Terms of Service & Regulatory Disclaimers

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using MaskDoc (https://maskdoc.in), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please refrain from using the utility. MaskDoc is provided as a client-side document redaction and watermarking tool operating exclusively inside user browser memory.

2. Independent Service & Non-Affiliation Disclaimer

3. Lawful & Permitted Purpose

MaskDoc is designed to facilitate lawful offline identity verification pursuant to:

• UIDAI Circular No. 10 of 2018, Aadhaar Offline Verification Regulations 2021, and Sections 4(3) & 8A of the Aadhaar Act (as amended): Authorizing and encouraging citizens to use Masked Aadhaar (displaying only the last 4 digits) for offline identity verification and strictly prohibiting unauthorized entities from storing full 12-digit numbers.
• RBI Master Direction on Know Your Customer (KYC) (Section 16): Requiring regulated entities to ensure that the first 8 digits of Aadhaar are redacted on physical copies collected for offline verification.
• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act): Advancing citizen data minimization (Section 6) and purpose limitation by stamping restrictions like "FOR RENTAL AGREEMENT ONLY — [DATE]".
• Income Tax Rule 114B & PMLA: Purpose watermarking on PAN photocopies protects against identity theft and loan fraud; however, users acknowledge that statutory financial transactions (such as opening bank accounts or transactions > ₹50,000) legally require banks to inspect the full legible PAN under Rule 114B.

4. User Obligations & Statutory Prohibitions (Anti-Forgery & Passports Act)

When utilizing MaskDoc, you warrant, represent, and agree that:

• You are the lawful holder of the document processed, or you possess explicit, documented authority from the document owner.
• Prohibition of Forgery (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 - Sections 336, 338, 340): You will NOT use this utility to fabricate false documents, alter names, swap photographs, tamper with birth dates, falsify identity credentials, commit fraud, or evade lawful government requests. MaskDoc is strictly for legitimate self-redaction of confidential data on genuine documents.
• Integrity of Physical Passports (Passports Act, 1967 - Section 12): You acknowledge that physically defacing, marking, or altering an original government-issued passport booklet is a criminal offense. MaskDoc's redaction and watermarking features must be applied strictly to photocopies or digital image scans shared with visa agents or consulates.
• Rule 3(1)(b) of IT Rules, 2021: You will not upload or process any content that belongs to another person without authorization, impersonates any person, deceives the recipient about the origin of the message, or violates any law for the time being in force.
• You remain solely responsible for verifying whether a masked document meets the specific statutory requirements of the recipient authority.

5. Disclaimer of Warranties & Limitation of Liability

MaskDoc is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied.

Because all document rendering, masking, OCR, and PDF exports are performed entirely on your local hardware via client-side code:

• MaskDoc operates with zero server interaction and maintains no copy of your files. Consequently, MaskDoc has no custody, control, or secondary access to your documents.
• To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, MaskDoc and its creators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of your use of or inability to use the tool, or any third party's refusal to accept a masked document.

6. Statutory Grievance Redressal Mechanism (IT Rules, 2021 & DPDP Act, 2023)

Pursuant to Rule 3(2) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and Section 13 of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you may address any concerns, grievances, or notices to our Grievance Officer:

7. Governing Law & Dispute Jurisdiction

These Terms of Service and any matters relating to the use of MaskDoc shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. Any legal proceedings arising hereunder shall be subject to the jurisdiction of competent courts in India.

General Inquiries: support@maskdoc.in