Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Hiringseed is operated by Arhamin Innovations Private Limited ("Arhamin," "we," "us," or "our"), a company incorporated under the laws of India with its registered office in Gurugram, Haryana. Arhamin is the Data Fiduciary for all personal data processed through the Hiringseed platform, as defined under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.

Hiringseed operates a recruitment marketplace that connects companies with freelance recruiters and staffing consultancies across India. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you use our platform.

This policy applies to all users of the Hiringseed website and platform, including companies posting jobs, recruiters submitting candidates, and candidates whose profiles are shared through the marketplace.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

• Account details: name, email address, phone number, company name, and role (company, recruiter, or candidate).
• Recruitment data: resumes, candidate profiles, job descriptions, submission history, and pipeline activity.
• Usage data: pages visited, features used, timestamps, device type, browser, and IP address.
• Payment information: bank account or UPI details for escrow payouts (processed by our licensed payment partner, not stored directly by Hiringseed).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Operate core platform features including job posting, candidate submission, pipeline tracking, and escrow-based payments.
• Verify identities and maintain the integrity of recruiter and company ratings.
• Send transactional notifications about submissions, interview updates, payment milestones, and account activity.
• Improve the platform through aggregated, anonymised analytics on usage patterns and feature adoption.

We do not sell personal data to third parties. We do not use your data for unrelated advertising or profiling.

4. Consent

We collect and process your personal data only with your free, specific, informed, and unambiguous consent, obtained through a clear affirmative action, as required under Section 6 of the DPDP Act, 2023. Consent is obtained at the time of account registration and before collecting any additional personal information.

You may withdraw your consent at any time (see Section 8 for how to submit a request). Withdrawal of consent is as simple as the process used to give it. Please note that withdrawing consent may limit your ability to use certain platform features, and does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

5. Sharing With Recruiters and Companies

When a recruiter submits a candidate for a specific role, the company posting that role can see the candidate's profile, resume, and the recruiter's identity. This sharing is limited to the specific job the candidate was submitted for.

We comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023. Data is shared only with clear purpose limitation, and users may withdraw consent at any time.

6. Data Storage & Cross-Border Transfers

All personal data collected through Hiringseed is stored on servers located within India. We do not transfer personal data to any country or territory restricted by the Central Government under Section 16 of the DPDP Act, 2023.

Where a third-party service provider processes data on our behalf (for example, email delivery or payment processing), we ensure that such providers are bound by contractual obligations to protect your data to the same standard as this policy.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Specific retention periods are:

• Account data (name, email, phone, company): retained while your account is active and for 90 days after account closure.
• Candidate profiles and resumes: retained for the duration of the hiring process and for 12 months afterwards, unless the candidate requests earlier deletion.
• Transaction and payment records: retained for 7 years in accordance with applicable tax and accounting laws.
• Usage and analytics data: retained in anonymised form for up to 24 months.
• Platform communications (messages, submission notes): retained for 12 months after the associated job is closed.

Upon expiry of these periods, personal data is permanently deleted or irreversibly anonymised. If you withdraw consent or request erasure, we will delete your data within 30 days, unless retention is required by law.

8. Your Rights Under the DPDP Act 2023

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, as a Data Principal you have the right to:

• Access: request a summary of the personal data we hold about you and the identities of all entities with whom your data has been shared (Section 11).
• Correction: ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data (Section 12).
• Erasure: request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements (Section 12).
• Withdraw consent: revoke your consent for data processing at any time. Withdrawal is as easy as giving consent and will be processed within 7 business days (Section 6(6)).
• Nominate: designate another individual to exercise your data rights on your behalf in the event of your death or incapacity (Section 14). You may register a nominee through your account settings or by emailing us.
• Grievance redressal: lodge a complaint with our Grievance Officer (see Section 13 below). If unresolved, you may escalate to the Data Protection Board of India.

How to Exercise Your Rights

All data and privacy requests — including data access, correction, deletion, and consent withdrawal — are handled through a single process. To submit a request:

1. Email [email protected] with the subject line "Data Request" and include your registered email address and the type of request (access, correction, deletion, or consent withdrawal).
2. We will acknowledge your request within 48 hours and verify your identity.
3. Your request will be completed within 30 days of verification. If consent withdrawal or deletion results in account deactivation, we will notify you before proceeding.

You may also use the data-request feature in your account settings when available.

9. Children's Data

Hiringseed is not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect, store, or process personal data of children as defined under Section 9 of the DPDP Act, 2023.

If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a person under 18 without verifiable parental or guardian consent, we will delete such data promptly. If you believe a minor's data has been submitted to Hiringseed, please contact us immediately at [email protected].

10. Cookies

We use essential cookies required for the platform to function, including session management and authentication. We also use a limited set of analytics cookies to understand aggregate usage patterns.

Non-essential cookies (analytics) are only placed after you provide explicit consent through our cookie consent banner. You may change your cookie preferences at any time through the banner or your browser settings.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies. We do not use cookies to track, profile, or serve targeted advertising to any user, including children.

11. Security

We protect your data with industry-standard measures including encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest, role-based access controls, and regular security audits. Payment data is processed by licensed payment partners and is not stored on our servers.

12. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a personal data breach that may cause harm to Data Principals, we will:

• Notify the Data Protection Board of India without unreasonable delay, and in any event within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach, as required under Section 8(6) of the DPDP Act, 2023.
• Notify affected Data Principals (users) promptly, describing the nature of the breach, the data involved, and the steps being taken to mitigate harm.
• Take immediate steps to contain the breach, assess its impact, and implement measures to prevent recurrence.

13. Grievance Redressal

In accordance with Section 8(10) of the DPDP Act, 2023, we have appointed a Grievance Officer to address your concerns regarding the processing of your personal data:

• Grievance Officer: Arhamin Innovations Private Limited
• Email: [email protected]
• Address: Gurugram, Haryana, India

We will acknowledge your complaint within 48 hours and endeavour to resolve it within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to file a complaint with the Data Protection Board of India under Section 13 of the DPDP Act, 2023.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. For material changes, we will notify you through an in-app notification or email before the changes take effect.

15. Contact Us

For questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, contact us at:

• Email: [email protected]
• Entity: Arhamin Innovations Private Limited
• Location: Gurugram, Haryana, India