This Privacy Policy explains how the TNPSC Examination Management System (“TNPSC EMS”, “the App”, “we”, “us”) collects, uses, stores, and protects information when it is used by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (“TNPSC”) and its authorised personnel — including Department Officials, District Collectorate staff, District Treasury and Sub-Treasury staff, Mobile Team staff, Venue (School/College) staff, Chief Invigilators, Invigilators, Scribes, and Escort staff — to plan, conduct, and secure TNPSC examinations. TNPSC EMS is built and maintained on TNPSC’s behalf by Smashwing Technologies Private Limited.

This policy applies to the TNPSC EMS website and to the TNPSC EMS Android application distributed via Google Play, both of which use the same underlying service.

1. Who can use TNPSC EMS

TNPSC EMS is an internal, role-restricted government platform. It is not intended for the general public and is not directed at children. Access is granted only to individuals authorised by TNPSC or by an affiliated District/Treasury/Venue office for the purpose of examination administration.

2. Information we collect

We collect the following categories of information as part of operating the App:

• Account and identity information — name, role/designation, official contact details (email address and phone number), assigned district, treasury, center, or venue, and login credentials. Passwords are stored using one-way cryptographic hashing and are never visible to us in plain text.
• Examination operations data — candidate rosters, hall/seat allocations, attendance records, question-paper and answer-sheet trunk-box and OTL (One Time Lock) tracking codes, checklists, consolidated certificates, and related exam-day logs, entered by authorised staff in the course of their duties.
• Camera / QR & barcode scans — the App uses your device’s camera, with your permission, to scan QR codes and barcodes on exam material packets, trunk boxes, and OTL seals. This is used solely to verify and log the chain of custody of examination material; we do not capture or store photographs or video beyond the scanned code itself.
• Location information — for roles involved in transporting examination material (e.g. Mobile Team / chartered vehicle staff), the App may collect GPS location to log vehicle routes and confirm material hand-over points. Location is collected only while performing this specific duty, with device permission.
• Device and technical information — IP address, browser/user-agent string, and a device fingerprint used to detect session tampering and protect account security. This information is recorded automatically for every authenticated action as part of our security audit log.
• Usage and audit logs — a record of key actions taken within the App (e.g. record created/updated, exam rescheduled, material scanned) together with the timestamp, IP address, and user-agent of the person performing the action, kept for accountability and audit purposes.
• Cookies and local storage — strictly necessary session and CSRF-protection cookies used to keep you signed in securely. We do not use advertising or third-party tracking cookies.

3. How we use this information

• To authenticate users and control access according to their assigned role.
• To plan and administer TNPSC examinations, including candidate/hall allocation, attendance, and material logistics.
• To maintain the security and chain-of-custody of confidential examination material (question papers, answer sheets, OTL seals) from printing/dispatch through to the examination venue.
• To send operational notifications and real-time alerts (e.g. emergency alerts, adequacy checks) to relevant staff.
• To detect, investigate, and prevent unauthorised access, fraud, or tampering with examination data.
• To maintain audit trails required for administrative accountability and, where applicable, statutory record-keeping.

4. Legal basis for processing

We process personal information because it is necessary for TNPSC to perform its public function of conducting government examinations, and, where device permissions such as camera or location access are requested, on the basis of the consent you give through your device at the time of use. You may withdraw that consent at any time through your device settings, though doing so may prevent you from using the corresponding feature (e.g. material scanning).

5. Who we share information with

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. Information within TNPSC EMS is shared only:

• Internally, with TNPSC officials and other authorised personnel (e.g. district, treasury, venue, or Chief Invigilator staff) whose role requires it, subject to role-based access control.
• With Smashwing Technologies Private Limited, acting as the technical operator and maintainer of the platform, solely to provide, host, and support the service.
• With government or law-enforcement authorities where disclosure is required by law, or is necessary to investigate examination malpractice or a security incident.

6. Data security

We use industry-standard safeguards to protect information, including encrypted transmission (HTTPS/TLS), hashed password storage, role-based access control, session security measures (including device-fingerprint based tampering detection), and detailed audit logging. While we take reasonable measures to protect information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data retention

We retain examination and personnel data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy and to comply with TNPSC’s statutory record-retention requirements for government examination records. Audit logs are retained for security and accountability purposes for a reasonable period after the related examination cycle concludes.

8. Your rights

If you are a staff member or official with an account on TNPSC EMS, you may request access to, or correction of, your personal information held in the App by contacting your reporting TNPSC office, or by writing to the Grievance Officer using the details in Section 11 below.

9. Children’s privacy

TNPSC EMS is intended solely for use by adult TNPSC staff and authorised officials in the course of their duties. It is not directed at, and we do not knowingly collect information from, children.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the App or in applicable law. The “Effective date” at the top of this page indicates when it was last revised. Continued use of TNPSC EMS after a revision constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Grievance Officer & Contact

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made thereunder, questions, concerns, or grievances regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information may be directed to:

Note: the details above must be completed with TNPSC’s designated grievance contact before this page is treated as final/published.