1 Who We Are

Waplancer IT Solutions ("Waplancer", "we", "us", "our") is an IT services and digital marketplace company based in India. We operate the Waplancer Platform — including the website at waplancer.com, freelancer marketplace, authorised centre partnerships, workshop/training portal, business management tools, and all associated mobile apps and portals.

For the purposes of data protection laws, Waplancer IT Solutions is the Data Controller responsible for your personal data.

Data Protection Contact: privacy@waplancer.com

2 Data We Collect

Depending on how you interact with our Platform, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

3 How We Collect Data

We collect your data through the following means:

• Direct Input: Information you provide during registration, profile setup, form submissions, project briefs, or workshop enrolment.
• Automatic Collection: When you browse our Platform, we automatically collect technical and usage data via cookies, log files, and analytics tools.
• Third-Party Sources: We may receive data from payment processors, identity verification services, social login providers (Google, Facebook), and publicly available business registries.
• Communications: When you contact our support team, submit a query, or engage in disputes, we retain those communications.
• Partner Referrals: If you were referred to us by an Authorised Centre Partner or affiliate, they may share basic contact details with us to set up your account.

4 How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• Account Management: Creating, verifying, and maintaining your account.
• Service Delivery: Matching clients with freelancers, processing workshop enrolments, activating Centre Partnerships, and delivering IT services.
• Payment Processing: Facilitating secure transactions, invoicing, tax deductions (TDS), and withdrawal processing.
• Security & Fraud Prevention: Detecting and preventing unauthorised access, fraudulent transactions, and abuse of our Platform.
• Legal Compliance: Meeting obligations under Indian law including the IT Act 2000, DPDPA 2023, Income Tax Act, and GST regulations.
• Customer Support: Responding to queries, resolving disputes, and providing technical assistance.
• Marketing & Communications: Sending service updates, new feature announcements, promotional offers, and newsletters (with opt-out option).
• Platform Improvement: Analysing usage patterns to enhance features, performance, and user experience.
• Analytics & Research: Aggregated, anonymised data analysis to understand market trends and improve services.

5 Legal Basis for Processing

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (DPDPA) and applicable Indian law, we process your data on the following legal bases:

• Consent: You have explicitly given consent (e.g., for marketing emails, optional data collection). You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Contractual Necessity: Processing is necessary to perform the contract between you and Waplancer (e.g., account creation, payment processing, service delivery).
• Legal Obligation: Processing is required to comply with applicable law (e.g., TDS deductions, GST filings, data retention mandates).
• Legitimate Interest: Processing is necessary for Waplancer's legitimate business interests (e.g., security monitoring, fraud prevention, platform analytics), provided these interests do not override your fundamental rights.

6 Data Sharing & Disclosure

Waplancer does not sell your personal data to third parties. We may share your data in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: Trusted third-party vendors who assist in hosting, payment processing, email delivery, SMS gateways, analytics, and KYC verification — bound by strict data processing agreements.
• Freelancers & Clients: To facilitate project matching, relevant profile information (name, skills, rating) is visible to other Platform users.
• Centre Partners: If you are assigned to or register through an Authorised Centre, basic account details may be shared with that Centre for service coordination.
• Legal Authorities: Where required by court order, government directive, or applicable law — including SEBI, MCA, Income Tax Department, or law enforcement agencies.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to equivalent privacy protections.

7 Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use the following types of cookies and similar technologies:

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling non-essential cookies will not affect core Platform functionality but may limit personalisation features.

8 Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law:

• Active Accounts: Data is retained throughout the active lifetime of your account.
• Closed Accounts: Basic account information is retained for 5 years after closure for legal, tax, and dispute resolution purposes.
• Financial Records: Transaction records, invoices, and tax documents are retained for 8 years as required by the Income Tax Act and GST regulations.
• KYC Documents: Aadhaar, PAN, and identity verification documents are retained for the duration mandated by applicable law.
• Support Communications: Support tickets and dispute records are retained for 3 years.
• Marketing Data: Retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent.

After the retention period, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

9 Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal data:

• Encryption: All data in transit is protected using TLS 1.2+ (HTTPS). Sensitive fields like passwords are hashed using bcrypt.
• OTP Verification: Login and sensitive account operations require OTP verification via email or SMS.
• Rate Limiting & Brute-Force Protection: Login attempts are rate-limited to prevent credential stuffing attacks.
• Access Controls: Internal access to user data follows the principle of least privilege — only authorised personnel with a legitimate need can access personal data.
• Regular Security Audits: Periodic audits, vulnerability assessments, and code reviews are conducted.
• Secure Infrastructure: Hosted on reputable cloud/hosting providers with physical and network security controls.

Despite our best efforts, no online transmission or storage system is 100% secure. If you suspect a security breach involving your account, contact us immediately at security@waplancer.com.

10 Your Rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (DPDPA) and other applicable laws, you have the following rights:

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@waplancer.com. We will respond within 30 days. We may request identity verification before processing your request.

11 Children's Privacy

The Waplancer Platform is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 18. If we become aware that a minor has provided us with personal data, we will delete it promptly.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@waplancer.com immediately.

12 International Data Transfers

Waplancer primarily processes and stores data within India. Some of our third-party service providers (e.g., cloud hosting, analytics, payment gateways) may process data outside India.

Where international transfers occur, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

• Data Processing Agreements with sub-processors.
• Transfer only to jurisdictions with equivalent data protection standards.
• Compliance with applicable cross-border data transfer provisions under the DPDPA 2023 and IT Rules.

13 Third-Party Services

Our Platform may contain links to or integrations with third-party services (payment gateways, social login, maps, etc.). When you interact with these services, their own privacy policies apply. Waplancer is not responsible for the data practices of third-party services.

Key third-party services we use include:

• Payment Processing: Razorpay, Paytm, or similar — for secure payment transactions.
• Analytics: Google Analytics — for usage analytics (data is anonymised and aggregated).
• Email Service: Hostinger Mail / SMTP services — for transactional and notification emails.
• SMS Gateway: For OTP delivery and notifications.

14 Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data practices, legal requirements, or platform features. When material changes are made, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
• Notify registered users via email at least 14 days before the changes take effect.
• Display a prominent notice on the Platform.

Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

15 Contact & Grievances

For privacy-related queries, data requests, or grievances, please contact:

• Privacy Officer / Grievance Officer: Waplancer IT Solutions
• Email: privacy@waplancer.com
• Grievance Email: grievance@waplancer.com
• Phone: +91-75-639-65578 (Mon–Sat, 10am–6pm IST)
• Response Time: We acknowledge within 48 hours and resolve within 30 days.