This Privacy Policy explains how 9AM (“9AM”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, processes, stores, uses, and shares personal and professional data of users (“you”, “your”), including candidates, referrers, and other users of the 9AM platform (“Platform”).

By accessing or using the Platform, you explicitly consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to:

• The 9AM website, mobile applications, and related services
• Candidate profiles, referrals, assessments, interviews, and hiring workflows
• All personal data collected directly or indirectly through use of the Platform

This Policy must be read together with the 9AM Terms & Conditions, which govern overall platform usage.

2.1 Personal & Identity Information

• Full name
• Email address
• Mobile number
• PAN and tax-related identifiers (for payouts and statutory compliance)
• Other identifiers as required for verification or legal compliance

2.2 Professional & Profile Information

• Resume / CV content
• Employment history
• Education details
• Skills, certifications, and experience
• Salary expectations, job preferences, and role interests

2.3 Assessments, Interviews & Integrity Data

• Skill test responses, scores, and evaluations
• Interview recordings, interviewer notes, and feedback
• Integrity and credibility data, including:
  • Positive indicators
  • Neutral indicators
  • Negative indicators, such as inconsistencies, anomalies, risk flags, or integrity concerns
  • Trust, credibility, and risk signals generated through automated or manual processes

Integrity data may be generated by:

• 9AM systems
• Automated or AI-based tools
• Human reviewers
• Authorized partners or assessment providers

2.4 Photos, Videos & Identity Proof

9AM may collect, process, and store:

• Candidate photographs
• Video recordings
• Live or recorded video interviews
• Image or video-based identity verification data

Such data may be used for:

• Identity verification
• Fraud prevention
• Interview assessment
• Platform integrity
• Hiring evaluation by companies

You expressly consent to the collection, processing, storage, and sharing of photo and video data with hiring companies and authorized partners.

2.5 Social & External Profiles

• GitHub, LeetCode, and other linked professional or technical profiles
• Publicly available information from such platforms, subject to their respective terms

2.6 Referral, Hiring & Activity Data

• Referral links, referral chains, attribution and hierarchy data
• Job applications, interviews, offers, joins, and outcomes
• Referral and joining bonus eligibility indicators

2.7 Technical & Usage Data

• IP address, device identifiers, browser type
• Platform logs, timestamps, and activity records
• Cookies and similar technologies

3. Purpose of Data Processing

9AM processes personal data for the following purposes:

• Facilitating hiring, referrals, and candidate discovery
• Generating candidate recommendations, rankings, and visibility decisions
• Creating and sharing skill, credibility, and integrity signals
• Assisting hiring companies in evaluation and decision-making
• Operating assessments, interviews, and verification workflows
• Fraud detection, misuse prevention, and platform safety
• Analytics, research, and product improvement
• Legal, regulatory, audit, and compliance requirements

4. Automated Processing, AI & Recommendations

9AM uses automated systems, algorithms, and AI models to:

• Analyze skills, assessments, interviews, integrity data, and activity
• Generate scores, levels, badges, rankings, and recommendations
• Surface or suppress candidate profiles for hiring companies
• Detect fraud, abuse, or risk patterns

You acknowledge and accept that:

• Processing may involve positive or negative signals
• Such signals may affect discovery, recommendations, or hiring outcomes
• 9AM is not obligated to disclose scoring logic, weightages, or algorithms

5.1 Hiring Companies

9AM may share candidate and referrer data with hiring companies, including:

• Resume and profile information
• Test scores and interview outcomes
• Integrity data (positive, neutral, or negative)
• Credibility, trust, and risk indicators
• Photos and videos, including interview recordings`

5.2 Service Providers & Partners

9AM may share data with trusted third-party partners, including:

• Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers
• AI and machine learning service providers
• Assessment, testing, and interview platforms
• Identity verification partners
• Analytics, security, and fraud prevention providers
• Communication and payment processing providers

Such sharing is limited to legitimate operational purposes and subject to contractual safeguards where applicable.

5.3 Legal, Regulatory & Protection Purposes

Data may be disclosed where required to:

• Comply with law or regulatory requests
• Respond to lawful orders or investigations
• Protect platform integrity, users, or business interests

6. Cross-Border Data Transfers

Some service providers or partners may be located outside India.

By using the Platform, you expressly consent to:

• Cross-border transfer, storage, and processing of your data
• Differences in data protection standards across jurisdictions
• Such transfers being carried out for legitimate platform operations

7. Data Retention

• Data is retained as long as necessary for platform purposes
• Data may be retained after account deletion for compliance, audits, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, and legal obligations
• Retention periods vary by data type and legal requirements

8. Data Security

9AM implements reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect data.

However:

• Absolute security cannot be guaranteed
• Users accept inherent online risks
• 9AM disclaims liability beyond reasonable safeguards

9. Platform Integrity, Media & Public Communication

In the event of:

• Public complaints or allegations
• Social media disputes or campaigns
• Media reports or inquiries

9AM may:

• Use platform records, logs, integrity data, photos, or videos
• Clarify facts publicly or privately
• Defend its reputation, users, and business interests

Such actions shall not constitute a breach of this Privacy Policy.

10. User Responsibilities

Users are responsible for:

• Accuracy and legality of information provided
• Maintaining security of credentials
• Not misrepresenting identity, skills, experience, or credentials

Misuse may result in suspension, termination, or legal action.

11. Data Principal Rights (DPDP Act, 2023)

Subject to applicable law and verification, you may exercise the following rights:

• Right to Access:
  Request confirmation of whether your personal data is being processed.
• Right to Correction:
  Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
• RRight to Erasure:
  Request deletion of personal data, subject to legal and operational requirements.
• Right to Withdraw Consent:
  Consent may be withdrawn at any time.
  Withdrawal may result in restricted access or termination of platform services.
• Right to Grievance Redressal:
  Raise complaints regarding data processing practices.

12. Limitation on Data Access & Portability

You expressly acknowledge and agree that:

• You do not have a right to obtain, demand, or export any internal platform data
• This includes (but is not limited to):
  • Test results
  • Interview feedback
  • Integrity or risk scores
  • Recommendations, rankings, or signals
  • Logs, analytics, or internal assessments

Your right to access is limited only to the resume or profile information you directly provided, subject to verification and legal requirements.

13. Grievance Redressal Officer

For privacy-related concerns or grievances:

Email: [email protected]
9AM will respond within a reasonable timeframe as required by law.

14. Children’s Data

The Platform is not intended for individuals under 18 years of age.

9AM does not knowingly collect children’s data.
If such data is identified, it will be deleted in accordance with applicable law.

15. Updates to This Policy

9AM may update this Privacy Policy at any time.

Continued use of the Platform constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

16. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of India.

Disputes shall be resolved in accordance with:

• Arbitration provisions in the 9AM Terms & Conditions
• Exclusive fallback jurisdiction of the High Court of Telangana

17. Contact

For privacy-related queries:
[email protected]