Privacy Policy
Effective & Last Updated: June 3, 2026
1. Introduction
Welcome to TopSchools.in ("Platform", "we", "us", or "our"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data with transparency, accountability, and in full compliance with applicable Indian laws, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA), the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011.
This Privacy Policy explains:
- What personal data we collect from you
- How we collect it
- Why we collect it (our legal basis and purposes)
- How we use, store, protect, and share your data
- Your rights and choices regarding your data
- How you can contact us with questions or concerns
By accessing or using TopSchools.in, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please do not use the Platform.
2. Information We Collect
We collect personal data from you in the following ways:
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
A. When You Register for an Account: Full name, email address, phone number, password (hashed and encrypted), city/location (optional), and role (parent, student, school administrator, teacher, etc.).
B. When You Submit an Admission Enquiry: Parent/guardian name, child's name (optional), child's grade/class, phone number, email address, preferred school(s), city/district, and any additional notes or questions.
C. When You Submit a Review or Rating: Name (display name or anonymous), email address (for verification, not displayed), school name, star rating, review text, and photos (if uploaded).
D. When a School Claims or Manages Its Listing: School name, authorized representative name, designation/title, school email address, school phone number, school address, GST number (for billing, if applicable), and payment details (processed securely via third-party payment gateways).
E. When You Contact Us: Name, email address, phone number, subject, message content, and any attachments or files shared.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the Platform, we automatically collect certain technical and usage data:
- Device Information: Device type, operating system, browser type, screen resolution.
- Connection Information: IP address, internet service provider, country/city (geo-location).
- Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, click patterns, search queries, referral URLs, exit URLs.
- Cookies and Tracking Technologies: See Section 8 for detailed cookie information.
- Log Data: Server logs, error logs, access timestamps, API request data.
2.3 Information We Receive from Third Parties
- Google Analytics & Google Ads: Aggregated usage data, demographic insights, and conversion data.
- AI & Natural Language Search: Groq API, Google Gemini API for school search and recommendations.
- Cloud Infrastructure & Security: Cloudflare (Turnstile Bot Protection), Vercel, Supabase, Firebase.
- Social Media Platforms: If you log in via Google, Facebook, or other providers, we receive your profile information as permitted by that provider.
- School Databases: Publicly available school data from government portals, CBSE/ICSE affiliation lists, and school websites (for directory listings).
3. How We Use Your Personal Data
We use your personal data for the following specific and legitimate purposes:
| Purpose | Data Used | Legal Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Provide Platform Services | Name, email, phone, password, role | Contractual necessity |
| Create & Manage Your Account | Email, phone, name, password | Contractual necessity |
| Process Admission Enquiries | Name, phone, email, child's grade, school choice | Contractual necessity & explicit consent |
| Share Leads with Schools | Name, phone, email, child's grade, preferred school | Your explicit consent (see Section 4) |
| Verify & Moderate Reviews | Email, name, review content, school name | Legitimate interest (platform integrity) |
| Display Your Review | Display name, review text, rating, school name | Your explicit consent |
| Billing & Payments | Name, email, GST number, transaction data | Contractual necessity & legal obligation |
| Customer Support | Name, email, phone, message content | Legitimate interest (responding to inquiries) |
| Platform Improvement | Usage data, device info, error logs, analytics | Legitimate interest (optimizing service) |
| Security & Fraud Prevention | IP address, login data, transaction data | Legitimate interest (protecting users) |
| Marketing & Communications | Email, phone (for opted-in users) | Your explicit consent |
| Send Service Updates | Email, phone | Contractual necessity |
| Compliance with Laws | All relevant data as required | Legal obligation |
We do not use your personal data for unrelated purposes without obtaining your additional consent.
4. Sharing & Disclosure of Your Personal Data
4.1 Sharing with Schools (Admission Enquiries)
When you submit an admission enquiry for a school, your contact information (name, phone number, email, child's grade, preferred school) will be shared with the specific school you enquired about, and matching partner schools if you opted into that feature.
Your consent is required before any data is shared. By submitting an enquiry, you explicitly consent to this data sharing for the sole purpose of facilitating admission-related communication.
4.2 Sharing with Service Providers & Partners
We may share your data with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Platform, subject to strict confidentiality agreements:
- Cloud Hosting & Infrastructure: Vercel, Cloudflare, Firebase, Supabase
- Analytics: Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity
- AI Models & Search: Groq API, Google Gemini API
- Security & Bot Protection: Cloudflare Turnstile
- CRM & Lead Management: Our secure CRM partners
4.3 Legal & Regulatory Requirements
We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law, court order, or government authority to comply with legal obligations under Indian law, protect platform rights and safety, investigate fraud or security issues, or respond to lawful requests from regulatory authorities (such as CBSE or police).
4.4 Business Transfers
If TopSchools.in is involved in a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or bankruptcy, your personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you beforehand.
4.5 What We Do NOT Do
- We do not sell your personal data to third parties for advertising or marketing purposes.
- We do not share your data with unrelated third parties without your consent.
- We do not share sensitive personal data (e.g., passwords, financial credentials) with any third party except payment processors under strict security protocols.
5. Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
| Type of Data | Retention Period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Account Data | Until you delete your account + 30 days | Service provision |
| Admission Enquiries | 2 years from last interaction | Lead follow-up, legal compliance |
| Reviews & Ratings | Indefinitely (unless removed) | Platform integrity, public display |
| Billing & Transaction Data | 8 years from transaction date | Legal requirement under Indian tax law |
| Analytics & Usage Data | 26 months | Platform optimization |
| Marketing Contact Data | Until you opt out | Marketing communications |
| Customer Support Records | 2 years from last interaction | Service quality, dispute resolution |
6. Children's Privacy
TopSchools.in is not intended for use by children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13.
However, as a school directory platform, we may receive information about minors (students) in the context of admission enquiries (e.g., child's name, grade). In such cases:
- We collect this data only at the request and with the explicit consent of the parent or legal guardian.
- We use this data solely for facilitating admission enquiries.
- We do not create profiles of minors for marketing purposes.
- We do not knowingly collect sensitive data about minors (e.g., medical records, Aadhaar numbers).
If you believe we have collected data about your child without your consent, please contact us immediately at [email protected], and we will take steps to delete it.
7. Data Security
We implement reasonable security practices and technical measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, destruction, or loss, in compliance with the IT (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures) Rules, 2011.
7.1 Security Measures We Use
- Encryption: Data is encrypted in transit using TLS/SSL (HTTPS) and encrypted at rest using AES-256.
- Access Controls: Role-based access control (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for staff.
- Secure Storage: Data stored on secure cloud servers with regular security monitoring and firewalls.
- Backups: Automated daily backups with disaster recovery protocols.
7.2 Your Responsibility
You are responsible for keeping your password confidential, not sharing credentials, logging out after sessions on shared devices, and using secure networks.
7.3 Data Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach that may cause significant harm to you, we will notify you and the Data Protection Board of India (DPBI) within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach, as required under the DPDPA 2023.
8. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience, analyze platform usage, and improve our services.
| Type | Purpose | Opt-Out? |
|---|---|---|
| Essential Cookies | Required for Platform functionality (e.g., login, security). | No (cannot be disabled) |
| Functional Cookies | Remember your preferences (e.g., language, location). | Yes |
| Analytics Cookies | Understand how users interact with the Platform (Google Analytics). | Yes |
| Marketing Cookies | Deliver relevant ads, track ad campaigns (Google Ads). | Yes |
You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking cookies may prevent some features (e.g., login, saved searches) from functioning properly.
9. Your Rights & Choices
Under the DPDPA 2023 and applicable Indian laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- 9.1 Right to Access — You can request a copy of all personal data we hold about you by emailing [email protected].
- 9.2 Right to Correction — You can request correction of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated personal data via account settings or support email.
- 9.3 Right to Deletion (Right to be Forgotten) — You can request deletion of your personal data when it is no longer needed, subject to legal compliance exceptions (like tax and billing records).
- 9.4 Right to Withdraw Consent — You can withdraw consent to data processing (e.g. marketing emails) at any time.
- 9.5 Right to Grievance Redressal — You can file a complaint with us, and if unresolved, escalate it to the Data Protection Board of India (DPBI).
10. International Data Transfers
Our primary servers are located in India. If personal data is processed internationally, it is done with explicit consent, for necessary service provision (e.g. cloud hosting on AWS), and with recipient countries maintaining adequate data protection safeguards.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email or a prominent notice on the Platform at least 30 days before they take effect.
12. Links to Third-Party Websites
The Platform contains links to third-party school and government portals. This policy applies only to TopSchools.in, and we are not responsible for the privacy practices of external sites.
13. Do Not Track & Global Privacy Control
Our Platform currently does not respond to "Do Not Track" (DNT) or Global Privacy Control (GPC) requests as there is no uniform standard under Indian law.
14. Contact Us & Grievance Officer
If you have questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us:
TopSchools.in
Email: [email protected]
Privacy Inquiries: [email protected]
Address: Pune, Maharashtra, India
Grievance Officer (Required under IT Act, 2000)
Anis Sayyad (Grievance Officer & Data Protection Officer)
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +91 8983811651
Address: TopSchools.in Compliance Division, Hadapsar, Pune, Maharashtra, India
The Grievance Officer will respond to complaints within 15 working days.
15. Consent Statement
By using TopSchools.in, you explicitly consent to:
- The collection, use, storage, and sharing of your personal data as described in this Privacy Policy.
- The use of cookies and tracking technologies.
- Receiving service-related communications and enquiry confirmations.
- Sharing your admission enquiry data with schools you select.