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SkillSwap Privacy Policy

Last updated: 3 October 2026 Effective date: [DATE OF LAUNCH]

Draft notice: Items in [SQUARE BRACKETS] are placeholders to fill in before publishing. Have a qualified lawyer review this document before you go live.

1. Introduction

SkillSwap ("we", "us", "our") is a peer-to-peer learning platform based at [REGISTERED ADDRESS], India. On SkillSwap, people swap skills with each other using platform tokens: you can teach what you know, learn what you want, and use tokens to pay for sessions.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, how long we keep it, and what choices and rights you have. It applies to our website at [WEBSITE URL] and any related services (together, the "Service").

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to the practices described here. Where the law requires your consent for a particular use of your data, we will ask for it separately and clearly, and you can withdraw it at any time (see Section 9).

For the purposes of Indian law, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act") and the Information Technology Act, 2000 ("IT Act"), we are the "Data Fiduciary" for the personal data described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information you give us

Account and sign-in. You can sign up using Google or GitHub. When you do, we receive from that provider your name, email address, profile picture and a unique account identifier. We never receive or store your Google or GitHub password.

Onboarding and profile. During onboarding and afterwards, we ask for:

  • Your name and profile picture
  • Your sex
  • Your date of birth (used to confirm you are 18 or older)
  • Skills you can teach, or a statement that you have none to offer right now
  • Skills you want to learn
  • Any bio, links, portfolio or proof of skill you choose to add

Swap and token activity. Swap offers you send or receive, approvals and declines, tokens you buy, hold, spend and earn, session times, cancellations, and completion confirmations.

Messages. Messages you send in the temporary chat that opens after a swap offer is approved, and messages you send to our support team.

Reviews and ratings. Ratings and written feedback you give or receive about sessions.

Payments. When you buy tokens, the payment is processed by our payment gateway, [PAYMENT GATEWAY NAME]. We do not collect or store your full card number, CVV, UPI PIN or net-banking credentials. We receive confirmation details such as the transaction ID, amount, date, payment method type and status.

Support and chatbot. What you write to our FAQ chatbot or support team, and any files you attach.

2.2 Information we collect automatically

  • Device and log data: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, pages viewed, referring URLs, timestamps, and error logs.
  • Cookies and similar technologies: See Section 8.
  • Session metadata: When a Google Meet session is scheduled through SkillSwap, we record the scheduled time and meeting link. We do not record the audio or video of your sessions.

2.3 Information from others

  • Other users may give you ratings or reviews, or report you under our Terms of Service.
  • Google and GitHub send us the profile information described above when you sign in with them.

2.4 What we do not collect

We do not knowingly collect government ID numbers, financial account numbers, or information about your health, religion, caste, or political views. Please do not put this kind of information in your profile, chat messages or reviews.

3. How We Use Your Information

| Purpose | Data used | |---|---| | Create and manage your account; sign you in | Account and sign-in data, profile data | | Show your profile to others so they can find and book you | Name, profile picture, skills, ratings, bio | | Match you with people to swap with (the "AI radar") | Skills you offer, skills you want to learn, onboarding answers | | Run the token system: purchases, holds, releases, refunds, balances | Payment confirmation data, token ledger, swap activity | | Enable swap requests, approvals, temporary chat and scheduling | Swap activity, messages, session metadata | | Send service messages (approvals, reminders, receipts, policy changes) | Email address, account data | | Keep the platform safe: detect fraud, abuse, fake accounts, no-shows, and policy violations | Account, activity, device and log data, messages and reports | | Provide support and answer questions | Support messages, account data | | Improve and develop the Service | Usage and log data, de-identified or aggregated data | | Comply with law, resolve disputes, and enforce our Terms | Any data reasonably necessary |

We do not use your personal data for purposes unrelated to the above without telling you and, where required, getting your consent.

4. AI Matching and the FAQ Chatbot

AI radar. We use automated matching to suggest people whose skills you want to learn and who may want to learn from you. The matching is based on the skills and interests you give us. It is meant to help you discover people; it does not make decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you. You can always browse and search manually, and you can edit your skills and interests in your profile at any time to change your matches.

FAQ chatbot. Our chatbot answers questions about how SkillSwap works. It may use an AI model provided by [AI SERVICE PROVIDER, IF ANY]. Please do not share sensitive personal information in the chatbot. Chatbot answers may be inaccurate, and they are not legal, financial or professional advice.

We do not sell your personal data to AI providers, and we do not allow our AI providers to use your data to train their own general-purpose models [CONFIRM WITH YOUR PROVIDER'S TERMS].

5. Who We Share Your Information With

We do not sell your personal data.

5.1 Other users. Your profile is visible to other SkillSwap users. This includes your name, profile picture, the skills you teach and want to learn, your bio, ratings and reviews, and any badges. Your email address and date of birth are not shown to other users. [CONFIRM: whether your sex is shown on your profile or kept private.] Messages in the temporary chat are visible only to the participants in that swap.

5.2 Service providers. We use trusted companies that process data on our behalf and only for our purposes, such as:

  • Cloud hosting and database providers ([HOSTING PROVIDER])
  • Sign-in providers (Google, GitHub)
  • Payment gateway ([PAYMENT GATEWAY NAME])
  • Email and notification services ([EMAIL SERVICE])
  • Analytics and error monitoring ([ANALYTICS TOOL], if any)
  • AI service providers (Section 4)

5.3 Google Meet. Live sessions take place on Google Meet. When you join a meeting, Google collects and processes data under its own privacy policy. We are not responsible for how Google handles data in meetings.

5.4 Legal and safety. We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that it is required by law, court order or a lawful request from a government authority, or necessary to protect the rights, safety or property of users, the public or SkillSwap, or to investigate fraud or violations of our Terms.

5.5 Business changes. If we merge with, are acquired by, or sell assets to another company, your information may be transferred as part of that deal. We will tell you before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

5.6 With your consent. We may share information in other ways if you ask us to or agree to it.

6. Temporary Chat and Data Retention

We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purposes in this policy, or as the law requires.

| Data | How long we keep it | |---|---| | Account and profile data | While your account is active, and for [30] days after you delete it | | Temporary swap chat messages | Deleted [30] days after the swap is completed, declined, cancelled or expires. Messages that are part of a report or dispute are kept until the matter is resolved. | | Token ledger, payment confirmations, invoices and tax records | [8] years, or as required by Indian tax and accounting laws | | Reviews and ratings | While your account is active. After deletion, they may remain in anonymised form so that other users' ratings stay accurate. | | Support requests | [2] years after the request is closed | | Server logs and security records | Up to [12] months | | Data relating to fraud, abuse or policy violations | As long as needed to protect the Service and other users, and as the law requires |

When data is no longer needed, we delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

7. International Data Transfers

Our service providers may store or process data on servers located outside India. Where we transfer personal data outside India, we do so only as permitted by Indian law and any restrictions notified by the Government of India, and we require our providers to protect your data to an appropriate standard.

8. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Keep you signed in and keep the Service working (essential)
  • Remember your preferences (functional)
  • Understand how the Service is used and fix problems ([ANALYTICS TOOL], if any)

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Blocking essential cookies may stop parts of the Service from working. [If you use non-essential analytics or advertising cookies, add a cookie banner that asks for consent before they are set.]

9. Your Rights and Choices

Under the DPDP Act and other applicable law, you have the right to:

  • Access: Ask for a summary of the personal data we hold about you, and the identities of the parties we have shared it with.
  • Correction and completion: Ask us to correct inaccurate data or complete incomplete data. You can also edit most profile information yourself in your account settings.
  • Erasure: Ask us to delete your personal data, unless we need to keep it to comply with law or for another purpose the law permits.
  • Withdraw consent: Withdraw any consent you have given. This does not affect processing already done, and withdrawing consent for data we need to run your account may mean we can no longer provide the Service to you.
  • Grievance redressal: Complain to us about how we handle your data (see Section 13).
  • Nominate: Nominate another person to exercise your rights if you die or become unable to act.

To exercise any right, email us at [CONTACT EMAIL] or use the account deletion option in your settings. We may need to verify your identity first. We aim to respond within 30 days, and in any case within the time the law requires.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India once the relevant provisions are in force.

Marketing messages. We send you service messages as part of the Service. If we send promotional emails, each will include an unsubscribe link, and you can also opt out in your settings.

10. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal data, including [ENCRYPTION OF DATA IN TRANSIT, ACCESS CONTROLS AND LIMITING ACCESS TO STAFF WHO NEED IT — KEEP ONLY WHAT IS TRUE OF YOUR SYSTEM]. No online service is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please protect your account by securing your Google and GitHub accounts and not sharing your login.

If a personal data breach affects you, we will notify you and the Data Protection Board of India as required by law.

11. Children

SkillSwap is only for people who are 18 years of age or older. We use your date of birth to check this. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If we learn that an account belongs to someone under 18, we will close it and delete the data. If you believe a child is using SkillSwap, please contact us at [CONTACT EMAIL].

12. Third-Party Links and Services

The Service may link to other websites and services, including your GitHub, LinkedIn or portfolio links and Google Meet. We do not control them and are not responsible for their privacy practices. Please read their policies.

13. Grievance Officer and Contact

If you have a question, concern or complaint about this policy or your personal data, contact our Grievance Officer:

Name: [GRIEVANCE OFFICER NAME] Email: [CONTACT EMAIL] Address: [REGISTERED ADDRESS] Hours: [DAYS AND HOURS]

We will acknowledge your complaint within 48 hours and aim to resolve it within one month, or sooner where the law requires.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will tell you by email or a notice in the Service before they take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when this policy was last changed. If you keep using the Service after a change takes effect, you accept the updated policy, except where the law requires your fresh consent.