Introduction

We, at “College Dost” and our affiliated companies worldwide, are committed to respecting your online privacy and recognize your need for appropriate protection and management of personally identifiable information (“Personal Information” or “Personal Data”) you share with us, in-line with the applicable data protection laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011, the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”), and any other applicable data protection legislation.

This Policy is subject to the terms of the Site Policy (Terms of Use) of collegedost.in and the Application. This policy applies to those who register on the Platform (as defined in the Terms of Use) provided by collegedost.in, in connection with use of our services, or whose information College Dost otherwise receives in connection with its services (such as but not limited to contact information of individuals associated with College Dost including partner colleges/ educational institutes, coaching centres, third-party service providers, vendors, contractors, affiliates, subsidiaries, and business associates etc.)

Personal information (PI) / Personal Data – means any information relating to an identified or identifiable living person (a “Data Subject”). In particular using a common identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person or any other piece of information as per applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to sensitive personal data or information as defined under applicable Indian laws.

Core Purpose – The Platform is made available for use to help students get details, discover & research on colleges, courses and exams of their interest and for allied services related thereto. Platform also helps connect colleges/educational institutes/coaching centres etc. with prospective students who may be of interest to them. User’s contactable information will be shared with Colleges/Educational Institutes/coaching centres etc either if they have shown interest in that Colleges/Educational Institutes/coaching centres etc or they have shortlisted the user as potential candidate for admission.

Study Abroad section of Platform also assists students in completing and submitting their applications to universities abroad. (“Purpose”).

Information Collection

We collect information about you or your usage to provide better services to all of our users. We collect information in the following ways:

• Many of our services require you to register/sign up for an account on collegedost.in. When you do, we will ask for personal information, such as, but not limited to your name, email address, telephone number, date of birth, gender, residential address, postal code, and other demographic information to create/update your account.
• To provide you additional services, we may collect your profile information such as, but not limited to education background, academic qualifications, work experience, date of birth, financial information, family income details, scholarship application history, test scores, academic interests, preferred courses, preferred institutions, and career aspirations.
• We collect information about the services that you use and how you use them such as, but not limited to log information, location information, device information, browser information, IP addresses, access times, pages viewed, links clicked, search queries, time spent on pages, and interaction patterns.
• We may collect your personal information such as but not limited to bank details, passport details, visa information, identity documents, academic transcripts, recommendation letters, statement of purpose, financial aid information, and other documentation to assist for study abroad program which includes services like Letter of recommendation, student profile, student visa and application to university programmes.
• When you communicate with collegedost.in or its Application or use the collegedost.in platform to communicate with other Members (such as advertisers, colleges/ institutes, coaching centres, educational consultants, third-party service providers, etc.), we collect information about your communication and any other additional information you choose to provide.
• We may collect information from third-party sources, including but not limited to social media platforms, educational institutions, government databases, credit bureaus, and other publicly available sources, to verify and supplement the information you provide to us.

Processing Personal Information

collegedost.in may process your Personal Information for the following purposes:

• We use information collected from cookies and other technologies, like pixel tags, web beacons, tracking pixels, and similar technologies, to improve your user experience and the overall quality of our services. When showing you tailored ads, we will not associate an identifier from cookies or similar technologies with sensitive categories, such as those based on race, religion, sexual orientation or health, except as permitted by applicable law and with your explicit consent where required.
• Our automated systems analyse your content, browsing behaviour, preferences, and interactions to provide you customised search results, recommendations, specific promotions, offers, and personalized content delivery.
• Send alerts, newsletters, promotional communications, service updates, and administrative messages to you (Provided you subscribe to the same. To unsubscribe, please visit your account settings or contact us at the contact information provided herein).
• Improving our website and its content to provide better features, services, functionality, and user experience through analytics, user feedback, and performance monitoring.
• Conducting market research, surveys, data analysis, statistical analysis, and trend analysis with the aim of improving our products and services, understanding user preferences, and developing new offerings.
• Sending you information about our products and services, products and services of our partners, affiliates, and third-party service providers for marketing purposes, promotions, cross-selling, and upselling opportunities.
• Preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting crimes (including but not limited to fraud, identity theft, financial crimes, cybercrimes, and other illegal activities) in any jurisdiction, identity verification, government sanctions screening, due diligence checks, background verification, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
• Establishing, exercising or defending legal rights in connection with legal proceedings (including any prospective legal proceedings), dispute resolution, enforcement of agreements, and seeking professional or legal advice in relation to such legal proceedings.
• The Platform uses YouTube API services, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and other third-party analytics and tracking services. In order to check the performance of a video, content, advertisements, and user engagement, we may track the video play, pause, mute/unmute action performed by the user on the Platform, along with other interaction metrics and analytics data.
• Facilitating transactions, processing payments, managing subscriptions, billing, invoicing, and financial reconciliation with respect to services availed by you through the Platform.
• Complying with legal obligations, regulatory requirements, court orders, subpoenas, government requests, and other legal processes applicable to our operations.

Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

Some of our Web pages utilize “cookies” and other tracking technologies including but not limited to web beacons, pixel tags, local storage, session storage, flash cookies, HTML5 storage, and similar technologies. A “cookie” is a small text file that may be used, for example, to collect your information about Website activity, user preferences, authentication credentials, session information, and browsing patterns.

Some cookies and other technologies may serve to recall Personal Information previously indicated by a Web user, maintain user sessions, personalize content, deliver targeted advertisements, and enhance user experience. Most browsers allow you to control cookies, including whether or not to accept them and how to remove them.

You may set most browsers to notify you if you receive a cookie, or you may choose to block cookies with your browser, but please note that if you choose to erase or block your cookies, you will need to re-enter your original user ID and password to gain access to certain parts of the Web site and some sections/features of the site may not work, and your user experience may be significantly impaired.

Tracking technologies may record information such as Internet domain and host names; Internet protocol (IP) addresses; browser software and operating system types; clickstream patterns; device identifiers; mobile device identifiers; advertising identifiers; geolocation data; dates and times that our site has accessed; referring URLs; exit pages; page views; session duration; and other technical and usage information.

Our use of cookies and other tracking technologies allows us to improve our Web site and your Web experience, deliver personalized content, provide targeted advertising, conduct analytics, measure performance, and enhance security. We may also analyse information that does not contain Personal Information for trends, statistics, market research, and business intelligence purposes.

Third Party Services and Data Sharing

Pursuant to the operational requirements and business exigencies inherent in the provision of services through the Platform, collegedost.in may engage, retain, or otherwise utilize the services of third-party entities, service providers, vendors, contractors, processors, sub-processors, and other external parties (collectively, “Third Party Entities”) who may, in the course of rendering services, performing functions, or executing obligations on behalf of or in conjunction with College Dost, have access to, process, handle, transmit, store, or otherwise interact with Personal Information collected, obtained, or otherwise received by collegedost.in through various means, channels, or mechanisms, whether directly or indirectly, explicitly or implicitly, in connection with the operation, maintenance, enhancement, or improvement of the Platform, the delivery of services, the fulfillment of contractual obligations, or the pursuit of legitimate business interests, all in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and the terms set forth herein.

Such Third Party Entities may include, without limitation, entities engaged in the provision of cloud computing services, data hosting services, infrastructure services, software-as-a-service offerings, platform-as-a-service offerings, analytics services, business intelligence services, customer relationship management services, marketing automation services, email delivery services, messaging services, payment processing services, financial services, security services, fraud prevention services, identity verification services, content delivery services, advertising services, programmatic advertising services, data enrichment services, data validation services, and other ancillary, supporting, or related services that may be necessary, desirable, or beneficial for the operation, functionality, or enhancement of the Platform or the services provided therethrough.

collegedost.in shall, to the extent practicable and in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, endeavor to ensure that such Third Party Entities are subject to appropriate contractual, legal, and technical safeguards, including but not limited to data processing agreements, data sharing agreements, confidentiality agreements, non-disclosure agreements, service level agreements, security requirements, privacy obligations, and other protective measures designed to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, availability, and security of Personal Information, and to prevent unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, destruction, or loss of such information, all in accordance with applicable data protection laws, regulations, standards, and best practices.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, collegedost.in does not warrant, represent, or guarantee that such Third Party Entities will maintain, observe, or comply with the same standards, practices, or obligations as collegedost.in with respect to the handling, processing, or protection of Personal Information, and collegedost.in shall not be liable for any acts, omissions, breaches, violations, or non-compliance by such Third Party Entities, except to the extent required by applicable law or as otherwise set forth in a written agreement between collegedost.in and such Third Party Entity.

In the course of providing services, fulfilling obligations, or pursuing legitimate business interests, collegedost.in may, from time to time, transfer, disclose, share, or otherwise make available Personal Information to Third Party Entities, including but not limited to entities located in jurisdictions outside the territory of India, including jurisdictions within and outside the European Economic Area, the United States of America, and other foreign jurisdictions, for purposes including but not limited to data processing, data storage, service delivery, business operations, compliance with legal or regulatory requirements, or other legitimate business purposes, all in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and the safeguards, mechanisms, or instruments required or recommended by applicable data protection legislation, including but not limited to standard contractual clauses, adequacy decisions, binding corporate rules, certification mechanisms, codes of conduct, or other appropriate safeguards as may be required, recommended, or recognized under applicable law.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, and subject to applicable laws, regulations, and the terms and conditions set forth herein, collegedost.in may, in its sole discretion and in accordance with its legitimate business interests, transfer, disclose, share, or otherwise make available Personal Information to the following categories of Third Party Entities, or entities falling within the following categories, whether such entities are identified herein or not, and whether such entities are currently engaged or may be engaged in the future:

1. Educational Service Providers and Institutional Partners: In furtherance of the Core Purpose and in connection with the facilitation of educational services, admission processes, scholarship programs, and related educational activities, collegedost.in may transfer, disclose, or share certain Personal Information, which may include, without limitation, identifiers, contact information, demographic information, educational history, academic records, test scores, application information, preferences, interests, and other relevant information, with educational institutions, universities, colleges, schools, coaching centers, educational consultants, scholarship providers, financial aid providers, and other entities engaged in the provision of educational services, all based on various factors including but not limited to user behavior, expressed interests, application submissions, browsing patterns, interaction history, algorithmic determinations, or other criteria as may be determined by collegedost.in in its sole discretion. Such entities may, in turn, utilize such information for purposes including but not limited to admission processing, scholarship evaluation, marketing communications, recruitment activities, and the provision of educational services, all in accordance with their own privacy policies, terms of service, and applicable laws. For inquiries regarding such transfers or disclosures, please contact +91 9281014904 or info@collegedost.in.
2. Service Providers, Vendors, and Contractors: collegedost.in may engage, retain, or otherwise utilize the services of various service providers, vendors, contractors, processors, sub-processors, and other entities who provide services, perform functions, or execute obligations on behalf of collegedost.in, including but not limited to entities providing cloud computing services, data hosting services, infrastructure services, analytics services, business intelligence services, customer relationship management services, marketing services, advertising services, content delivery services, payment processing services, email delivery services, messaging services, security services, fraud prevention services, and other technical, operational, or business services. Such entities may, in the course of providing such services, have access to, process, handle, or otherwise interact with Personal Information to the extent necessary, appropriate, or incidental to the provision of such services, all subject to appropriate contractual, legal, and technical safeguards.
3. Business Partners, Affiliates, and Related Entities: collegedost.in may, in connection with business partnerships, strategic alliances, joint ventures, cross-promotional activities, co-marketing initiatives, or other business relationships, transfer, disclose, or share Personal Information with business partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, parent companies, related entities, or other entities with whom collegedost.in has or may have business relationships, all for purposes including but not limited to business development, service delivery, marketing activities, promotional activities, and other legitimate business purposes, all in accordance with applicable laws and the terms of any applicable agreements. For information regarding such transfers or disclosures, contact +91 9281014904.
4. Advertising Networks, Marketing Partners, and Analytics Providers: In connection with advertising activities, marketing activities, analytics activities, and related business activities, collegedost.in may transfer, disclose, or share certain information, which may include Personal Information, with advertising networks, programmatic advertising platforms, demand-side platforms, supply-side platforms, data management platforms, marketing automation platforms, analytics providers, measurement providers, attribution providers, and other entities engaged in advertising, marketing, analytics, or related activities, all for purposes including but not limited to the delivery of targeted advertisements, the measurement of advertising effectiveness, the conduct of market research, the analysis of user behavior, the optimization of advertising campaigns, and other related purposes. Such entities may include, without limitation, entities such as Google LLC, Meta Platforms, Inc., LinkedIn Corporation, Twitter, Inc., and other similar entities, all of which are subject to their own privacy policies, terms of service, and applicable laws.
5. Legal, Regulatory, and Governmental Entities: collegedost.in may, when required by law, regulation, legal process, court order, subpoena, warrant, or other legal or regulatory requirement, or when necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of collegedost.in, its users, or others, or when necessary to prevent, detect, investigate, or prosecute fraud, illegal activities, or violations of law, disclose, transfer, or share Personal Information with government authorities, regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies, courts, tribunals, administrative bodies, or other legal or regulatory entities, all in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
6. Successors, Assigns, and Transferees: In the event of a merger, acquisition, consolidation, reorganization, sale of assets, transfer of business, bankruptcy, insolvency, or other business transaction or event, Personal Information may be transferred, assigned, or otherwise conveyed to the acquiring entity, successor entity, assignee, transferee, or other party to such transaction or event, all subject to the same privacy protections, obligations, and safeguards as set forth in this Privacy Policy, and all in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
7. Consent-Based Transfers and Disclosures: collegedost.in may, when you have provided explicit, informed, and voluntary consent for such transfer or disclosure, transfer, disclose, or share Personal Information with third parties, including but not limited to when you opt-in to receive communications from specific partners, when you participate in co-branded or joint offerings, when you request or authorize such transfer or disclosure, or in other circumstances where such consent has been obtained in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

Please be aware that collegedost.in sometimes contains links to other sites that are not governed by this privacy policy. Visitors to Our Site may be directed to third-party sites for more information, such as advertisers, blogs, content sponsorships, vendor services, social networks, payment gateways, educational institutions, and other external resources.

collegedost.in makes no representations or warranties regarding how your information is stored or used on third-party servers, systems, or platforms. We recommend that you review the privacy statement, terms of service, and data practices of each third-party site linked from Our Site to determine their use of your personal information.

The Platform may contain links to third party websites, apps, or services, such as websites of our partners, or third-party websites that contain informational or other content. This Privacy Policy does not apply to collection, use, storage, sharing, processing, or disclosure by third parties when you visit or interact with their websites or services, even if they are our partners and display our branding on their website or service. Data collected by third parties is subject to their own privacy policies and privacy practices such as the Privacy Policy of Google, Privacy Policy of Facebook, and other third-party privacy policies. You may control the display of your content by using settings available at Google’s security settings page and similar settings on other platforms.

For any inquiries, concerns, requests, complaints, or other communications regarding the transfer, disclosure, sharing, or other handling of Personal Information by or to Third Party Entities, or regarding the privacy practices, data protection measures, or security safeguards applicable to such transfers, disclosures, or sharing, please contact our Data Protection Officer at +91 9281014904 or info@collegedost.in.

Children

To use the Site you agree that you must be of minimum age (described in this paragraph below) or older.

In case you are resident of the European Union, the minimum age for these purposes shall be 16, however if local laws require that you must be older in order for collegedost.in to lawfully provide the services on the Site to you then that older age shall apply as the applicable minimum age.

In all jurisdictions outside the European Union, if you are under the age of 18 or the age of majority in your jurisdiction, you must use collegedost.in under the supervision of your parent, legal guardian or responsible adult. We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the applicable minimum age without appropriate parental consent. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Information from a child under the applicable minimum age without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete such information from our systems.

Information Sharing

We restrict access to your Personal Information to employees, contractors, agents, and representatives who we believe reasonably need to know/or that information in order to fulfil their jobs, contractual obligations, or business functions to provide, operate, develop, or improve our products or services, subject to appropriate confidentiality and security obligations.

collegedost.in does not rent, sell, or share personal information about you with other people or non-affiliated companies except:

1. to provide products or services you’ve requested,
2. when we have your permission,
3. or under the following circumstances:

• Pursuant to various business relationships, strategic partnerships, service arrangements, and other commercial relationships, collegedost.in may provide, transfer, disclose, or otherwise make available Personal Information to certain trusted partners, business associates, service providers, or other entities who work on behalf of, in conjunction with, or in connection with College Dost, all subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations, non-disclosure obligations, data processing obligations, contractual restrictions, and other protective measures as may be set forth in applicable agreements, contracts, or other legal instruments. Such entities may, in the course of their activities, utilize Personal Information to facilitate communications, deliver services, perform functions, or execute obligations on behalf of collegedost.in, including but not limited to communications regarding offers, promotions, services, or other information from collegedost.in or its marketing partners. Notwithstanding the foregoing, such entities do not have any independent right, authority, or permission to further transfer, disclose, share, or otherwise utilize such information beyond the scope of their authorized activities or without the express authorization of collegedost.in. For inquiries regarding such trusted partners or business associates, contact +91 9281014904.
• We respond to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process, or to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims, investigations, or proceedings.
• We believe it is necessary to share information in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of collegedost.in terms of use, breach of agreements, or as otherwise required by law, regulation, or legal process.
• We transfer information about you if collegedost.in is acquired by or merged with another company, or in connection with any business transaction, reorganization, or restructuring.
• In furtherance of the Core Purpose and in connection with the facilitation of educational services, admission processes, and related activities, collegedost.in may, based on various factors including but not limited to user behavior, browsing patterns, expressed interests, interaction history, application submissions, algorithmic determinations, or other criteria as may be determined by collegedost.in in its sole discretion, transfer, disclose, or share Personal Information with educational institutions, colleges, universities, schools, coaching centers, educational consultants, scholarship providers, and other entities engaged in the provision of educational services, all of whom may, in turn, utilize such information for purposes including but not limited to admission processing, scholarship evaluation, marketing communications, recruitment activities, and the provision of educational services, all in accordance with their own privacy policies, terms of service, and applicable laws. For information regarding such transfers or disclosures, contact +91 9281014904.
• collegedost.in may, in connection with the operation, maintenance, and enhancement of the Platform and the delivery of services, transfer, disclose, or share Personal Information with various service providers, vendors, contractors, processors, sub-processors, and other entities who perform services, execute functions, or fulfill obligations on behalf of collegedost.in, including but not limited to entities providing payment processing services, data analytics services, cloud hosting services, email delivery services, messaging services, customer support services, marketing services, advertising services, and other technical, operational, or business services, all subject to appropriate contractual, legal, and technical safeguards.

collegedost.in displays targeted advertisements based on personal information, browsing behaviour, preferences, demographics, and other relevant factors. Advertisers (including ad serving companies) may assume that you meet certain targeting criteria (for example, women aged 18-24 from a particular geographic area) based on the advertisements displayed to you.

• collegedost.in does not provide any personal information to the advertiser when you interact with or view a targeted ad. However, by interacting with an ad you are consenting to the possibility that the advertiser will make the assumption that you meet the targeting criteria used to display the ad, and the advertiser may collect information about your interaction with the advertisement through cookies, pixels, and other tracking technologies.
• collegedost.in advertisers include financial service providers (such as banks, insurance agents, stock brokers, loan providers, and mortgage lenders), educational service providers (such as colleges, universities, coaching centres, and educational consultants), and non-financial companies (such as stores, airlines, software companies, technology providers, and consumer goods companies).
• collegedost.in may, in its sole discretion and in accordance with its legitimate business interests and the Core Purpose, transfer, disclose, or share certain Personal Information, which may include, without limitation, identifiers, contact information, demographic information, educational history, academic records, preferences, interests, and other relevant information, with certain carefully selected, vetted, or otherwise identified educational institutions, colleges, universities, schools, coaching centers, educational consultants, scholarship providers, and other entities engaged in the provision of educational services, all based on various factors including but not limited to expressed interests, browsing behavior, interaction history, application submissions, algorithmic determinations, or other criteria as may be determined by collegedost.in. Such entities may, in turn, utilize such information for purposes including but not limited to marketing activities, recruitment activities, admission processing, scholarship evaluation, and the provision of educational services. Certain of these entities may, in the course of their activities, have access to Personal Information for purposes including but not limited to verification of application status, processing of admissions, evaluation of scholarship eligibility, and the provision of educational services. collegedost.in shall, to the extent practicable, inform such entities that they are not permitted to utilize Personal Information for purposes other than those specified or authorized. Users should be aware, however, that the privacy practices, data handling practices, and data utilization practices of such educational institutions are governed by their own privacy policies, terms of service, and applicable laws, and are not governed by this Privacy Policy. Accordingly, collegedost.in shall not be responsible, liable, or accountable for the privacy practices, data handling practices, data utilization practices, or other activities of such educational institutions with respect to Personal Information once such information has been transferred, disclosed, or shared with such entities. For further information regarding the privacy practices of such institutions, please consult the applicable privacy policy of such institution. For inquiries regarding such transfers or disclosures, contact +91 9281014904.
• collegedost.in works with vendors, partners, advertisers, and other service providers in different industries and categories of business, including but not limited to technology, education, finance, marketing, advertising, analytics, cloud services, payment processing, and customer support. For more information regarding providers of products or services, please refer the section “Third party services” of this policy or contact us at +91 9281014904.

Retention of Personal Information

Your personal information processed by collegedost.in are kept in a form which permits your identification for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal information are processed in line with legal, regulatory, contractual or statutory obligations as applicable, including but not limited to retention requirements under applicable data protection laws, tax laws, corporate laws, and other regulatory frameworks.

At the expiry of such periods, your personal information will be archived, anonymized, pseudonymized, or deleted in accordance with our data retention policies, legal/contractual retention obligations, applicable statutory limitation periods, and regulatory requirements. However, we may retain certain information for longer periods if required by law, regulation, legal process, or for legitimate business purposes such as dispute resolution, fraud prevention, or compliance with regulatory requirements.

Personalisation of Services

To the extent permitted by law, collegedost.in may record and monitor your communications with us to ensure compliance with our legal and regulatory obligations and our internal policies. This may include the recording of telephone conversations, email communications, chat sessions, video calls, and other forms of communication for quality assurance, training, compliance, dispute resolution, and security purposes.

We use your Personal Information to personalize your experience on our Platform, deliver customized content, provide personalized recommendations, tailor our services to your preferences, and enhance your user experience through data analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other automated processing techniques.

Controlling Your Personal Information

You may have the right to invoke certain rights (as per applicable laws and regulations such as GDPR, applicable Indian data protection laws, and other relevant legislation) in relation to your personal information being processed by the Platform, including but not limited to:

• Right to Access: You have the right to request access to your personal information and obtain information about how we process your personal data.
• Right to Rectification: You have the right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Right to Erasure: You have the right to request deletion of your personal information under certain circumstances.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request restriction of processing of your personal information under certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit that data to another controller.
• Right to Object: You have the right to object to processing of your personal information for certain purposes, including direct marketing and profiling.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent Data Protection Authority or supervisory authority concerning our compliance with applicable data protection laws and regulations.

The Platform may be allowed by law, in particular in case of excessive or manifestly unfounded request, to charge a fee for fulfilling your request, subject to applicable conditions and regulatory requirements.

You are legally entitled to request details of the personal information we may be holding about you. The Company provides you the ability to keep your personal information accurate and up-to-date through your account settings or by contacting us. If at any time you would like to rectify, erase or restrict the processing of your personal information, or you would like to obtain confirmation whether or not your personal information is processed by it, access your personal information, exercise your right to data portability or withdraw your consent to processing, please contact us using the contact information provided in this policy.

You are entitled to lodge a complaint with a competent Data Protection Authority where existing, concerning the Platform’s compliance with the applicable data protection laws and regulation, including but not limited to the relevant supervisory authority in your jurisdiction.

Confidentiality and Security

The security and confidentiality of your Personal Data is important to us and collegedost.in has invested significant resources to protect the safekeeping and confidentiality of your personal data through technical, administrative, and physical safeguards, including but not limited to encryption, access controls, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, security monitoring, regular security assessments, employee training, and incident response procedures.

When using external service providers acting as processors, we require that they adhere to the same standards as collegedost.in through contractual obligations, data processing agreements, security requirements, and regular audits. Regardless of where your personal information is transferred or stored, we take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that personal data is kept secure, protected against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, destruction, or loss.

We have physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with the laws prevalent in India and other applicable jurisdictions to protect personal information about you. We seek to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and Rules made there under, GDPR, and other applicable data protection laws to ensure the protection and preservation of your privacy.

However, please note that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security, and you acknowledge and agree that you provide your Personal Information at your own risk.

Social Media

collegedost.in operates channels, pages and accounts on some social media sites including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms to inform, assist and engage with you. collegedost.in monitors and records comments and posts made on these channels about collegedost.in in order to improve its products and services, respond to inquiries, provide customer support, and engage with users.

Please note that you must not communicate with collegedost.in through such social media sites the following information:

• Sensitive personal data including (i) special categories of personal data meaning any information revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation and (ii) other sensitive personal data such as criminal convictions and offences and national identification number, financial information, passwords, authentication credentials, and other sensitive information;
• Excessive, inappropriate, offensive or insulting information towards individuals, defamatory content, hate speech, discriminatory content, or any content that violates applicable laws or our terms of service.

collegedost.in is not responsible for any information posted on those sites other than the information posted by its employees on its behalf. collegedost.in is only responsible for its own use of the personal data received through such sites, and we are not responsible for the privacy practices, data collection, or data use by social media platforms, which are governed by their respective privacy policies and terms of service.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

collegedost.in reserves the right to update, change or modify this policy at any time without prior notice, in our sole discretion, to reflect changes in our practices, services, legal requirements, regulatory environment, or for any other reason we deem necessary or appropriate. The policy shall come to effect from the date of such update, change or modification, and your continued use of the Platform after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we collect, use, and protect your Personal Information. Material changes to this Privacy Policy will be communicated through prominent notices on our website, email notifications (where applicable), or other appropriate means as required by applicable law.

Disclaimer

collegedost.in shall not be liable for any loss or damage sustained by reason of any disclosure (inadvertent or otherwise) of any information concerning the user’s account and / or information relating to or regarding online transactions using credit cards / debit cards and / or their verification process and particulars nor for any error, omission or inaccuracy with respect to any information so disclosed and used whether or not in pursuance of a legal process or otherwise. collegedost.in does not store any Credit / Debit card details, CVV numbers, or other sensitive payment information on our servers. Payment processing is handled by third-party payment gateways and processors in accordance with PCI DSS standards and other applicable payment security requirements.

Any other personal information shared by you which is not asked by collegedost.in during registration, either mandatorily or optionally; accounts to wilful and intentional furnishing; and collegedost.in will not be liable for breach of such information, unauthorized access, misuse, or any consequences arising from such voluntary disclosure.

College Dost is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by any government organization. The College Dost app doesn’t represent any government entity. The College Dost team sources information about colleges & exams from their respective official websites, public sources, and third-party data providers. We try to put our best effort to make sure that the information is genuine and updated regularly, but we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or reliability of such information, and we are not liable for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in such information.

This Privacy Policy does not create any contractual rights or obligations beyond those required by applicable law. Our liability with respect to privacy and data protection is limited to the extent permitted by applicable law, and we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, regarding the security, accuracy, completeness, or reliability of our privacy practices, except as required by applicable law.

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this privacy policy or the protection of your personal data, please contact College Dost’s Data Protection Officer at the following:

Data Protection Officer/ Grievance Officer
College Dost
Email: info@collegedost.in
Phone: +91 9281014904

For any inquiries, concerns, complaints, or requests regarding your Personal Information, data processing, third-party data sharing, privacy rights, or this Privacy Policy, please contact us at the above-mentioned contact information. We will respond to your inquiries and requests in accordance with applicable law and our internal policies.