Privacy Policy

1. INTRODUCTION

DScholar Research Consultancy and Analytics (OPC) Private Limited (“DScholar”, “Company”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) respects the privacy and confidentiality of individuals who visit, register on, communicate through, or purchase services from DSCHOLARRESEARCH.COM (“Website”).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, process, store, protect, and disclose personal information in connection with our Website, online registration systems, consultancy and research services, communications, and payment facilities.

We are committed to responsible handling of personal information and to maintaining the confidentiality of our clients, researchers, students, academics, institutions, customers, and other Website users.

Our fundamental privacy commitments

• We do not sell personal data of our clients or Website users.
• We do not publish client names, identities, registration information, research details, or customer information on our Website without appropriate consent or another lawful basis.
• We do not intentionally make our clients' identities publicly available merely because they have registered with or purchased services from us.
• We use personal information primarily to provide services, administer accounts, process transactions, communicate with clients, maintain records, protect our systems, and comply with applicable law.
• Payment information may be processed by third-party payment and payment-related service providers, including SureCart, PayPal, and Razorpay, depending upon the payment method and Website configuration.
• We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss, misuse, or destruction.

This Privacy Policy should be read together with any applicable Terms and Conditions, Refund/Cancellation Policy, Disclaimer, and other policies published on the Website.

2. LEGAL FRAMEWORK

This Privacy Policy is intended to operate consistently with applicable laws and regulations of India, including, to the extent applicable and in force from time to time:

• the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023;
• the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, as applicable from their respective commencement dates;
• the Information Technology Act, 2000;
• applicable rules and regulations concerning reasonable security practices and protection of information;
• the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and applicable rules, including the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, where applicable;
• applicable taxation, accounting, payment, financial, cyber-security, and record-retention requirements; and
• other applicable laws, regulations, notifications, governmental directions, and judicial orders.

The DPDP Act establishes obligations relating to lawful processing of digital personal data, notice, consent, security safeguards, grievance redressal, and rights of Data Principals.

The Information Technology Act, 2000 also contains provisions concerning compensation for failure to protect data and reasonable security practices.

The Company may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in applicable law, technology, services, payment providers, or Website functionality.

3. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

For personal data collected directly through DSCHOLARRESEARCH.COM, the relevant entity responsible for determining the purposes and means of processing is:

For purposes of applicable data-protection law, the Company may be referred to as the relevant Data Fiduciary or equivalent responsible entity where such terminology applies.

4. INFORMATION WE MAY COLLECT

Depending upon how you use the Website, we may collect the following categories of information.

4.1 Account and registration information

When you register for an account or service, we may collect information such as:

• name; email address; mobile/telephone number; username;
• password or authentication information; billing information;
• organisation/institutional information; professional or academic information voluntarily supplied by you;
• service preferences; communications with us; and other administrative details.

4.2 Information relating to services

Where you purchase or request research, consultancy, analytics, academic, professional, training, publication, or other services, we may process information that you voluntarily provide, including:

• research requirements and project specifications;
• academic or professional documents or files submitted by you;
• instructions, correspondence, and billing transaction information.

5. PAYMENT INFORMATION

The Website may facilitate payments through third-party payment infrastructure, including SureCart, PayPal, and Razorpay.

We do not intend to directly collect or store complete payment-card credentials on our own servers. Payment providers independently process information under their respective privacy policies.

Payment-related information made available to us may include transaction reference, payment status, amount, currency, timestamp, payment method, limited identifiers, and billing information for reconciliation purposes.

6. WHY WE COLLECT AND USE PERSONAL INFORMATION

We process personal information for the following core purposes:

• Account Creation & Administration: To manage accounts, authenticate users, and provide access to services.
• Service Delivery: To fulfill consultancy, research, and analytics requests, and provide ongoing support.
• Payment Processing: To verify transactions, issue receipts, process refunds, and maintain accounting records.
• Communication: To send updates regarding account status, technical notices, policy changes, and support replies.
• Security & Fraud Prevention: To safeguard Website infrastructure, detect fraud, and enforce Terms.
• Legal Compliance: To satisfy tax, legal, regulatory, and reporting requirements under Indian law.

7. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING

We process personal information on the basis of consent, performance of a contract, compliance with legal obligations, fraud prevention, or the establishment and defense of legal claims as recognised under the DPDP Act and Indian legal frameworks.

8. CONSENT

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us. Withdrawal will not affect prior lawful processing but may prevent continued access to specific services requiring that information.

9. CLIENT CONFIDENTIALITY AND NON-PUBLICATION

• We do not sell client data: Never rented, traded, or sold for commercial marketing.
• We do not publicly identify clients: Names and research details remain confidential unless authorized by you or required by court order.
• No public client list or unauthorized testimonials: We do not publish client directories or endorsements without explicit permission.

10. WHEN INFORMATION MAY BE SHARED

Personal information may be disclosed only in limited operational circumstances:

• Service Providers & Processors: Hosting, security, database, cloud storage, email, and analytics partners bound by confidentiality.
• Payment Providers: SureCart, PayPal, and Razorpay to complete transactions and prevent fraud.
• Legal Requirements: Compliance with court orders, regulatory directions, or law-enforcement requests under Indian law.
• Business Restructuring: M&A or corporate restructuring under strict data-protection requirements.

11. INTERNATIONAL DATA PROCESSING

Certain third-party service providers (such as payment infrastructure) may process data outside India. We strive to align with Indian laws and DPDP regulations regarding cross-border data transfer safeguards.

12. DATA SECURITY

We deploy technical and organizational measures including access controls, secure encryption standards, firewall monitoring, regular security updates, and restricted administrative access to mitigate risks of unauthorized access or data loss.

13. DATA BREACHES AND SECURITY INCIDENTS

In the event of a security incident affecting personal information, we will investigate, contain the breach, take remedial measures, and notify affected individuals or statutory authorities as mandated by applicable DPDP frameworks.

14. DATA RETENTION

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to satisfy service goals, fulfill legal, tax, or accounting mandates, or resolve disputes. Afterwards, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

15. USER ACCOUNTS AND PASSWORD SECURITY

Users are responsible for safeguarding their login credentials. We strongly advise using unique passwords and logging out of shared devices. DScholar will never ask for your password via unsolicited messages.

16. COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES

We use cookies to maintain user sessions, remember system preferences, evaluate performance, and enhance navigational experience. You can manage or block cookies through browser preferences.

17. LOGS AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Standard access logs (IP address, browser type, operating system, timestamp, referring URLs) are automatically collected for diagnostics, platform stability, and fraud prevention.

18. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES

Our site may link to third-party services (e.g., PayPal, Razorpay). Once you navigate away from DSCHOLARRESEARCH.COM, your interactions are governed by the respective third party's privacy terms.

19. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY

The Website is not designed to intentionally gather personal data from children without verifiable parental or guardian consent in accordance with applicable governing laws.

20. ACCURACY OF INFORMATION

Users are encouraged to maintain accurate profile data. You can request corrections or updates to inaccurate personal data through our support contact.

21. YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

Under the DPDP framework and applicable Indian regulations, Data Principals possess rights including access to summary data, correction of inaccurate details, data erasure where applicable, consent withdrawal, and grievance redressal.

22. HOW TO EXERCISE YOUR RIGHTS

To submit a privacy-related request, contact us via WhatsApp (+91-7209227555) or at our registered address with your account details and specific query. Do not send passwords or credit card CVVs in request letters.

23. GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL

We welcome direct resolution of privacy complaints. Reach out to our team at +91-7209227555. Nothing limits your statutory rights to approach competent regulatory authorities or the Data Protection Board of India.

24. CONFIDENTIALITY OF RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION

Manuscripts, academic datasets, research projects, and institutional documents provided during service delivery are treated with strict confidentiality and never published or shared without authorization.

25. NO SALE OR COMMERCIAL TRADING OF PERSONAL DATA

DScholar does not operate as a data brokerage. We explicitly refuse to sell, lease, or trade user records to third-party marketing companies.

26. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

We send promotional service updates only where legally permitted or consented to. You can opt out at any time via instructions in the message, though essential transactional alerts will still be sent.

27. THIRD-PARTY PAYMENT PROCESSORS

Payment processors operate independently. Users are advised to review the specific privacy declarations of SureCart, PayPal, and Razorpay before submitting payment details.

28. DATA MINIMISATION

We only collect information strictly needed to perform requested services, encouraging users to withhold unnecessary personal details.

29. AUTOMATED DECISION-MAKING

We do not perform automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or significant consequences for users.

30. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this document to reflect legal, technical, or service updates. Revisions will be published directly on this page with an updated timestamp.

31. EFFECTIVE DATE AND LAST UPDATED DATE

Effective Date: 16 July 2024 | Last Updated: 9 September 2026. This version supersedes prior iterations.

32. GOVERNING LAW

This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed under the laws of the Republic of India.

33. JURISDICTION

Subject to statutory rights, judicial forums and courts located at Agartala, Tripura, India hold jurisdiction over legal matters concerning this policy.

34. SEVERABILITY

If any clause is deemed invalid by a court of law, the remaining sections remain fully enforced and effective.

35. NO WAIVER OF STATUTORY RIGHTS

Nothing in this policy limits non-waivable statutory consumer protections or rights granted under Indian privacy law.

36. CONTACT US

37. USER ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

By using DSCHOLARRESEARCH.COM, creating an account, or requesting services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

DScholar Research Consultancy and Analytics (OPC) Private Limited is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of its clients and Website users.