Privacy policy.

LABH Federation ("we", "us") is the data fiduciary for personal data collected through this website and our programme intake. This policy describes what we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and the rights you have under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act").

Using the LABH Members app? See section 13.

1. Data we collect

Depending on which form you use, we may collect:

• Contact details — name, email address, mobile number, city.
• Business details — company or venture name, industry, stage, year established, brief description.
• Programme details — grant amount requested, advisory need, chapter interest, membership tier.
• Correspondence — the message you send us and our replies.
• Permanent Account Number (PAN) — only when you make a donation, and only to the extent required by Indian tax law.
• Technical logs — anonymised page views, referrer, device type. We use Plausible for analytics, which does not use cookies and does not collect IP addresses in a form that identifies you.

2. How PAN is used

PAN is collected only when it is required to issue a donation receipt under section 80G of the Income-tax Act, 1961, or to report a donation in our statutory returns. PAN is never used for marketing, never shared with programme partners, and never displayed publicly. It is retained only as long as the tax retention period applicable to donation records requires.

3. Why we collect it

• To process your membership, grant, incubation, advisory, chapter or newsletter request.
• To communicate with you about that request and, where you have opted in, about our programmes.
• To issue donation receipts and comply with statutory obligations.
• To operate, secure and improve the website.

4. Legal basis

We rely on your consent, given by ticking the consent checkbox on each form, and on certain legitimate uses recognised under section 7 of the DPDP Act (such as compliance with law).

5. Retention

• Enquiry and application data — up to 3 years from your last interaction with us, unless a longer period is required by law.
• Membership records — for the duration of membership and 7 years thereafter.
• Donation records including PAN — for 8 years from the end of the relevant assessment year, as required by Indian tax law.
• Newsletter subscription — until you unsubscribe.

6. Where it is stored

Data is stored on managed database and file infrastructure operated by our technology providers, with access restricted to authorised directors, staff and processors under written agreement. Where processing takes place outside India, we ensure it is limited to countries permitted under the DPDP Act and its rules.

7. Who it is shared with

We do not sell or rent personal data. We share it only with:

• Our auditors, bankers, payment gateways and IT service providers to the extent needed to operate the federation.
• Statutory authorities where we are required by law to disclose.
• Programme partners strictly to the extent needed to run a programme you have applied to.

8. Your rights

Under the DPDP Act you have the right to:

• Access a summary of your personal data and how it has been processed.
• Correct or update inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erase data, subject to statutory retention requirements.
• Withdraw consent at any time (this does not affect processing already carried out).
• Nominate another individual to exercise these rights in the event of your death or incapacity.
• Register a grievance and, if unresolved, complain to the Data Protection Board of India.

9. Grievance officer

For any question about this policy or to exercise the rights above, write to our grievance officer:

• Name — Saksham Agarwal
• Email — grievance@labhfederation.org

We respond to grievances within 30 days of receipt.

10. Cookies

This website does not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. We use only the strictly necessary storage required to make the site work. Our analytics provider, Plausible, does not use cookies at all.

11. Children

This website is not directed at children under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal data, contact the grievance officer above so we can delete it.

12. Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified on this page with a revised "last updated" date at the top.

13. LABH Members app

This section covers the LABH Members app for iPhone and Android. Sections 1–12 also apply, except where this section says otherwise.

Who can use it. The app is only for LABH Federation members. You can sign in only after the secretariat has invited your mobile number, or a corporate member has added you to their plan. The app takes no payments and stores no payment details. It is not meant for anyone under 18.

What the app collects

• Mobile number: to sign you in with a one-time code sent by SMS.
• Profile: name, business name, designation, industry, city, a short bio, what your business offers and needs, and optionally your email address and GSTIN.
• Profile photo (optional): chosen from your photo library, resized and stored privately.
• Activity in the app: introduction requests and their notes, messages, Ek Eent board posts and responses, event RSVPs and check-in times, interest in startups, safety reports and members you block, and your privacy settings.
• From the secretariat: your membership plan, the date your membership is valid until, and your member number.
• Push notification token: stored only if you allow notifications, so we can send them to your phone.
• Birthday and business founding date (optional): day and month of your birthday, and the date your business was founded, so your connections are reminded to wish you on the day.
• Suggestions and problem reports: what you write, plus the app version, your phone's model and operating-system version, so the team can fix problems.

The app does not collect your location, contacts or call logs, and it has no advertising or third-party analytics. The camera is used only to scan LABH membership cards: by members, to connect with each other in person, and by secretariat staff, to check people in at events. No photo is taken or stored.

Who can see it

• Other approved members see your profile in the directory unless you hide it. Your phone number and email are shown only as your privacy settings allow. By default, only members you have connected with can see them.
• Members you message see your messages. Board posts are visible to all approved members.
• Anyone who scans your card QR code sees your name, member number, plan and validity date. The code changes every minute.
• Secretariat staff can see member profiles, membership status, event RSVPs, check-ins and safety reports, and use this access only to run the Federation.
• Your connections see your birthday and business anniversary only as a reminder on the day. They are never shown on your profile.
• Shared links: if you share a member's card, an offer or an event from the app, the message contains the name, business and offers you see in the app, never phone numbers or email addresses.

Service providers for the app

• Supabase, on Amazon Web Services: database, sign-in and photo storage, hosted in Mumbai, India.
• An SMS provider for sign-in codes.
• Expo (650 Industries, Inc., USA), Apple Push Notification service and Google Firebase Cloud Messaging: delivering notifications. A notification's text, such as a sender's name and a short preview, passes through these services. You can turn notifications off in your phone's settings.

How long we keep it. Profile, activity and messages are kept while you are a member and deleted when your account is deleted, except records we must keep by law (see section 5). Push tokens are removed when you sign out or delete your account.

Deleting your account

• In the app: go to Profile → Delete my account.
• Without the app: email grievance@labhfederation.org from any address, giving your name and the mobile number registered with LABH.

We delete your account and app data within 30 days: your profile, photo, introductions, conversations, board posts and responses, and event RSVPs. Your conversations are removed for the other members too. We keep only what the law requires: your membership record and a note of when the account was deleted. We will confirm with you once deletion is done.

Your choices. Edit your profile under Profile → Edit profile, control who sees you under Profile → Privacy and visibility, and remove your photo from the Profile screen. Your rights under section 8, and the grievance officer in section 9, apply to the app too.