Identity Verification

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Verification on Rangmel is optional. Every part of this app works without it. This page explains what it is, what happens to your document, and why we made it optional.

Why optional. On most platforms, mandatory ID is sold as a safety feature. For queer and trans people in India it is also a risk: a document that names you, a gender marker that may not match who you are, and a file that exists somewhere you do not control. We decided a badge you can choose is better than a database you cannot leave.

What we accept

Passport, driving licence, voter ID or PAN.

We do not accept Aadhaar, and the form refuses a number that looks like one. A private company has no lawful basis to collect it for this purpose, and the harm to you if it leaked would be permanent.

What happens to the document

The number is not stored. We keep the last four characters and a one-way keyed hash, used only to stop one document being used on two accounts.
The image is encrypted at rest with AES-GCM and stored outside the web root. It is never served by a URL.
A reviewer sees it only through an audited route, and every view is logged against their account.
It is never shown on your profile and never visible to another member.
It is deleted after the retention period (30 days after approval by default), and after 180 days if the check was rejected or abandoned.

The live selfie

If you go for a badge, you are asked for a short live capture: three frames, about a second apart, while the camera is open. There is no file picker on that screen, so a saved photograph cannot be submitted. You are also asked to hold a six-digit code we generate, which a stolen picture cannot show.

The frames are compared for movement and scored. The score is a filter, not a verdict — a person compares the capture against the document and your profile photographs, and a person decides.

The capture is encrypted and stored like the document, and deleted on the same schedule.

What the badge means

That a member of our team looked at a government document that appeared genuine, matched the name and date of birth given, showed an adult, and appeared to be the same person as the live capture and the profile photographs.

What it does not mean. It is not a background check, a criminal record check, a character reference or any prediction of behaviour. A verified account can still behave badly, and an unverified one is not suspicious. Read the Safety Guide and use your judgement either way.

If your document does not match who you are

Many trans members hold documents with an old name or gender marker. That does not stop you getting verified. We are matching a face and an age, not policing a gender marker, and a mismatch between your document and your profile is never on its own a reason to reject a check or to question your identity. Reviewers are instructed accordingly. If a reviewer gets it wrong, tell the grievance officer and it will be looked at again.

If a check is rejected

You are told why, and you can submit again. Common reasons are glare, a cropped edge, a screen photographed instead of the document, or a face that is not clear enough to compare.