Privacy Policy

HelpSathi collects information to deliver tailored mentorship experiences and protect platform integrity: • Account & Profile Data: Full name, email address, password hash, phone number, academic background, target colleges, fields of interest, and avatar picture. • Mentor Verification Data: Educational credentials, degree certificates, employer history, LinkedIn profile links, and government ID for KYC compliance. • Consultation & Messaging Data: Timestamps, session duration, encrypted chat transcripts, consultation notes, and audio/video connection metadata. • Billing & Payment Records: Transaction amounts, Razorpay order/payment identifiers, wallet balance ledgers, and coupon usage records (we do not store raw credit/debit card numbers or CVVs on our servers). • Technical & Device Telemetry: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and error diagnostics.

We utilize personal data strictly for legitimate operational purposes: • Facilitating real-time socket chats, video meeting links, and calendar invitations between students and mentors. • Processing secure wallet recharges, escrow disbursements, mentor payout settlements, and refunds. • Personalizing mentor recommendations, search filters, and subject discovery. • Preventing fraudulent transactions, spam posts, unauthorized account takeovers, and harassment. • Communicating critical service updates, booking confirmations, and push/in-app notifications.

We do not sell, rent, or monetize your personal data to advertisers. Information is shared strictly with authorized service providers under confidentiality agreements: • Payment Gateways: Razorpay for secure payment authorization, subscription billing, and fraud mitigation. • Communication & Infrastructure Providers: Google Cloud / Google Meet API for calendar scheduling and video room generation; ImageKit for optimized CDN asset delivery. • Legal & Regulatory Authorities: When compelled by lawful subpoena, court order, or governmental compliance under the Information Technology Act (India).

HelpSathi uses essential session cookies and local storage tokens to maintain user authentication, preserve theme preferences (Dark / Light mode), and safeguard against cross-site request forgery (CSRF). You can manage cookie permissions through your browser settings, though disabling essential cookies may impact platform functionality.

We enforce industry-standard security measures to safeguard personal data: • All communication is encrypted via TLS 1.3 in transit and stored in protected databases with role-based access control. • Password hashes are generated using cryptographic Argon2/Bcrypt salts. • Regular vulnerability audits, rate-limiting defenses, and strict input sanitization protect against SQL injection and cross-site scripting.

In accordance with applicable data protection legislation (including India's DPDP Act and GDPR): • Right of Access & Rectification: You may view and edit your profile information at any time via your account settings. • Right to Erasure (Account Deletion): You may request complete account deletion and data anonymization by contacting our grievance desk. • Notification Preferences: You can customize or disable push and in-app alerts directly from your user dashboard.

In accordance with the Information Technology Act 2000 and rules made thereunder, the name and contact details of our Grievance Officer are provided below: Grievance Officer: HelpSathi Data Protection & Compliance Cell Email: privacy@helpsathi.com / grievance@helpsathi.com Location: New Delhi, India We commit to addressing all privacy inquiries and data requests within 30 business days.