Privacy Policy

PODY Technologies Private Limited ("PODY", "we", "our", or "us") is committed to transparent, lawful data processing. This Privacy Policy details how we handle personal data across the PODY mobile application and website in strict compliance with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules, 2021.

1. Categories of Personal Data Collected

• Account Credentials: Mobile phone number (verified via Firebase SMS OTP), optional display name, and avatar.
• Technician Voluntary Identity Verification: Independent electricians who choose to verify their identity may submit government ID proofs (such as Aadhaar or GSTIN). Aadhaar OTP authentication is processed via Surepass Technologies Private Limited (authorized UIDAI ASA intermediary). PODY never stores unmasked 12-digit Aadhaar numbers or raw biometric credentials. Identity verification serves solely to authenticate identity, not criminal background or quality.
• Appliance Records: Appliance brand, model, purchase year, user-uploaded bill photos, and maintenance logs entered by the user.
• Transaction Data: Payment order records processed through our authorized payment partner (Razorpay Software Private Limited) for platform lead tokens and ad promotions.
• Approximate Location: City locality and GPS proximity (with user permission) to calculate distance between users on the discovery board.

2. Lawful Grounds for Processing

Under Section 6 of the DPDP Act 2023, data is processed on the grounds of:

• Explicit, informed user consent for account registration and voluntary identity authentication.
• Fulfillment of digital utility orders requested by users.
• Compliance with legal, tax, and anti-fraud statutory obligations under Indian law.

3. Third-Party Processors & Infrastructure

PODY engages vetted service providers for technical processing:

• Google Cloud Platform & Firebase: Cloud database, serverless compute, and authentication (Google Cloud regions including Asia-South1 / Mumbai and US).
• Razorpay Software Private Limited: RBI-authorized payment aggregator processing payments for lead tokens and listing promotions.
• Surepass Technologies Private Limited: Authorized intermediary facilitating real-time Aadhaar OTP verification with UIDAI and GSTIN registry lookups.
• Google AdMob: Contextual advertising with child protection tags enabled for minor accounts under Section 9 of the DPDP Act.

4. Children's Data Protection (DPDP Act Section 9)

PODY enforces strict protections for minors:

• Users under 13 are prohibited from creating accounts.
• Users aged 13 to 17 require verifiable parental consent via OTP before accessing the platform.
• In accordance with Section 9(3) of the DPDP Act, PODY strictly disables targeted advertising, behavioral tracking, and advertising identifiers for minor accounts.

5. Right to Erasure & Account Deletion (DPDP Act Section 12)

You have the absolute statutory right to permanently delete your account and personal data:

• In-App: Go to Settings > Profile & Security > Delete Account & Wipe Data.
• Web Portal: Submit your registered phone or email at our public portal: https://pody-app-f528c.web.app/delete-account.html. Our automated cloud deletion pipeline executes permanent erasure across database records, appliance vaults, and cloud storage files.

6. Grievance Redressal & Contact Details

For any privacy queries, consent withdrawals, or statutory grievances, contact our designated Data Protection Grievance Officer:

Grievance & Data Protection Officer
PODY Technologies Private Limited
Email: grievance@pody.in
Support: support@pody.in
Public Deletion Portal: https://pody-app-f528c.web.app/delete-account.html
Address: Sector 2, HSR Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560102, India