Privacy Policy
Version 1.0. Applies to the Fellowship's website, app, WhatsApp channels and events.
The Punjabi Officers Fellowship ("POF", "we") is trusted with personal information about officers who hold public positions. We collect as little as we can, protect it carefully, and use it only to run the fellowship. This policy follows the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act).
1. What we collect
| Information | Why |
|---|---|
| Mobile number | Sign-in (one-time password) and WhatsApp messages from the Fellowship |
| Name, service, designation, batch, serving or retired | To confirm eligibility and connect you with colleagues |
| State and city of posting | Chapters, state milestones and help for members on transfer |
| Native district in Punjab (optional) | To connect you with members from your area |
| Email address (optional) | Newsletters and notices |
| Verification proof (official email, the members who vouch for you, or an uploaded ID card / posting order) | To confirm that members are genuine officers |
| Record of your acceptance of the Code of Ethics | Governance |
We do not collect Aadhaar, PAN, bank details, caste or religion. Membership fees, when introduced, will be processed by a regulated payment provider and we will not store card or bank details.
2. How we use it
- To verify and manage your membership, and issue your digital ID card.
- To send welcome, event, welfare and emergency messages.
- To show you in the members' directory, only if you choose to be shown.
- To show anonymous totals on the public website, such as member counts and state counts.
- To prepare the member lists required by law for registering the society, which are shared only with the Registrar.
Your data is used only for the Fellowship purposes above. It stays with the Fellowship and is shared only with your consent, or where the law requires it (for example, with the Registrar of Societies).
3. What is public
The public website shows only totals. If you allow it, your first name and service may appear on the Founders' Wall and the Sevadar leaderboard, and your verification page (reached from the QR code on your ID card) shows your name, member number, service and verification status. You can turn this off at any time.
4. Where your data is stored and who can see it
- Data is stored on Google Firebase servers in the Mumbai (asia-south1) region.
- Only authorised office-bearers can see full member records, and their access is logged.
- Uploaded verification documents are visible only to you and the verification team, and are deleted within 90 days of verification.
5. Your rights
Under the DPDP Act you may see, correct or delete your data, withdraw consent, and nominate someone to act for you. Write to the Data Protection contact below. We will reply within 30 days. If you leave the Fellowship, your record is deleted within 90 days, except what the law requires us to keep (for example, financial records).
6. Security
Sign-in uses one-time passwords. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Database rules stop members from reading each other's records directly. We will tell affected members and the Data Protection Board of any personal data breach as the law requires.
7. Contact
Data Protection contact: the General Secretary, Punjabi Officers Fellowship, [email to be added on registration].