1. Who we are
Videshi Swayamvar ("we", "us") runs the website videshiswayamvar.com and the Instagram series @videshiswayamvar. For the personal data described here, we act as the Data Fiduciary under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. For anything about your data, write to partners@videshiswayamvar.com.
2. What we collect
When you vote
- The state or union territory you vote for, and the time of the vote.
- A random device ID, kept in a cookie and in your browser's local storage, so each device gets one vote per day.
- A one-way hash of your IP address, made with a secret key. We never store the IP address itself. We also keep the country and the network operator (ASN) that the address belongs to. These help us find bulk or automated voting.
When you apply to be on the show (the Rishta bhejo form)
- Name, age, state or UT, city or village, education, work, height and languages.
- A short note about the family, and your answer to "Why should Anya pick you?".
- Instagram handle, WhatsApp number, and email if you give one.
- One to three photos, and an intro video link if you give one.
- Your consent choices and the time you gave them.
- The device ID and IP hash described above, to limit spam.
When you email us
Your email address and what you write.
Cookies and browser storage
- vs_did (cookie and local storage, up to 400 days): the random device ID used for one vote per device per day.
- vs_lang and vs_vote (local storage): your language choice and today's vote, so the page can show them.
- vs_rishta_draft (local storage): what you have typed in the application form, so it survives a reload. It stays on your phone and is deleted when you send the form.
- vs_admin (cookie, 30 days): used only when the production team signs in to the admin page.
We do not use advertising trackers or third-party analytics on this website.
3. Why we use it
- To count votes fairly: one vote per device per day, and to remove automated or bulk votes.
- To run the show: to review applications, shortlist applicants, and contact them on WhatsApp, phone or email.
- To show a shortlisted applicant's name and photo on the show, only if they ticked the optional box for it.
- To answer emails from brands, investors, press and the public.
- To keep the website secure and to meet legal requirements.
We use application data on the basis of your consent. You can withdraw consent at any time (see section 7). Withdrawing does not undo anything done before it.
4. Who sees it
- The Videshi Swayamvar production team.
- Service providers who process data for us: Cloudflare (website hosting and database) and Google Workspace (email). Their servers may be outside India.
- Government authorities, if the law requires it.
We never sell or rent personal data.
5. How long we keep it
- Applications that are not selected: deleted within 90 days of the end of the season.
- Selected participants: kept for the run of the show, and as set out in a separate participation agreement.
- Vote records (device ID, IP hash, country, network): deleted within 90 days of the end of the season. Vote totals per state may be kept.
- Emails: kept as long as needed to deal with the matter.
6. Security
The site runs only over HTTPS. Applications and votes are stored in a database that only the production team can reach, through a password-protected admin page. IP addresses are hashed with a secret key and are never stored as they are. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your data, we will tell you and the Data Protection Board of India as the law requires.
7. Your rights
You can ask us to:
- tell you what data we hold about you and how we use it;
- correct or update it;
- delete it, or withdraw your consent;
- accept another person, named by you, to use these rights for you if you die or cannot act yourself.
Write to partners@videshiswayamvar.com. Use the email or give the WhatsApp number you used with us, and your reference number if you applied, so we can find your data. We aim to reply within 30 days. If you are not happy with our reply, you can complain to the Data Protection Board of India.
8. Children
This website is not meant for anyone under 18. Applications are accepted only for men aged 21 or above. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If we find that we have, we delete it.
9. Changes
If we change this policy, we will update this page and its version date. We will also post about important changes on our Instagram.