, or origin data for
advertising or profiling.
- We do not display your caste, phone number, or exact location to any user.
- We do not store your GPS trail or movement history.
- We do not allow any user to contact you without your explicit consent.
## 3. How we use your information
To operate the App's core features: detecting path-crossings, computing what
you share with a match (e.g., "same taluka", common language, same college),
opening chats after mutual consent, showing hometown news for your district,
verifying identities, preventing fraud and abuse, and complying with law.
## 4. Sharing of information
Other users see only what the App's consent rules allow: before connection,
only shared-roots attributes (never your name, photo, or contact details);
after mutual connection, your first name and the fields you have chosen to
make visible. We use trusted infrastructure providers (cloud hosting,
push-notification delivery) to run the App; they process data on our
instructions and cannot use it for their own purposes. We may disclose
information if required by law or to protect users' safety.
## 5. Your rights and controls
- **Consent controls:** photo visibility, caste opt-in, and discovery can be
switched off at any time in your profile.
- **Blocking:** you can block any user; they are not notified, can no longer
contact you, and will never appear in your discovery again.
- **Access & correction:** you can view and edit your profile data in the App.
- **Deletion:** you can delete your account in the App (Profile → Delete
account) or by emailing us. Account data is erased within 30 days, except
minimal records we must retain for legal or safety reasons.
- **Grievance:** consistent with the DPDP Act, you may raise concerns with our
grievance contact below; we respond within statutory timelines.
## 6. Data security and storage
Data is encrypted in transit. Sensitive fields (including caste, if provided)
are additionally encrypted at rest. Face templates and account data are stored
on servers located in India. Access is restricted and logged.
## 7. Age limit
Kinsmen is for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly permit accounts
for, or collect data from, anyone under 18. Accounts found to belong to minors
are deleted.
## 8. Changes to this policy
We will update this page when the policy changes and, for significant changes,
notify you in the App. Continued use after an update means you accept the
revised policy.
## 9. Contact / Grievance Officer
Email: kinsmen.app.support@gmail.com
For privacy questions, data deletion requests, or grievances under the DPDP
Act, write to the address above with the subject "Privacy".