Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how theroundone.com (“The Round One”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data when you use our platform. It is compliant with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) and applicable rules.

By using theroundone.com, you consent to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.

We collect the following categories of personal data:

• Account data: your name, email address, and mobile number, collected at registration.
• Profile data: current job title, organisation, years of experience, bio, LinkedIn URL, UPI ID, and profile photo. Collected when you complete your profile.
• CV / Resume: a PDF document you may optionally upload to your profile for sharing with your booked Interviewer ahead of a session.
• Booking data: session details (date, time, domain, participants), payment transaction IDs, and session attendance logs.
• Technical data: browser type, IP address, and pages visited, collected via server logs for security and platform improvement purposes.
• KYC data (Interviewers only): PAN number, date of birth, and a clear photograph of your PAN card. Collected solely for income tax compliance under Section 194J of the Income Tax Act, 1961, and identity verification. Also includes a timestamped declaration confirming the accuracy of this information.
• Earnings data (Interviewers only): cumulative and financial-year payout totals, retained for tax reporting purposes.

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To provide and operate the mock interview service.
• To verify your identity and process payments.
• To send booking confirmations, session reminders, and payout notifications via email and SMS.
• To share your CV with your booked Interviewer for session preparation, where you have uploaded one.
• To display your profile on the Find Experts page (Interviewers only, once your profile is complete and active).
• To analyse platform usage and improve our service.
• To comply with applicable laws and respond to lawful requests.

We share personal data only with the following third-party service providers, and only to the extent necessary to provide the service:

• Authentication and database provider: Your account data, profile data, and booking data are stored with our cloud infrastructure provider, which operates under industry-standard security and data protection practices.
• Email delivery provider: Booking confirmations, session reminders, and payout notifications are delivered via a transactional email service. Emails may contain booking details and CV download links.
• Video infrastructure provider: Sessions are conducted via a third-party video conferencing service. The meeting link is shared in your booking confirmation email. Session recordings are not enabled on our platform.

Tax authorities:If an Interviewer's earnings exceed ₹30,000 in a financial year, we are required under Section 194J of the Income Tax Act, 1961 to furnish their PAN number, date of birth, and earnings information to the Income Tax Department of India. We will notify affected Interviewers before any such disclosure.

We do not sell your personal data to any third party. We may share data with law enforcement or regulatory authorities if required by applicable law or court order.

• Account data: retained for the lifetime of your account, and for up to 30 days after account deletion to allow for dispute resolution.
• Session and booking data: retained for 3 years after the session date for dispute resolution and compliance purposes.
• CVs and profile photos: retained until you delete them from your profile settings. You may delete them at any time.
• KYC data (PAN, DOB, PAN photo): retained for a minimum of 7 years after your last transaction, as required by Indian tax law. This data is not deleted upon account closure.

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to correction: request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure: request deletion of your account and associated personal data. Note that certain data may be retained for the statutory period described in Section 5.
• Right to withdraw consent: withdraw your consent to data processing at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@theroundone.com. We will respond within 30 days.

We implement the following technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data:

• Platform-level security rules restricting data access by authenticated role.
• HTTPS encryption for all data in transit.
• Role-based access controls (Interviewee, Interviewer, Admin).
• KYC documents (PAN card photographs) stored in a restricted, access-controlled cloud storage location accessible only to platform administrators — not visible to other users.

No system is 100% secure. We recommend using a strong, unique password for your account and notifying us immediately at support@theroundone.com if you suspect any unauthorised access to your account.

We use session cookies for authentication purposes only. These cookies are essential for the platform to function and cannot be disabled while you are signed in. We do not use tracking, advertising, or analytics cookies.

Our service is not directed at anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a minor, please contact us at support@theroundone.com and we will delete it promptly.

In accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you may raise any grievance relating to your personal data by contacting our Grievance Officer at:

Email: support@theroundone.com

We will acknowledge your grievance and respond within 72 hours.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email or a notice on the platform. Continued use of the platform after the updated policy takes effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. If you do not agree, you must stop using the platform.

For any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at: support@theroundone.com.