Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

InterBuddy (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is a student platform operated by InterEd Ventures, based in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information when you use the InterBuddy website (interbuddy.in), mobile application, and all associated services.

By accessing or using InterBuddy, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please discontinue use of our platform immediately.

This policy applies to all users of InterBuddy, including students, mentors, campus ambassadors, gig workers, and visitors. It covers all nine modules of the platform: Community, Career, Skills, Gigs, Higher Education, Finance, Events, Content, and the Ambassador Programme.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you create an account, complete your profile, or use any of our services, you may provide us with:

Full name, date of birth, and gender
Email address, mobile number, and WhatsApp number
Educational details: current institution, course, year of study, and academic interests
Career preferences: desired industries, job types, and skill areas
Profile photograph and bio
Financial information: bank account details, UPI ID, and PAN number (required for gig payouts exceeding ₹5,000)
Documents uploaded for higher education services: academic transcripts, SOPs, LORs, passport copies, and visa application materials
Forum posts, comments, community messages, and feedback submitted through the platform
Payment information processed through our third-party payment gateway for application fees, subscriptions, or services

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use InterBuddy, we automatically collect certain technical and usage information:

Device information: device type, operating system, browser type, and screen resolution
IP address, approximate geographic location (city/state level), and timezone
Usage data: pages visited, features used, time spent on the platform, click patterns, and navigation behaviour
Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 7 for details)
App usage analytics: crash reports, performance data, and session duration
Referral source: how you discovered InterBuddy (search engine, social media, campus ambassador referral, etc.)

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from:

Educational institutions and verification services when validating your student status
Payment gateways (Razorpay, Cashfree, or equivalent) when processing transactions
Social media platforms if you choose to log in using Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn authentication
Partner organisations (universities, employers, financial institutions) when you apply for opportunities or services through InterBuddy

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To create and manage your InterBuddy account and profile
To provide personalised career recommendations, gig matches, and higher education guidance based on your academic profile and preferences
To facilitate community interactions, mentorship connections, and peer networking
To process gig payments, application fees, and financial service transactions
To send you relevant notifications about career opportunities, events, gig openings, and platform updates
To verify your identity and student status for gig eligibility, community access, and financial services
To improve our platform, develop new features, and conduct internal analytics
To prevent fraud, enforce our Terms and Conditions, and protect platform security
To comply with applicable Indian laws and regulations, including the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023
To respond to your enquiries, support requests, and feedback

4. How We Share Your Information

InterBuddy does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third-party advertisers. We share your information only in the following circumstances:

4.1 Service Providers

We share data with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the platform, including cloud hosting providers, payment gateways, email delivery services, SMS providers, and analytics platforms. These providers are contractually bound to use your data only for the purposes we specify and to protect it in accordance with this policy.

4.2 Employers and Gig Providers

When you apply for an internship, job, or gig through InterBuddy, your profile information (name, education, skills, and relevant experience) is shared with the respective employer or gig provider. You will always be informed before your information is shared for a specific opportunity.

4.3 Educational Partners

If you use InterBuddy’s Higher Education services (powered by InterWise), your academic profile and application materials may be shared with partner universities and educational consultancies to process your applications. This sharing occurs only with your explicit consent.

4.4 Financial Partners

For education loans, forex cards, and insurance services (powered by InterFx), your financial and personal information may be shared with partner banks, NBFCs, and insurance providers as required to process your applications.

4.5 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by Indian law, court order, or government regulation, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored on secure servers hosted in India. We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information, including:

SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your device and our servers
Encrypted storage of sensitive information including passwords, financial details, and identity documents
Role-based access controls ensuring only authorised personnel can access user data
Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
Automated threat detection and monitoring systems

While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If you become aware of any security breach affecting your account, please contact us immediately at admin@interbuddy.in.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your InterBuddy account remains active or as needed to provide you with our services. Specifically:

Account data is retained for the duration of your account’s active life plus 2 years after deletion, unless a longer retention period is required by law.
Financial transaction records are retained for 8 years as required by Indian tax and accounting regulations.
Gig work history and payment records are retained for 5 years after the last transaction.
Community posts and forum content are retained until you delete them manually, or until your account is deleted.
Analytics and usage data is retained in anonymised form indefinitely for platform improvement purposes.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

InterBuddy uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience on our platform. The types of cookies we use include:

Essential cookies: Required for the platform to function. These include session cookies, authentication cookies, and security cookies. You cannot opt out of these.
Analytics cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the platform. We use Google Analytics and similar tools to track page views, feature usage, and navigation patterns.
Preference cookies: Remember your settings, language preferences, and login status across sessions.
Marketing cookies: Used to deliver relevant content and measure the effectiveness of our communications. You can opt out of these through your browser settings.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the platform.

8. Your Rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and applicable Indian laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Correction: You can update or correct inaccurate information in your profile at any time through your account settings.
Right to Erasure: You can request deletion of your account and associated personal data (see our Delete Account page for details).
Right to Withdraw Consent: You can withdraw consent for data processing at any time. This may affect your ability to use certain features of the platform.
Right to Grievance Redressal: You have the right to raise complaints regarding data handling to our Grievance Officer.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at admin@interbuddy.in or use the relevant feature in your account settings.

9. Children’s Privacy

InterBuddy serves students from Class 9 onwards, which may include users under the age of 18. For users below 18 years of age, we collect and process data with the consent of a parent or legal guardian as required under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children below the age of 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information without verified parental consent, we will take steps to delete such information promptly.

10. Third-Party Links

InterBuddy may contain links to third-party websites, services, and applications, including university portals, employer career pages, and partner financial services. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party platforms. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party service you access through InterBuddy.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or platform features. When we make significant changes, we will notify you through the InterBuddy app, email, or a notice on our website. Continued use of InterBuddy after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Grievance Officer

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the details of our Grievance Officer are as follows:

Name: InterBuddy

Email: admin@interbuddy.in

Phone: :+91-9345151235

Address: InterBuddy, RSR Complex, Salem Road, Mudalaipatti Post, Namakkal – 637 001

Website: https://interbuddy.in

The Grievance Officer will acknowledge your complaint within 24 hours and resolve it within 30 days from the date of receipt.

13. Contact Us