Privacy Policy

Last updated: 31 October 2026

This policy explains how Valam Brahman Samaj ("we", "the Samaj") collects and uses personal information on https://valamsamaj.org and in the Valam Samaj mobile app for Android and iOS (together, "the portal").

Information we collect

• Registration and profile details you provide: name, email address, phone number, gender, date of birth, marital status, vibhag, education, designation, hobbies, addresses (current and permanent) and an optional profile photo.
• Family tree information you choose to add: names, gender and photos of family members.
• Account and security data: an encrypted (hashed) password, login times, failed login attempts and the IP address used, to protect accounts from misuse.
• Mobile app login data: when you log in on the app we store the device name, platform (Android/iOS), app version and IP address for that login, so you can stay logged in and we can end logins when needed.
• Reports you send about another member's profile, with the reason you give.

We do not use advertising, analytics or tracking tools, and we never sell or rent personal information.

How we use it

• To review and approve new member registrations (the Samaj admin team and vibhag reviewers see registration details).
• To let approved members find and contact each other through the member search, according to your visibility settings.
• To send account emails: registration confirmation, approval or status changes, password reset links and account deletion confirmation.
• To keep the portal secure and to look into reported profiles.

What other members can see

Only logged-in, approved members can search the member directory. Your name, profile photo, date of birth, education, designation, current city and hobbies are always visible to them. Email, phone, address, state, country, permanent address and vibhag are visible only if you switch them on under Edit Profile → Profile Visibility. Your family tree is visible only to you. News, events, Valam Vartman issues, photo albums and videos published by the Samaj are public.

Sharing and service providers

The portal and its database are hosted by Hostinger, and account emails are sent through Hostinger's email service. Videos in the Video Gallery are played from YouTube (Google), which applies its own privacy policy when you watch them. We share personal information with others only if required by law.

Keeping and deleting your data

We keep your profile while your account exists. You can edit your details at any time, and you can delete your account on the website or in the app (My Profile → Delete Account). Deleting your account erases your profile details, profile photo and family tree and ends all your logins; an anonymous record that the account existed is kept for the admin audit history. Failed-login records are removed automatically after two days.

Security

Passwords are stored only as secure hashes, all connections use HTTPS, and app logins can be ended at any time by changing your password.

Children

Member accounts are intended for adults. Information about children may be added to a family tree only by a parent or guardian.

Contact

For questions about this policy or your data, contact the admin (+91 98244 79944) or the website team at chinmayvyas.27@gmail.com, or see the Contact page.

We may update this policy; the date at the top shows the latest version.