Privacy Policy

Mehfooz Punjab is a cybersecurity training initiative of the Government of the Punjab. This portal (mehfoozpunjab.pk) is operated on behalf of the programme to provide information about training courses, receive applications, and communicate with applicants and students.

We take the privacy of citizens seriously. This policy explains what personal information we collect through this portal, why we collect it, how it is stored and protected, with whom it may be shared, and the choices available to you. It is written to reflect established principles of responsible data handling in the public sector: collecting only what is needed, using it only for the stated purpose, keeping it secure, and retaining it no longer than necessary.

By using this portal or submitting an application, you acknowledge that your information will be handled as described in this policy.

We collect personal information only where it is necessary to administer the programme. Depending on how you use the portal, this may include:

• Application data — your full name, father's or guardian's name, CNIC or B-Form number, date of birth, gender, district and address, phone number, email address, educational qualifications, and your selected training course.
• Contact form data — your name, email address, and the content of any query or feedback you submit through the contact or feedback forms.
• Limited technical data — basic, largely anonymised information generated when you browse the portal, such as pages visited, approximate region, device type, and browser, used only for security and to improve the service (see the cookies section below).

We do not ask for, and you should never provide through this portal, financial account details, passwords for other services, or any payment. Training under Mehfooz Punjab is free of charge and no fee is collected at any stage.

Your information is used strictly for programme purposes:

• Verifying your identity and eligibility for the programme, including confirmation of residence in Punjab and educational qualifications.
• Conducting merit-based screening, shortlisting, entry assessment, and final selection of candidates.
• Communicating with you about your application status, test schedules, enrolment, classes, and certification.
• Administering training delivery, attendance, lab access accounts, assessments, and the issuance of certificates.
• Producing aggregated, anonymised statistics — for example, applications per district or gender participation rates — to plan capacity and report on programme outcomes.
• Maintaining the security and integrity of the portal, including the prevention of fraudulent or duplicate applications.

We do not use your information for commercial marketing, and we do not sell personal information to any party under any circumstances.

Application records are stored on infrastructure managed for the Government of the Punjab within Pakistan. We apply administrative and technical safeguards proportionate to the sensitivity of the data we hold, including:

• Encryption of data in transit between your browser and the portal (HTTPS/TLS).
• Role-based access controls so that records are visible only to authorised programme staff who need them for their duties.
• Logging and monitoring of administrative access to applicant records.
• Regular backups and tested recovery procedures.
• Security review of the portal consistent with the cybersecurity practices the programme itself teaches.

Personal information is retained only for as long as it is needed to administer the programme and to meet record-keeping obligations that apply to public-sector programmes. Records of unsuccessful applications are retained for a limited period to handle appeals and re-application, after which they are securely deleted or anonymised.

Your personal information is shared only within the Government of the Punjab, and only where necessary to run the programme. This may include:

• The department and programme office responsible for Mehfooz Punjab, for selection, enrolment, and training administration.
• Verification of identity particulars against official records where required to confirm eligibility.
• Partner public-sector training facilities and examination bodies engaged by the programme, strictly for delivering training and certification to enrolled students.
• Disclosure where required by law, by a court of competent jurisdiction, or by a lawful direction of a competent authority.

We do not share personal information with private advertisers, data brokers, or any organisation outside the purposes listed above. Where aggregate programme statistics are published, they are anonymised so that no individual can be identified.

We aim to keep you in control of your own information. You may, at any time:

• Request a copy of the personal information we hold about your application.
• Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete — for example, a misspelt name or outdated contact number.
• Withdraw your application before selection is finalised, in which case your record will be marked withdrawn and removed from active processing.
• Ask how your information has been used, and raise a complaint if you believe it has been handled improperly.

Requests can be made through the contact details in the last section of this policy. We will verify your identity before acting on any request concerning your record, and we will respond within a reasonable time. Note that certain information must be retained where it is part of an official selection record.

This portal keeps the use of cookies to a minimum. We use:

• Essential cookies — strictly necessary for the portal to function, such as keeping your application form session active and protecting forms against misuse. These cannot be switched off through the portal.
• Analytics cookies — used to understand, in aggregate, how the portal is used (for example, which pages are most visited) so we can improve it. Analytics data is anonymised and is not used to build profiles of individual visitors.

We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. You may block or delete cookies through your browser settings; essential portal functions such as the application form may not work correctly if essential cookies are blocked.

Some eligible applicants may be under the age of 18. Where an applicant is a minor, the application should be submitted with the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardian, whose particulars may be recorded as part of the application. We apply the same safeguards to the records of minors as to all other records, and we collect no more information from them than the programme requires.

This policy may be updated from time to time — for example, when the programme expands, when data-protection requirements applicable to public bodies in Pakistan evolve, or when portal features change. The “last updated” date at the top of this page will always show the current version. Significant changes affecting applicants will additionally be announced on the portal.

Continued use of the portal after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

If you have a question about this policy, wish to exercise any of the rights described above, or believe your information has been mishandled, please contact the programme's privacy desk. Include your full name and, if your query concerns an application, your application reference number.