Software

ADDA.io becomes India’s first housing society management platform to receive DPDP certification

ADDA.io has become India’s first housing society management software platform to receive formal certification under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, validating its alignment with India’s evolving data protection framework.

As the DPDP Act moves into phased enforcement, its practical application across sectors —including housing societies — continues to mature. Against this backdrop, ADDA states that its certification process was not approached as a checklist exercise, but as an opportunity to establish a stronger benchmark for how DPDP compliance should be evaluated in the residential community ecosystem.

The certification, completed in January 2026, reviewed ADDA’s technical safeguards, organisational controls, consent architecture, audit mechanisms, purpose limitation practices and also its underlying business model; examining whether the company’s underlying revenue structure creates any commercial incentive to use resident data beyond lawful and legitimate housing society purposes.

The DPDP Act formally recognises RWAs and Management Committees as Data Fiduciaries, placing legal responsibility for resident data on these elected office bearers, who serve in a voluntary capacity.

“For us, DPDP compliance had to go beyond policies and technical standards and align our business models in line with the Act,” said, San Banerjee, Co-Founder and CEO of ADDA.io. “We made sure that we consciously reinforce our subscription-only, zero-ads position as part of this alignment”.

She added, “ADDA does not have any revenue being made from advertising or data monetisation. This means there is no incentive to use our user’s personal data outside core housing society operations. Which in turn means, Management Committees get complete peace of mind, that there is no risk of user (resident) personal data misuse. This remains a looming risk, when management committees opt for products or services whose revenue (through advertisements or otherwise) depends on use of resident’s personal data”.

According to Sandeep Gupta, Senior AVP – Business Development at ADDA.io, certification frameworks in the sector are likely to evolve further as enforcement matures.

“As RWAs/Apartment MCs become more aware of their fiduciary responsibilities, DPDP Act certification will increasingly be viewed as a safeguard,” he said. “In our view, meaningful DPDP certification in the housing society space should validate three elements, 1. Technical safeguards, 2. Internal governance processes, and 3. A check of the business model of the technology provider, that it does not rely on use of resident’s personal data for generating revenue. Only this combination provides a holistic alignment with the DPDP Act.”

Over the past several months, ADDA has conducted DPDP awareness workshops attended by more than 500 housing societies across India, reflecting growing demand among RWAs for clarity on their responsibilities under the Act.

“With DPDP, India has taken a landmark step in recognising digital personal data as a precious asset,” Banerjee added. “While RWAs and management committee members should make a shift toward accountable data stewardship, technology providers too must align structurally with that responsibility.”