Privacy Policy

Last updated: 20 October 2026

This policy explains what personal data SkillBonds collects, why, who can see it, how long we keep it and the choices you have. "SkillBonds", "we" and "us" mean SkillBonds, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India.

1. What we collect

• Your account: name, email address, a scrambled (hashed) form of your password, account type, and the date you agreed to our Terms and confirmed you are 18 or older. If you use "Continue with Google", the name and email Google shares with us.
• Your profile: what you choose to add - photo, cover photo, headline, city, subjects, boards, experience, education, certifications, languages, demo videos, resume, job preferences and contact details.
• Institutes: the institute's details, pictures, courses, facilities, events, job postings and the names of its admins.
• Verification documents, only if you choose to verify: an institute's registration certificate, address proof and the other documents it chooses to send; a teacher's or staff member's degree certificate and, if they wish, a B.Ed., TET/CTET or council registration certificate. We use them only to check the institute or the qualification and that the name matches, and to show the Verified badge. Verification is optional and does not guarantee approval. We do not collect Aadhaar.
• What you do on SkillBonds: posts, comments, reactions, messages, connections, follows, job applications and answers to screening questions, saved jobs, reports and blocks.
• Messages you send us through the contact form or the Help page: your name, email, phone number if you give it, the reason and your message - whether or not you have an account.
• The SkillBonds app on your device: if you install SkillBonds to your home screen, we record that it was installed, the type of device (Android, iPhone or computer) and the dates you open it, linked to your account when you are signed in.
• Technical data: IP address, browser and device type, sign-in times, and a record of important actions (an audit log) - used for security.

2. Why we use it

• To run your account and show your profile, posts and jobs to the people you choose.
• To match jobs and candidates, and to send the notifications and emails you have switched on.
• To verify institutes and keep the community safe: blocking abusive words, checking messages automatically for signs of scams, reviewing reports, preventing fraud.
• To answer your messages, and to understand how SkillBonds is used (for example how many people use the app) so we can improve it.
• To meet legal duties, such as answering lawful requests and keeping security logs.

We do not sell your data, and we do not show advertising based on it.

3. Who can see what

• Your public profile can be seen by anyone, unless you limit it to signed-in members. You choose whether search engines may show it.
• Your phone number and email are not public. An institute sees them only when you apply to it or accept its request to contact you.
• "Open to work" and job preferences are seen only by institutes - never by your current institute, and never by the public.
• Your certificates are never public. You choose who sees them: signed-in members, only your connections (and institutes you apply to), or only you.
• Your resume and answers go only to the institutes you apply to.
• Messages are seen only by the people in the conversation. Messages are checked automatically for signs of scams - for example a request for a fee, a deposit or payment details. When a message looks like one, the person receiving it sees a warning and our safety team sees a copy of that conversation. Otherwise our safety team sees a message only when it is reported.
• Verification documents, messages you send us and app install records are seen only by the SkillBonds team.

4. Service providers we use

Our servers are in India (Mumbai). We use a small number of providers who process data for us under contract: Hostinger (our server host), Resend (email delivery), Google (only if you choose "Continue with Google"), and your browser's push service (only if you turn on phone notifications).

5. How long we keep it

• Your account data: while your account is open. When you delete your account, it is hidden at once and erased after a 30-day waiting period (in which you can change your mind).
• Verification documents: while the account is open, so we can answer questions about the badge; they are erased with the account. A teacher's or staff member's document we could not approve is erased 90 days after our decision unless a new copy is sent.
• App install records: while your account is open; they are erased with it.
• Security logs: at least 180 days, as Indian law requires. Backups: 14 days.
• Reported content: when a post, comment or message is reported (by a person, or by our automatic scam check), a copy is kept with the report for our safety team, even if it is later removed, and deleted 180 days after the report is handled. A comment you delete yourself that nobody reported is deleted completely.

6. Your rights

• See and download your data - Me → Your data.
• Correct it at any time from your profile.
• Delete your account - Me → Your data.
• Withdraw consent for optional things (emails, phone notifications, showing your page to search engines) in your settings.
• Nominate someone to exercise these rights if you die or cannot act yourself, by writing to the Grievance Officer.
• Complain to our Grievance Officer, and if you are not satisfied, to the Data Protection Board of India.

7. Children

SkillBonds accounts are only for people aged 18 or older. When a picture or video may show students, the person uploading it must confirm they have permission from the school and the students' parents. If you believe a child's data is on SkillBonds without permission, report it or write to the Grievance Officer and we will remove it.

8. Cookies and similar storage

We use only what the site needs to work: a sign-in cookie, a cookie remembering a browser you chose to trust, a cookie with your time zone (so times are shown correctly), and your browser's storage for small things such as whether the messaging box is open and a random number that tells us an app install apart from another. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

To see how the site is used, our own server counts page visits as daily totals - which kinds of pages are opened, whether from a phone or a computer, and which website a visit came from. To tell visitors apart for one day, it uses a scrambled one-way code that is deleted after two days; it does not store your address, use a cookie, or link the totals to you. No outside analytics company is involved.

9. Security

We use HTTPS, scrambled passwords, emailed sign-in codes for admin accounts, private storage for uploaded documents, and daily backups. If a breach affects your data, we will tell you and the authorities as the law requires.

10. Changes and contact

If this policy changes in an important way, we will tell you on SkillBonds and ask you to accept the new version.

Grievance Officer: Kaveri A, Founder, SkillBonds, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India. Email: skillbonds@gmail.com, or use our contact form. We acknowledge every complaint within 24 hours and resolve it within 15 days.