Privacy Policy

Last updated: 15 July 2026

Sambhaal Canada delivers group wellness programming for adults 50+ — usually hosted with community organizations — and runs the free Sambhaal circle on WhatsApp. This policy explains, in plain language, what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. We follow Canada's federal privacy law (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial rules.

1. Who this applies to

This policy covers program and workshop participants, Sambhaal circle members, any family member who messages us on someone's behalf, and partner-organization contacts we work with. Where we say "you," we mean whichever of you is interacting with us.

2. Information we collect

• Contact details — your name, phone number, city, and preferred language.
• Health & fitness information (program participants) — your pre-exercise health questionnaire, conditions you tell us about, any doctor's go-ahead, and your fitness measures over time (such as grip strength, sit-to-stand, balance, and similar "scorecard" results). This is the most sensitive information we hold and we treat it accordingly.
• Participation — which classes, workshops, and get-togethers you attend, and what you post in circle groups you join.
• Photos and videos — only if you've given media consent, which you can withdraw anytime.
• Messages you send us directly — what you write or say to our number one-to-one.
• Partner contacts — business contact details of the organizations we work with.

We collect only what we need to run safe, useful programs, and we rely on your consent to do so. We never ask for, and you should never send us, OTPs, banking passwords, or card PINs.

3. Groups are shared spaces

Sambhaal runs on WhatsApp groups. When you join a group, your name, phone number, profile photo, and anything you post are visible to the other members of that group — that's how WhatsApp works. Please treat the groups as a shared living room: warm, but not private. Our community guidelines (in the Terms) ask every member to respect each other's privacy and never share numbers, photos, or messages outside the group. If we ever want to use your name, photo, or story publicly, we'll ask for your consent first.

4. How we use your information

• To run your program safely — screening, scaling exercises to your health, and tracking your progress. Your scorecard belongs to you.
• To run the circle and send its updates — the weekly what's-on digest, class reminders, health tips, scam alerts.
• To understand how programs are doing (attendance, outcomes) and improve them.
• To tell you about Sambhaal's own paid programs — only if you've expressly consented to that (a separate checkbox at sign-up, per Canada's anti-spam law). You can withdraw this consent anytime, and it never affects your place in a free program or the circle.

Messages are read and handled by real people, not bots.

5. Programs run with community organizations

Most of our programs are hosted with a community organization at their venue. If you join such a program, we share your attendance (and, where their registration requires it, your registration details) with that host so they can run it well — we'll tell you at the time. Where programs are supported by grants, reporting to hosts and funders uses aggregated results that do not identify you (for example, "40 participants; average balance improved 8 seconds"). Your individual health questionnaire and scorecard are never shared with hosts or funders in identifiable form.

6. Who we share information with

We do not sell your information. Beyond the host organizations described above, we share it only as needed to run the community:

• WhatsApp / Meta — to send and receive messages; the community runs on WhatsApp.
• Our hosting and website providers — to run our systems securely.

We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the safety of a person.

7. WhatsApp

We communicate with you through WhatsApp, operated by Meta. Your use of WhatsApp — including in groups — is also governed by WhatsApp's own privacy policy and terms. Once a message reaches us, we handle it under this policy.

8. How long we keep information

We keep your information for as long as you're part of Sambhaal and for a reasonable period afterwards to meet legal and operational needs. You can leave at any time, and you can ask us to delete your information at any time. (What other members have seen in a group — like a message you posted — stays on their phones, as with any WhatsApp group.)

9. How we protect information

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures, including access controls and encryption in transit (WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted). No service can promise perfect security, but we work to keep your data safe and limit who can access it.

10. Where your information is processed

Some of our providers operate outside Canada, so your information may be processed in other countries. Where that happens, we take steps to keep it protected, and it may be accessible to authorities in those countries as their laws allow.

11. Your rights

Under Canadian privacy law you can ask to access or correct your information, and withdraw your consent (which may mean we can no longer include you in the community). Contact us using the details below and we'll respond within a reasonable time. If you're not satisfied, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

12. Children

Sambhaal is intended for adults. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect information from children.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the community grows. When we make material changes, we'll update the date above and, where appropriate, let you know on WhatsApp.

14. Contact us