1. Preamble & Applicability

These Statutory Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and utilization of the website, mobile applications, API gateways, Charcha consensus chambers, Priority Matrix recommendation systems, and digital communication tools provided by RashtraLink Technologies Private Limited ("RashtraLink", "Platform", "We", "Us"). By registering, accessing, or interacting with RashtraLink, you ("Citizen", "User", "Data Principal") enter into a legally binding electronic covenant under the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and the Information Technology Act, 2000.

2. Intermediary Classification & Section 79 Safe Harbor

RashtraLink functions strictly as an "Intermediary" as defined under Section 2(1)(w) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. RashtraLink does not initiate transmission of citizen posts, does not select the receiver of transmissions, and does not alter user submissions without statutory due diligence.

Accordingly, RashtraLink claims full statutory safe harbor immunity from third-party liability under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, subject to strict observance of due diligence standards mandated under Rule 3 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

3. Citizen Ownership of Content & Intellectual Property

Unlike foreign social media platforms that claim ownership or exploit user submissions for offshore commercial monetization, RashtraLink upholds absolute creator sovereignty:

4. Prohibited Citizen Activities & Rule 3(1)(b) Compliance

In compliance with Rule 3(1)(b) of the IT Rules 2021, citizens agree not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update, or share any information that:

• Belongs to another person and to which the user does not have any legal entitlement;
• Is defamatory, obscene, pornographic, pedophilic, invasive of another's privacy, including bodily privacy, insulting or harassing on the basis of gender, racially or ethnically objectionable;
• Is harmful to child welfare or minors in any manner whatsoever;
• Infringes any patent, trademark, copyright, or other proprietary rights;
• Deceives or misleads the addressee about the origin of the message or communicates any misinformation, disinformation, or patently false or misleading statement;
• Impersonates another person or entity;
• Threatens the unity, integrity, defense, security or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with foreign States, or public order;
• Contains software virus or any computer code designed to interrupt, destroy, or limit the functionality of any computer resource.

5. Sovereign Algorithmic Governance & Priority Matrix

RashtraLink is architected upon principles of deterministic, transparent algorithmic distribution. Our feed ranking algorithms are governed directly by user-controlled sliders (Priority Matrix) rather than covert dopamine-maximizing neural networks designed to induce behavioral addiction. Citizens have the perpetual right to audit their priority levers and re-order feeds chronologically without algorithmic penalty.

6. Charcha Arena Protocol & Evidence Standards

The Charcha Arena (चर्चा अखाड़ा) operates as a peer-reviewed consensus forum. Claims categorized as empirical "Fact" must be supported by verifiable citations. Coordinated downvoting, bot brigading, doxxing, and targeted ad hominem insults will result in immediate debate strikes. Consensus arbitration is computed transparently based on citation weight and multi-perspective consensus.

7. Statutory Grievance Redressal & Appeals (Rule 3(2))

8. Data Rights, Account Termination & Erasure

In alignment with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, every citizen holds the unconditional right to terminate their account and demand the immutable, cryptographic erasure of all personal data, telemetry, and connection graphs within 72 hours of verification.

9. Governing Law & Exclusive Jurisdiction

These Terms of Service and any contractual or statutory disputes arising out of or in connection with the Platform shall be governed solely by the substantive laws of the Republic of India. The competent courts situated exclusively in Kolkata, West Bengal, India shall have sole jurisdiction over any dispute, suit, or legal proceeding arising hereunder.

1. Statutory Framework & Jurisdiction

RashtraLink operates in strict compliance with 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. RashtraLink is incorporated and headquartered within the Republic of India and recognizes the Data Protection Board of India as its statutory oversight authority.

2. Sovereign On-Soil Data Residency (Section 16)

In full alignment with national data sovereignty mandates, 100% of all user profile data, social connection graphs, algorithm lever preferences, uploaded media, and Charcha debate arguments are hosted exclusively on Tier-4 cloud data infrastructure physically situated within the sovereign boundaries of India (Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Chennai). We maintain a strict policy of zero cross-border transmission of citizen personal data to foreign jurisdictions.

3. Data Principal Rights Under Indian Law

As a Data Principal under Sections 11, 12, and 13 of the DPDP Act 2023, every registered user is entitled to:

• Right to Summary & Access: Request a complete machine-readable copy of all personal data held by RashtraLink.
• Right to Correction & Erasure: Rectify inaccurate personal details or execute permanent, immutable account and data deletion within 72 hours of request.
• Right of Grievance Redressal: Direct statutory recourse through our designated Grievance Officer and the Data Protection Board of India.
• Right to Nominate: Nominate an individual to exercise data rights in the event of incapacity.

4. Prohibition of Deceptive Patterns & Behavioral Surveillance

RashtraLink categorically rejects deceptive design patterns ("dark patterns"). We do not employ pre-selected checkboxes, covert behavioral tracking pixels, or third-party advertising cookies that follow citizens across the internet. Feed ranking is determined by user-configured levers rather than covert dopamine-maximizing recommendation scripts.

5. Data Protection Officer (DPO) Contact