Privacy Policy

1. Scope

This policy applies to Probe, the identity search service operated by Maldives Immigration for authorised offices and institutions. Maldives Immigration is responsible for the information processed through Probe. Information handled by other Maldives Immigration services is covered by the privacy policy of those services.

2. Information About Probe Users

When you use Probe we process:

• Account information — your name, email address, the office or institution you work for, and the access you have been granted.
• Activity records — for every search: the search method, the passport number, National Identity Card number or nationality you entered, whether it succeeded, how many results each source returned, and the date and time. The candidates you view and any restricted information you reveal are recorded in the same way.
• Device information — the IP address and browser details your requests are made from.

These records exist to keep use of Probe accountable. They are used to investigate suspected misuse, to answer questions about who accessed a person's information and why, and to keep the service secure. They may be shared with your office or institution for oversight.

3. Information About People Searched For

Probe does not create new records about the people searched for. It displays information already held by Maldives Immigration and connected government systems, which may include name, date of birth, gender, nationality, photograph, passport and National Identity Card details, visa and residence records, contact details, address, employer and emergency contact. Some information, such as enforcement flags, is shown only to users specifically authorised to see it, and each time it is revealed that is recorded.

4. Face and Passport Images

• Face search — an uploaded image is used only to produce a face template, which is compared against the biometric records of Maldives Immigration and connected government systems. The image is then discarded. It is not saved to any record and does not appear in the activity records; only the fact that a face search took place and how many possible matches it returned are kept.
• Passport scan — an uploaded image of a passport is used only to read the passport details from it, and is then discarded. It is not saved to any record. The passport number read from it is recorded as the search that followed.

Uploaded files may exist briefly as temporary files while they are processed, and are deleted automatically.

5. Sharing

Information processed through Probe is not sold and is not used for advertising. Maldives Immigration may share it with law enforcement agencies, courts and other authorities where required or permitted by the laws of the Maldives, including to investigate misuse of Probe.

6. Retention

Account information is kept while your access is active and afterwards for as long as Maldives Immigration needs it for record-keeping. Activity records are retained in line with Maldives Immigration's record-keeping and legal obligations, so that use of Probe can be reviewed later. Search results are displayed to you and are not stored again by Probe. Face and passport images are not retained, as described above.

7. Security

Probe is available only to authorised accounts, is served over encrypted connections, and is excluded from search engines. Access to each search method and to restricted information is controlled by individual permissions. Every search is logged, so that access to a person's information can always be traced to the account that made it.

8. Cookies

Probe uses only the cookies needed to keep you signed in and to protect forms against forgery, and remembers your light or dark display preference in your browser. It does not use analytics or advertising cookies.

9. Your Rights and Questions

Questions about this policy, about the information Probe holds about you as a user, or about how Maldives Immigration handles information about you as a person who may have been searched for, can be sent to [email protected]. Requests are handled in line with the laws of the Maldives, which may require some information to be retained.

10. Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes are posted on this page with a new "Last updated" date. Use of Probe is also subject to the Probe Terms and Conditions.