Last Updated: July 2, 2025
IP Digital Tamil 24x7 Media Pvt Ltd, operating as IPD Media Networks (hereinafter referred to as "we," "us," or "our"), is deeply committed to protecting the privacy of our users and upholding the highest standards of data protection and journalistic ethics. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use our digital news portals, including IPD Tamil, IPD Malayalam, IPD Telugu, IPD Kannada, IPD English, IPD Hindi, IPD Malay, IPD Turkey, and any other services or applications offered by IPD Media Networks (collectively, the "Services").
We adhere to the provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act, 2023) and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021), and other applicable laws in India concerning data protection and digital media.
By accessing or using our Services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use our Services.
1. Information We Collect
As a "Data Fiduciary" under the DPDP Act, 2023, we collect various types of information from and about users of our Services, including:
a. Personal Information (Voluntarily Provided):
This includes information that can be used to identify you directly or indirectly. You may provide us with this information when you register for an account, subscribe to newsletters, participate in surveys, submit comments, or contact us. This may include:
Name
Email address
Phone number
Location (if provided by you)
Any other information you voluntarily provide in forms or communications.
b. Financial Information (for Paid Services):
If you subscribe to premium content or services, we or our third-party payment gateway providers may collect financial information, such as credit/debit card details, bank account details, and billing addresses. We do not store sensitive payment card details; these are processed securely by our PCI-DSS compliant payment partners. Our access is limited to transaction details necessary for managing your subscription.
c. Automatically Collected Information:
When you access and use our Services, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage patterns. This information helps us understand how our Services are used and how we can improve them. This may include:
Device Information: IP address, device type, operating system, browser type, unique device identifiers.
Usage Information: Pages viewed, articles read, time spent on pages, search queries, referral sources, clicks, and interactions with content.
Location Information: General geographical location inferred from your IP address.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons, pixels) to collect information about your Browse activities. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us improve our Services and your experience. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.
d. Information from Third Parties:
We may receive information about you from third-party services, such as social media platforms, if you choose to link your accounts or interact with our content on those platforms.
e. User-Generated Content (UGC):
If you choose to submit comments, participate in forums, or otherwise post content on our Services, any information you include in such postings will be collected and may become publicly available. Please exercise caution when disclosing personal information in public areas of our Services.
2. How We Use Your Information (Lawful Purpose)
We process your personal data only for a "lawful purpose" as defined under the DPDP Act, 2023. This means any purpose that is not expressly forbidden by law. We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:
To Provide and Maintain Services: To deliver the news content, features, and functionality of our Services, including personalized news feeds and managing your subscriptions.
To Personalize Your Experience: To tailor content, advertisements, and recommendations based on your interests and usage patterns, provided adequate consent is obtained where required.
To Improve Our Services: To analyze user behavior, troubleshoot technical issues, and enhance the performance and design of our Services.
To Communicate with You: To send you newsletters, updates, promotional materials, and respond to your inquiries. This includes managing your subscription preferences.
To Conduct Research and Analysis: To understand our audience, trends, and measure the effectiveness of our content and advertising.
For Security and Fraud Prevention: To protect our Services and users from fraudulent activity, unauthorized access, and other security threats, including verification for paid services.
To Comply with Legal Obligations: To meet legal, regulatory, and compliance requirements under Indian laws, including the DPDP Act, 2023, and the IT Rules, 2021.
For Advertising: To display relevant advertisements, both on our Services and on third-party platforms, in compliance with applicable advertising codes and data protection norms.
3. Consent
Where processing of your personal data relies on your consent, we ensure that such consent is free, specific, informed, unconditional, and unambiguous with a clear affirmative action, as mandated by the DPDP Act, 2023. You will be provided with a notice detailing the personal data and the purpose for which it is proposed to be processed before seeking your consent.
4. How We Share Your Information
We may share your information with third parties in the following circumstances:
Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party vendors, consultants, and other service providers who perform services on our behalf (e.g., hosting, analytics, advertising, payment processing, customer support). These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and process it only for specified purposes.
Payment Gateways: For paid services, your financial information is shared securely with trusted third-party payment gateway providers to facilitate transactions. We do not store your full payment card details.
Advertisers and Ad Networks: We may share aggregated or anonymized information with advertisers and ad networks for advertising and analytical purposes. We do not share personally identifiable information with them for their direct marketing without your explicit consent.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or other corporate transaction, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice on our website of any such change in ownership or control of your personal information.
Legal Requirements and Compliance: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, in response to a court order or subpoena, or if we believe that such action is necessary to comply with legal obligations (including those under the IT Rules, 2021), protect our rights or property, or ensure the safety of our users or the public. This includes sharing information with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting or other government authorities as mandated by law.
With Your Consent: We may share your information with third parties if you have given us your explicit consent to do so.
5. Content and Intellectual Property
As a news organization, we may utilize images, videos, and other media obtained from various sources, including press agencies, public domain, creative commons licenses, or under specific contractual agreements. Any third-party images used on our news portals are solely for the purpose of news reporting and editorial commentary, in accordance with fair use principles and applicable intellectual property laws. We strive to provide appropriate attribution where required. If you believe your copyrighted material has been used inappropriately, please contact our Grievance Officer.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. This also includes compliance with data retention obligations under Indian laws. When we no longer need your information, we will securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with the DPDP Act, 2023.
7. Your Data Protection Rights (Data Principal Rights)
As a "Data Principal" under the DPDP Act, 2023, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:
Right to Access: The right to obtain a summary of personal data being processed by us, and to request details of the processing activities.
Right to Correction and Erasure: The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information, and the right to request erasure of your personal data where the purpose for which it was collected is no longer being served or you withdraw consent (unless retention is required by law).
Right to Grievance Redressal: The right to an accessible and effective mechanism for grievance redressal. (Please refer to our dedicated Grievance Redressal page).
Right to Nominate: The right to nominate another person to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity.
Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in the "Contact Us" section below. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable Indian laws and within the prescribed timelines.
8. Children's Privacy
Our Services are intended for a general audience. For individuals under the age of eighteen (18), classified as "children" under the DPDP Act, 2023, we will process their personal data only after obtaining verifiable consent from their parent or lawful guardian. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without such consent. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information as quickly as possible.
9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, analyze site usage, and for advertising purposes. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of our Services may become inaccessible or not function properly.
10. Third-Party Links
Our Services may contain links to third-party websites or services that are not operated by us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.
11. Security of Your Information and Data Breach Notification
We implement reasonable security safeguards, including technical and organizational measures, to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. This is in line with our obligations as a Data Fiduciary under the DPDP Act, 2023. In the unfortunate event of a personal data breach, we will notify the Data Protection Board of India and affected Data Principals, as required by applicable law, without undue delay. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
12. International Data Transfers
As part of our operations, we may use cloud services or collaborate with service providers whose servers or operations are located outside India. In such cases, we ensure that any transfer of your personal data outside India complies with the provisions of the DPDP Act, 2023, and that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data.
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements (including updates to the DPDP Act, 2023, or IT Rules, 2021), or for other operational reasons. When we make significant changes, we will notify you by posting the updated Privacy Policy on this page and revising the "Last Updated" date at the top. For material changes, we may also notify you through other means, such as email or a prominent notice on our website. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
For Privacy-related Inquiries:
Email: grievance.officer@ipdtamil.com
