Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how SOULMACHINE INNOVATIONS PRIVATE LIMITED (Block-C, 944, Sushant Lok Phase-1, Gurugram, Gurgaon, Haryana, 122001, India) collects, uses, shares and protects personal data when you use influ.buzz. It is published in accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and rules thereunder, and is designed to align with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act").

1. Data we collect

• Account data: name, email, phone (optional), password (stored as a salted hash — we never see your plain password), role (brand/creator).
• Profile data: for Creators — handle, bio, niches, languages, city, social account handles and statistics, packages, photo; for Brands — company details, GSTIN, website, logo.
• Financial & tax data: wallet transactions, PAN (for TDS deposit), GSTIN, payout details (UPI ID / bank account). Payout details are used solely to process withdrawals.
• Collaboration data: briefs, proposals, messages, uploaded files, reviews, disputes — retained as the audit trail of your transactions.
• Technical data: standard server logs (IP address, user agent, timestamps) for security and debugging.

2. How we use it

• Operating the marketplace: matching, escrow, messaging, timers, notifications (in-app and email).
• Compliance: TDS deduction and deposit, GST-compliant invoice generation, responding to lawful requests from authorities.
• Trust & safety: verifying creator statistics, preventing fraud, resolving disputes (using collaboration records as evidence).
• Improving the Platform, including aggregated, anonymised rate benchmarks (no personal identifiers).

3. Public information

Creator profiles (handle, name, bio, niches, city, follower statistics, packages, published reviews and level) and published campaign briefs (title, brand name, deliverables, budget range) are visible publicly and may appear in search engines. Wallet balances, payout details, PAN, messages, drafts, and dispute contents are never public.

4. Sharing

• Between counterparties: when you collaborate, the other party sees your relevant profile and collaboration information, and invoices include tax identifiers (PAN/GSTIN) as required.
• Service providers: infrastructure, email delivery, and (when enabled) payment processing partners, bound by confidentiality.
• Legal: where required by law, court order, or to protect rights, safety, or prevent fraud.
• We do not sell personal data.

5. Retention

Account data is retained while your account is active. Financial records (transactions, invoices, TDS records) are retained for at least 8 years as required by Indian tax law, even after account closure. Collaboration threads are retained as transaction records.

6. Security

We use TLS in transit, hashed passwords, role-restricted access, escrow funds movement only on defined state changes, and validated file uploads. No system is perfectly secure; report vulnerabilities to partners@influ.buzz.

7. Your rights

You may access and correct your data from your profile at any time. You may request a copy of your data, or deletion of your account (subject to the retention obligations above), by emailing partners@influ.buzz. We respond within 30 days. You may also nominate a person to exercise your rights as contemplated by the DPDP Act.

8. Cookies

We use strictly necessary cookies only: a session cookie for authentication and a preference cookie for dark mode. We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies.

9. Children

The Platform is not intended for users under 18.

10. Grievance Officer

Grievance Officer, SOULMACHINE INNOVATIONS PRIVATE LIMITED, Block-C, 944, Sushant Lok Phase-1, Gurugram, Gurgaon, Haryana, 122001, India. Email: partners@influ.buzz. We acknowledge complaints within 48 hours and aim to resolve them within 15 days.

11. Changes

We will notify registered users of material changes to this policy by email or in-app notice. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.