DPDP Compliance Advisory at a glance
DPDP compliance means checking how your business collects, stores, uses, shares and deletes digital personal data. We help you map data flows, update notices and consent language, prepare request-handling and breach-response steps, and keep documentation ready for review. It is useful for websites, apps, employers, schools, clinics, agencies and any business collecting personal data online.
What is DPDP compliance?
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 applies to digital personal data processed in India and, in some cases, data processed outside India in connection with goods or services offered in India. DPDP compliance is not a single form. It is a set of documents, notices and internal steps that show how personal data is collected, used, retained, shared and deleted.
For most small and growing businesses, the first job is simple: identify what data is collected, why it is collected, who can access it, where it is stored, which vendors receive it and how a person can ask questions or withdraw consent where applicable.
Who needs DPDP compliance support?
Businesses collecting name, phone, email, location, requirement details or documents through enquiry forms.
Platforms that create accounts, track usage, process payments or share user data with vendors.
Companies handling employee KYC, salary records, attendance data, appraisal records or exit documents.
Organisations handling student, patient, donor, volunteer or beneficiary data.
Teams that receive client data, run campaigns, process leads or work as vendors for another business.
Key benefits
Data mapping helps you find the forms, sheets, apps and vendors where personal data is actually sitting.
Your website, app or form should tell people what data is collected and why, in simple words.
A named contact, response process and record trail reduce confusion when a user raises a request.
Basic clauses and SOPs help staff and vendors understand what they can and cannot do with personal data.
A checklist helps your team act faster if data is sent to the wrong person, lost, accessed or exposed.
Expected Government Fees / Statutory Fee
At this stage, DPDP compliance advisory is mainly a documentation and process-readiness exercise. A separate government or statutory fee is not expected for preparing privacy notices, consent language, SOPs or internal checklists.
Government fee is shown as ₹0 / Nil unless a specific statutory filing, authority fee or notification requirement applies to your case. Professional fee is separate and depends on data flows, number of documents, review meetings and implementation support.
Eligibility and prerequisites
DPDP review is useful when your organisation processes digital personal data. Start with one honest question: can you list where customer, employee or website visitor data is collected and who can access it?
- Do your forms collect name, phone number, email, address, KYC or identity details?
- Can a customer or employee ask how their personal data is used?
- Do vendors or staff access personal data outside your core team?
- Do you have a written process for deletion, correction, complaint or breach response?
- You collect personal data through a website, app, CRM, form, WhatsApp, email or physical form later digitised.
- You share personal data with vendors, SaaS tools, payment gateways, call centres, marketing agencies or consultants.
- You store employee, customer, student, patient, donor or vendor records in digital form.
- You need a privacy notice, consent wording, data request process or breach-response checklist.
DPDP compliance may apply where digital personal data is processed in India, or outside India in connection with offering goods or services to people in India. Website leads, employee records, online customer records and app user data usually need a first-level review.
Some records may be outside scope depending on how they are held, used or exempted. The position should be checked from current law, rules and facts. We do not assume applicability without looking at the actual data flow.
Documents required
Website / App
| Document | Notes | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Website or app URL | Include all forms, landing pages, checkout pages and login/account pages | Yes |
| Existing privacy policy, terms and consent text | Share current website policy links or drafts | Conditional |
Data Collection
| Document | Notes | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Lead forms and customer data fields | Fields collected through website, forms, CRM, WhatsApp or offline forms | Yes |
| Purpose and use of collected data | For example calls, billing, onboarding, marketing, service delivery or compliance | Yes |
Employee Data
| Document | Notes | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Employee data forms and HR records list | KYC, salary, attendance, appraisal, exit and emergency-contact records | Conditional |
Vendors
| Document | Notes | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor and SaaS list | CRM, payment gateway, cloud storage, email tools, agencies and outsourced teams | Yes |
Internal Process
| Document | Notes | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Data storage and access details | Who can access data, where it is stored and whether access is reviewed | Yes |
| Grievance/contact details | Name, email and role of the person handling data requests or complaints | Yes |
Share only the documents needed for review. Mask sample personal data where full data is not required. We prefer process documents, blank forms and sample formats instead of large raw customer files.
Step-by-step process
We understand your business, website/app flow, employee records, vendors and data collection points.
We list what personal data is collected, where it goes, who uses it and how long it is retained.
We compare the current notice, consent text, vendor clauses and internal process with DPDP readiness needs.
We prepare or update privacy notice, consent wording, request-handling note, retention/deletion SOP and vendor clauses.
We explain the documents to the owner or team so the process can be followed after handover.
You receive the final documents, implementation checklist and points that should be reviewed when rules or business processes change.
If the review finds missing facts, conflicting data use or vendor uncertainty, we mark those points before final drafting. This avoids neat-looking policies that do not match the real business process.
Timeline and deliverables
Timeline depends on number of forms, departments, vendors, data categories and review rounds. A website with one enquiry form is usually faster than an app, SaaS product or multi-branch business with HR, customer and vendor data.
Compliance after DPDP documentation
DPDP documents should not sit unused after drafting. Someone in the business must keep forms, vendor access, privacy notices and data request records updated. Review the documents when you add a new tool, launch an app, change your website forms, start marketing automation or begin sharing data with a new vendor.
- Keep a list of forms, tools and vendors that collect or receive personal data.
- Review privacy notice and consent language when website or app forms change.
- Record data principal requests, complaints and action taken.
- Train staff not to share personal data casually through open sheets or personal email.
- Review vendor access and delete old data where retention is no longer needed.
There is no separate certificate under this service. The real work is to keep records and processes ready: data inventory, notices, consent text, request handling, vendor clauses and breach steps.
DPDP documents should be reviewed at least annually, and sooner if rules change, a new product launches, a major vendor is added, or personal data use changes.
Special situations and examples
If data is processed outside India or by a foreign vendor for Indian users, the arrangement should be reviewed carefully. Cross-border data flows and vendor contracts need fact-specific checking.
DPDP review focuses on data flow, not only office address. Still, the business should know where data is stored, who controls access and which team or person responds to data requests.
DPDP compliance vs privacy policy vs cybersecurity audit vs IT policy
These are connected, but they are not the same job. A business may need more than one depending on its data handling and risk.
| Comparison point | DPDP Compliance | Privacy Policy | Cybersecurity Audit | IT Policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Checks data collection, notice, consent, requests, retention and breach process | Public-facing notice for users | Tests technical security controls and vulnerabilities | Internal rules for devices, access, passwords and systems |
| Output | Gap note, notices, SOPs, clauses and checklist | Website/app policy text | Technical report and risk findings | Staff policy and operating rules |
| Who uses it | Owner, compliance team, HR, support and vendors | Website visitors and customers | IT/security team and management | Employees and contractors |
| Can it stand alone | Needs real implementation and periodic review | Not enough by itself for DPDP readiness | Does not replace privacy notice or consent review | Does not replace legal/data protection documents |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating DPDP as a certificate or filing job when the requirement is compliance readiness and documentation.
- Copying a privacy policy from another website without checking your own data flows.
- Collecting more data than needed in lead forms, HR forms or customer onboarding.
- Not naming a person or email for data requests and complaints.
- Sharing customer or employee data with vendors without basic data-use clauses.
- Keeping old personal data forever because no deletion or retention process exists.
- Ignoring employee data while focusing only on customer data.
Common rejection or resubmission reasons
- The privacy notice does not match the actual form fields being collected.
- Consent wording is vague or hidden inside unrelated terms.
- No internal owner is assigned for data principal requests.
- Vendor access is unknown or undocumented.
DPDP non-compliance can create legal, operational and reputation risk. Exact consequences depend on the facts, applicable rules and authority action. Do not treat a generic privacy policy as a full compliance file.
Sunny G And Co. works with the information already used in your business: website forms, enquiry sheets, CRM fields, employee records, vendor agreements, payment records and email or WhatsApp workflows. We then prepare a DPDP gap note and the documents needed for your present data handling process.
This is an advisory and documentation service. It does not replace a cybersecurity audit, IT security testing or a legal opinion for disputed facts. If your business handles sensitive cases, children data, large data volumes or cross-border data sharing, we may suggest a deeper review before finalising the documents.
Frequently asked questions
DPDP compliance means checking how your business processes digital personal data and preparing the notices, consent language, request process, vendor clauses, retention steps and breach-response records needed for that data use. It is not a one-time form. It should match your real website, HR, customer and vendor workflows.
Any business or organisation that collects or uses digital personal data should check DPDP readiness. This includes websites, apps, SaaS platforms, e-commerce sellers, schools, clinics, employers, agencies, NGOs and consultants handling customer, employee, student, donor or vendor data.
A small business should not ignore DPDP only because it is small. If it collects digital personal data, it should at least review its data collection, privacy notice, consent wording, vendor sharing and request-handling process. The depth of work depends on the facts and current rules.
Yes, a lead form can collect personal data such as name, phone number, email, location and requirement details. The website should explain why the data is collected, how it may be used, who to contact and how the person can raise a request or complaint where applicable.
Share the website or app URL, enquiry forms, CRM fields, employee forms, privacy policy, terms, consent text, vendor list, data storage details and grievance contact details. For many businesses, blank forms and process samples are enough for the first review.
A data fiduciary is the person or organisation that decides the purpose and means of processing personal data. In simple terms, if your business decides why customer or employee data is collected and how it is used, your role may need review as a data fiduciary.
A data principal is the individual to whom the personal data relates. A customer, employee, student, patient, website visitor or app user can be a data principal if your business processes their personal data.
No. A privacy policy is only one part. DPDP readiness may also need data mapping, consent wording, withdrawal process, request handling, grievance contact, retention/deletion SOP, vendor clauses, breach response steps and staff guidance.
Consent should be linked to a clear purpose and should be given through a clear affirmative action where consent is the basis for processing. The wording should be easy to understand. A business should also know how withdrawal or correction requests will be handled.
First identify what happened, what data was affected, who can access it and whether the exposure is still continuing. Keep a written incident record, inform the responsible person, take containment steps and review the latest legal reporting requirement before sending any notice.
Employee data can fall within DPDP review when it is processed digitally. HR forms, KYC, bank details, salary records, attendance, appraisals and exit documents should be checked for purpose, access, retention and sharing.
Yes, customer data collected through websites, apps, landing pages, payment pages, support forms, CRM tools or WhatsApp follow-ups should be reviewed. The exact steps depend on what data is collected and how it is used.
For advisory, privacy notice drafting, data mapping and internal documentation, the expected government fee is currently shown as ₹0 / Nil unless a specific statutory fee applies to your case. Professional fee is separate and depends on scope.
Basic documentation for a simple website or lead collection process may take 3-7 working days after complete inputs. Apps, SaaS platforms, HR-heavy businesses or vendor-heavy workflows may take longer because data flows need more review.
We focus on usable documents, not decorative policy text. The review checks your forms, data flow, vendors, HR/customer records and response process, then gives you documents and next steps your team can actually follow.