Website Compliance & Security in India: What Your Business Website Should Follow

Website Compliance & Security in India: What Your Business Website Should Follow

Important: This article provides general information, not legal advice. Businesses should obtain professional legal, tax or compliance advice for requirements specific to their industry and operations.

A professional website is more than a homepage, contact form and a payment button.

When a website collects customer information, accepts payments, creates accounts or sells products, the business also needs to think about privacy, security, consumer protection and legal compliance.

The exact requirements depend on what the website does. A company website and an e-commerce platform do not have the same obligations.

1. Protect Customer Data

If your website collects information such as:

• Name

• Email

• Phone number

• Address

• Account details

you should clearly explain why the data is collected and how it is used.

India's Digital Personal Data Protection framework is important for businesses processing digital personal data, with the DPDP Rules, 2025 notified by MeitY in November 2025.

Website should have

Privacy Policy
Explain what information is collected, why it is collected, how it is used and relevant third-party processing.

Secure forms
Do not expose customer information in URLs or frontend code.

Data access control
Only authorized people should access customer data.

Data deletion/retention process
Keep information only as required for the business and applicable obligations.

2. Use HTTPS and Secure Your Website

Every production website should use HTTPS.

More importantly, security should cover the whole application:

• HTTPS / SSL

• Secure passwords with proper hashing

• Authentication and authorization

• Server-side validation

• Protected APIs

• Secure database access

• Environment variables for secrets

• Regular dependency updates

• Backups

• Error logging and monitoring

• Rate limiting for sensitive endpoints

Never store:

API keys
Database passwords
Payment secrets
Private tokens

inside frontend JavaScript.

Your users do not need your secrets. Humanity has suffered enough from leaked .env files.

3. Add the Right Website Policies

Depending on the website, consider:

Privacy Policy

For websites processing personal information.

Terms & Conditions

Defines how the website or service can be used.

Refund & Cancellation Policy

Important for paid services and online purchases.

Shipping & Return Policy

Important for e-commerce.

These policies should describe the actual business process. Copying another company's policy and changing the logo is not compliance.

4. E-Commerce Websites Have Extra Responsibilities

If you sell products or services online, additional consumer and e-commerce requirements can apply.

The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 apply to goods and services bought or sold through digital networks, including different e-commerce models.

Your website should clearly communicate things such as:

1. Product/service information

2. Price and applicable charges

3. Delivery information

4. Cancellation rules

5. Return/refund conditions

6. Warranty information where applicable

7. Customer support / grievance information

Your website should not make the customer solve a puzzle just to discover how to get their money back.

5. Payment Security

When using Razorpay, Cashfree, PhonePe, Stripe or another payment provider:

Do not trust the browser alone to confirm a payment.

A safer flow is:

Customer
   ↓
Website
   ↓
Payment Gateway
   ↓
Server Verification / Webhook
   ↓
Order Confirmed

The backend should verify payment status before marking an order as successfully paid.

Avoid unnecessarily storing sensitive payment information on your own servers.

6. Follow India's IT Framework

The Information Technology Act, 2000 provides an important legal framework for electronic transactions, electronic records and various areas of digital activity.

Additional requirements can apply depending on what your platform does, particularly when it involves accounts, user-generated content, uploads, communities or other platform functionality.

A simple business website should not blindly assume that every IT-related rule applies to it.

7. Don't Use Deceptive Website Design

Your website should be clear and honest.

Avoid things like:

❌ Fake countdown timers
❌ Hidden charges
❌ Misleading discounts
❌ Pre-selected unwanted options
❌ Difficult cancellation processes
❌ Misleading advertising

The Department of Consumer Affairs also maintains guidelines concerning misleading advertisements and dark patterns.

Good UX should help the customer make a decision, not trap them into one.

8. Basic Production Website Checklist

Before launching a website, check:

Legal

☐ Privacy Policy
☐ Terms & Conditions
☐ Refund/Cancellation Policy where applicable
☐ Shipping/Return Policy for e-commerce
☐ Correct business information

Security

☐ HTTPS enabled
☐ Secure authentication
☐ Password hashing
☐ Protected APIs
☐ Database access restricted
☐ Secrets stored securely
☐ Backups configured
☐ Dependencies updated
☐ Monitoring and error handling

E-Commerce

☐ Correct pricing
☐ Product information
☐ Payment verification
☐ Order management
☐ Refund workflow
☐ Shipping information
☐ Customer support

Build More Than a Website

A production website should be:

Fast + Secure + Responsive + Accessible + Maintainable + Privacy-Aware

At D.K Enterprise, we build websites and web applications with business requirements, security and scalability in mind.

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