Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 1, 2025  |  Last Updated: July 1, 2025

1. Introduction

Om’s Martial Arts & Fitness Studio (“Om’s Academy”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) operates the website omsacademy.org and provides martial arts and fitness training services. Established in 2009, Om’s Academy offers Taekwondo, Kickboxing, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Power Yoga, Self-Defense, and Weight Management programs through offline group classes, personal training, and online live sessions. Our focus is on building discipline, character, and physical fitness for students of all levels — from beginners to advanced practitioners, including children (5+ years), teens, and adults.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website, fill enquiry forms, register for classes, attend training sessions, communicate with us via WhatsApp or phone, or interact with us in any manner. We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with applicable Indian data protection laws, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

By using our website, services, or providing your information to us, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of our website and services.

2. Information We Collect

We collect different categories of information to provide, operate, and improve our services:

(a) Personal Information

• Full name, date of birth, age, and gender
• Phone number, email address, and residential address
• Emergency contact name, relationship, and phone number
• Medical history relevant to physical training (including allergies, past injuries, chronic conditions, or medications)
• Parent or guardian name, phone number, and consent details for students under 18 years of age
• Photograph for identity records (student ID, if applicable)

(b) Payment and Billing Information

• Payment is processed securely through third-party payment gateways (such as Razorpay, UPI, bank transfer, or cash). We do not store your credit/debit card numbers, CVV, or banking passwords on our systems. All financial data is handled directly by our payment service providers in compliance with PCI-DSS standards.

(c) Training and Participation Data

• Class attendance records and batch preferences (morning/evening/online)
• Training progress, belt rank, and assessment records
• Competition and tournament participation details and performance notes
• Signed waiver and consent forms (physical or digital)

(d) Media and Content

• Photographs and videos taken during classes, events, belt ceremonies, competitions, or training sessions — only with your explicit written or verbal consent
• Testimonials, feedback, or reviews provided by you
• If you upload images to our website or send them via WhatsApp, please ensure such images do not contain embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors and recipients may be able to extract location data from such images.

(e) WhatsApp and Communication Data

• When you message us on WhatsApp, your phone number, message content, and any media (photos, videos, documents) you share are processed by WhatsApp (Meta Platforms, Inc.) under their own privacy policy. We access this data solely to respond to your enquiries, confirm bookings, and send class-related updates.
• WhatsApp may collect your IP address, device information, and usage data in accordance with their terms. We encourage you to review WhatsApp’s Privacy Policy.

(f) Website Technical Information

• IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type and identifier
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URL, and navigation path
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 4 below)
• Location data (city-level, if provided by your browser or device)

(g) Enquiry Form Data

• When you fill out any enquiry or lead form on our website (e.g., “Book Free Trial”), we collect the information you provide — typically your name, phone number, age (for students), and the source page. This data is used solely to contact you regarding your enquiry and is shared only with our authorized staff via WhatsApp or phone.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following legitimate purposes:

• To register students, manage class schedules, batch assignments, and attendance
• To ensure student safety during training through emergency contact information and medical history
• To process fee payments, issue receipts, and manage membership records
• To track training progress, belt promotions, and provide personalized coaching guidance
• To obtain and maintain necessary waivers, consents, and indemnity forms for participation in martial arts and physical fitness activities, which carry inherent risk of injury
• To create promotional content (photographs, videos, testimonials) only with your explicit prior consent
• To communicate class schedules, batch changes, holiday announcements, events, competition updates, and important notices via WhatsApp, SMS, email, or phone calls
• To respond to enquiries, provide information about our programs, and assist with admissions
• To improve our training programs, website functionality, and customer service experience
• To comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, or governmental requests
• To protect the rights, safety, property, and reputation of Om’s Academy, our students, staff, and the public
• To resolve disputes, enforce our terms, and prevent fraud or misuse

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us:

• Essential Cookies: These are necessary for the website to function properly. They may include session cookies that help us remember your preferences during a single browsing session.
• Analytics Cookies: We may use Google Analytics or similar tools to understand how visitors interact with our website — which pages are visited most, how long users stay, and where they come from. This data is aggregated and anonymized and does not personally identify you.
• Third-Party Cookies: Our website may contain embedded content from third-party services (e.g., Google Maps, YouTube videos, WhatsApp widget, social media plugins). These third parties may set their own cookies to track your interaction with their embedded content. We do not control these third-party cookies.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain features on our website. For more information on managing cookies, visit allaboutcookies.org.

5. Third-Party Services We Use

We rely on trusted third-party service providers to support our operations. These may include:

• Payment Processors: Razorpay, UPI platforms, or bank gateways for secure fee collection
• Website Hosting: Our website is hosted on secure servers (e.g., Hostinger, AWS, or similar providers)
• Analytics: Google Analytics for website usage analysis
• Communication: WhatsApp Business API, SMS gateways, and email services for student communication
• Cloud Storage: Google Drive or similar services for storing training records and media files securely
• Website Platform: WordPress or similar CMS for content management

These service providers receive only the information necessary to perform their specific functions and are contractually or legally obligated to protect your data. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for marketing or commercial purposes.

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Internal Sharing: With our authorized coaches, instructors, and administrative staff who need access to deliver training, manage schedules, ensure student safety, and handle administrative tasks. All staff members are bound by confidentiality obligations.
• Parents/Guardians of Minors: With the parent or guardian of any student under 18 years of age, including sharing attendance, progress, and relevant communication.
• Service Providers: With third-party vendors as described in Section 5, strictly on a need-to-know basis and under contractual data protection obligations.
• Legal Requirements: When required by applicable law, court order, government authority, or regulatory body. This may include responding to legal process, enforcing our terms, or complying with applicable regulations.
• Safety and Protection: To protect the rights, safety, health, and property of Om’s Academy, our students, staff, or the public, including in cases of emergency, injury, or suspected illegal activity.
• With Your Consent: With your explicit prior consent — for example, sharing your name and photograph in promotional materials, sharing a testimonial, or listing your name in competition results.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or part of our assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of such transaction, subject to continued protection under this policy.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law:

• Student Registration and Medical Records: Retained for the duration of enrollment plus 3 years after the student discontinues training. This is important for medical liability, injury claims, and reference purposes.
• Payment and Financial Records: Retained for 7 years from the end of the relevant financial year, as required under Indian tax and accounting regulations (Income Tax Act, GST laws).
• Waivers and Consent Forms: Retained for the duration of enrollment plus 3 years after the student leaves, as these documents are critical for liability protection in case of injury claims.
• Media Content (Photos/Videos): Retained until consent is withdrawn in writing, or until the content is no longer needed for the purpose for which consent was given.
• Website Enquiry Data: Retained for 1 year from the date of enquiry, after which it is deleted unless the enquiry converts to enrollment.
• Website Analytics Data: Google Analytics data is retained for 26 months (default setting) in anonymized form.
• WhatsApp Communication Logs: We do not independently store WhatsApp messages beyond what WhatsApp automatically retains. We may retain relevant information (e.g., booking confirmations) in our internal records as described above.

You may request early deletion of your data, subject to legal and operational requirements as described in Section 8.

8. Your Rights Over Your Data

Under applicable data protection laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you or your child.
• Right to Correction: You may request correction of any inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated personal information.
• Right to Deletion: You may request deletion of your personal data, subject to certain exceptions — such as data we are legally required to retain (financial records, waiver forms, or data relevant to pending disputes/claims).
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on your consent (e.g., for photographs, videos, marketing communications, or testimonials), you may withdraw consent at any time by notifying us in writing or via WhatsApp. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
• Right to Data Portability: You may request your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: You may object to certain processing of your data, particularly direct marketing communications.
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Board of India or other relevant regulatory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 12 below. We will respond to your request within 30 days or such other period as may be prescribed by applicable law. We may verify your identity before processing your request for security purposes.

9. Security of Your Information

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Secure, password-protected access to digital records
• Restricted access to personal information — only authorized staff can access student data
• Physical security of paper records (locked storage)
• Use of encrypted connections (HTTPS/SSL) for our website
• Regular review and updating of our security practices

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. You are also responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials (if any) and for restricting access to your device.

10. Children’s Privacy

Om’s Academy welcomes students of all ages, including children as young as 5 years. We take special care when handling the personal information of minors:

• We collect personal information of children only with the express consent of a parent or legal guardian, provided at the time of enrollment or through the enquiry/registration form.
• Parents or guardians have full rights to access, review, request correction of, or request deletion of their child’s personal information at any time.
• Emergency contact and medical information for minors is treated with the highest level of confidentiality and shared only with authorized staff who directly interact with the child during training.
• We do not use children’s personal information for any purpose beyond what is necessary for enrollment, safety, training, and communication with parents/guardians.
• Photographs and videos of minor students are taken and used only with prior written consent from the parent or guardian.
• We do not knowingly direct any part of our website to children under 13 for the purpose of collecting personal information without parental consent, beyond what is necessary for our training programs.

11. Embedded Content from Other Websites

Our website may include embedded content from external sources (e.g., Google Maps for location display, YouTube videos, social media embeds, or WhatsApp chat widget). When you interact with embedded content, the following applies:

• Embedded content behaves as if you have visited the third-party website directly.
• These third-party websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional tracking technologies, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content — including tracking if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
• We do not control the data practices of these third-party websites and encourage you to review their respective privacy policies before interacting with embedded content.

12. Limitation of Liability

While we take reasonable steps to protect your personal information, we shall not be held liable for any unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction of data resulting from:

• Actions beyond our reasonable control (e.g., force majeure, natural disasters, acts of government)
• Security breaches of third-party service providers despite our due diligence in selecting them
• Any intentional or negligent action by you that compromises the security of your own data (e.g., sharing passwords, falling victim to phishing)
• Technical failures, software bugs, or vulnerabilities that could not have been reasonably anticipated or prevented

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable laws, or operational requirements. When we make material changes:

• We will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page.
• We may notify you through a prominent notice on our website, via WhatsApp, or by email (if you have provided one).

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our website and services after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact us:

For matters specifically related to data protection, you may also reach out to us via our official email. We will make genuine efforts to address your concerns promptly and in accordance with applicable law.