Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Malhi Community ("we", "our", or "us") is a private online platform designed to connect members of the Malhi community and its diaspora worldwide.

We respect your privacy and are committed to handling your personal information responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose and protect personal information when you access or use our website and services.

By using Malhi Community, you acknowledge this Privacy Policy. Where consent is required by law, we will obtain it separately.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information.

2.1 Account information

• Name and email address.
• Account identifiers and authentication information.
• Account status and profile completion status.
• Information provided through supported sign-in methods, including Google.

2.2 Profile information

Depending on the fields available on the Platform and the information you choose to provide, this may include:

• Location and residential details.
• Educational qualifications and institutions.
• Profession, employment and workplace details.
• Community background and relevant family or cultural information.
• Other information you choose to add to your profile.

Some information may reveal sensitive information, such as racial or ethnic origin or religious beliefs. We will handle such information in accordance with applicable privacy laws and any consent requirements that apply.

2.3 Contact information

• Phone number, including country code.
• Contact-detail visibility preferences, where available.

2.4 Community activity

• Connection requests and their status.
• Accepted connections.
• Messages exchanged through the Platform.
• Account settings and preferences.
• Reports, support requests and moderation-related records.

2.5 Technical information

We and our service providers may process technical information such as IP addresses, browser and device information, access logs, and diagnostic data, depending on the technologies used to operate the Platform.

3. How We Collect Information

We collect information directly from you when you register, sign in, complete or update your profile, send connection requests, communicate with other members, or contact us.

If you sign in through a third-party authentication provider, we may receive the account information that provider makes available for authentication.

Some technical information may be collected automatically through the website and its service providers.

4. How We Use Your Information

We may use your personal information to:

• Create, authenticate and manage member accounts.
• Display eligible member profiles.
• Facilitate community connections and messaging.
• Maintain the security and integrity of the Platform.
• Investigate reports of abuse, fraud or misuse.
• Respond to enquiries and provide support.
• Improve the reliability and usability of the Platform.
• Comply with applicable legal obligations.

We will not use sensitive personal information for unrelated purposes unless permitted by applicable law or supported by any consent required by law.

5. Member Profiles and Information Visibility

Malhi Community is intended to connect eligible members of the Malhi community and its diaspora.

Information included in your profile may be visible to other signed-in members when your profile is complete and you have access to the member directory.

The visibility of individual fields depends on the Platform's functionality and the privacy settings available to you.

You should review the information you provide and avoid sharing details you do not want other members to see.

Even when access is restricted to members, we cannot guarantee that information viewed by another member will not be copied, saved, photographed or shared outside the Platform.

6. How We Share Information

We may share personal information in the following circumstances.

6.1 With other members

We make profile information available according to the Platform's functionality and applicable visibility settings. Connection requests and messages are shared with the relevant participants.

6.2 With service providers

We use third-party providers to operate and maintain the Platform. These may include:

• Supabase for authentication and database services.
• Vercel for website hosting and deployment.
• Email or communication providers, where enabled.

These providers may process personal information as necessary to provide their services.

6.3 For legal and security purposes

We may disclose information where required or authorised by law, or where reasonably necessary to investigate security incidents, address suspected unlawful activity, or protect the rights and safety of members and the Platform.

6.4 Business changes

If the Platform or its operating entity is transferred or restructured, personal information may be handled as part of that process, subject to applicable law.

We do not sell members' personal information as a business activity.

7. Storage and Overseas Processing

Personal information may be stored or processed in Australia or other countries, depending on our service providers, infrastructure configuration and support arrangements.

Where applicable, we will take reasonable steps to address overseas disclosures and comply with relevant legal requirements.

8. Security

We take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to protect personal information against misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Depending on the systems in use, safeguards may include authentication, access controls, database security policies, secure connections and security monitoring.

No online service can guarantee complete security. If a data breach occurs, we will investigate and respond appropriately, including providing notifications where required by law.

9. Data Retention and Account Deletion

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to operate the Platform, provide its features, maintain security, resolve disputes and meet legal obligations.

You may request account deletion by contacting us through the details provided below.

When an account is deleted, we will take appropriate steps to delete or de-identify information we no longer need to retain, subject to applicable legal obligations and legitimate retention requirements.

Some information may remain in backups or security logs for a limited period under our retention procedures.

10. Access and Correction

You may request access to personal information we hold about you and ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date, irrelevant or misleading, where applicable.

You may update profile information directly through the Platform where those features are available.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to an access, correction or deletion request.

12. Children's Privacy

Malhi Community is intended for individuals aged 18 and over.

We do not knowingly permit individuals under 18 to create accounts. If we become aware of an account belonging to someone under 18, we may restrict or terminate the account and handle the associated information in accordance with applicable law.

13. Your Privacy Choices and Rights

Depending on applicable law and your circumstances, you may have rights to:

• Request access to your personal information.
• Request correction of inaccurate information.
• Request deletion where applicable.
• Withdraw consent for activities based on consent, subject to legal or operational limitations.
• Raise concerns or make a privacy complaint.

You may choose not to provide optional profile information. However, certain information may be required to register or use specific features.

14. Privacy Complaints

If you have questions or concerns about how we handle personal information, please contact us using the details below.

We will review your complaint and respond within a reasonable period, taking applicable legal requirements into account.

If your concern is not resolved, you may be able to contact the relevant privacy regulator, depending on which laws apply to the Platform.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as our services, features, technology providers or legal obligations change.

The updated version will be published on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Where required, we will notify affected members or obtain additional consent.