PRIVACY POLICY

Brand: Hireinst Operated by: The Hiring Planet (a partnership firm) Website: https://www.hireinst.com/

Effective Date: 14 July 2026 Last Updated: 21 July 2026

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. This Privacy Policy explains how The Hiring Planet, the partnership firm that owns and operates the platform "Hireinst" ("Hireinst", "we", "us", "our"), collects, uses, stores, shares, retains, and protects your personal data when you access or use our website at https://www.hireinst.com/, our mobile applications, and our related services (collectively, the "Services").

1.2. This Policy is published in accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000; the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 ("SPDI Rules"); the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021; and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 together with the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 (collectively, "DPDP Law"), each as applicable and in force from time to time.

1.3. For the purposes of DPDP Law, The Hiring Planet is the "Data Fiduciary" that determines the purpose and means of processing your personal data, and you are the "Data Principal" whose personal data is processed.

1.4. This Policy forms part of, and should be read together with, our Terms of Service, Cookie Policy, Data Retention & Deletion Policy, and Verification Policy. By using the Services, you confirm that you have read and understood this Policy.

1.5. Age. The Services are intended only for persons aged 18 (eighteen) or above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. See Clause 17.

2. CONSENT NOTICE (SUMMARY)

This summary is provided as a clear, standalone notice. The rest of this Policy contains the full detail.

• Who is collecting your data: The Hiring Planet (Hireinst), a Data Fiduciary.
• What we collect: account and contact details, profile information (including, for Workers, a photograph and resume), identity/KYC documents where required for verification, usage and device data, communications, and payment-related data processed by our payment provider.
• Why we collect it: to create and operate your account, run the hiring marketplace, verify users, enable communication, provide paid features, keep the Services safe and lawful, and comply with law. The specific purposes are listed in Clause 6.
• Special handling of KYC documents: where we collect an Aadhaar card and/or PAN card for verification, we keep them for a maximum of 30 days and delete them once verification is complete or 30 days elapse, whichever is earlier, unless the law requires longer retention.
• Your consent: where we rely on consent, it is sought through your clear, affirmative action, and you may withdraw it at any time (Clause 16).
• Your rights: you may access, correct, and erase your personal data, nominate another person to exercise your rights, and raise a grievance (Clause 15). We will respond within the timelines set out in this Policy.
• How to reach us: support@hireinst.com; and our Grievance Officer, Tallam Sai Kiran, at legal@hireinst.com.
• Where your data is stored: primarily on servers located in India.

3. DEFINITIONS

3.1. "Personal Data" means any data about an individual who is identifiable by or in relation to such data.

3.2. "Processing" means any operation performed on personal data, including collection, recording, storage, use, sharing, disclosure, or erasure.

3.3. "Sensitive Personal Data or Information" or "SPDI" has the meaning given under the SPDI Rules, and may include passwords, financial information, and government-issued identifiers to the extent applicable.

3.4. "Worker", "Employer"/"Restaurant", "Verification", and other capitalised terms not defined here have the meanings given in the Terms of Service.

4. PERSONAL DATA WE COLLECT

We collect the following categories of personal data, depending on how you use the Services:

4.1. Account and identity data

• Name, mobile number, email address, password/credentials.
• Role selection (Worker or Employer) and onboarding details.
• One-time passwords (OTPs) and verification status.

4.2. Worker profile data

• Job categories, skills, experience, availability, and preferences.
• Profile photograph.
• Resume/CV (uploaded as a document).
• Location/area for job matching.
• Application history, screening answers, and cover messages.

4.3. Employer / Restaurant data

• Restaurant name, address, contact details, and business information.
• Restaurant logo and photographs.
• Job postings, applicant management data, notes, ratings, and interview scheduling data.
• Subscription and billing information.

4.4. Identity / KYC documents (verification)

• Where required for Verification, identity documents such as an Aadhaar card and/or PAN card. These receive special limited-retention handling under Clause 7.

4.5. Communications data

• Messages exchanged between Workers and Restaurants on the Platform.
• Communications you have with our support and grievance channels.

4.6. Transaction and payment data

• Records of subscriptions, plans, invoices, and payment status.
• We do not store your full card/bank details; these are collected and processed directly by our third-party payment provider in compliance with Reserve Bank of India requirements. We may receive limited tokens or confirmation data from the payment provider.

4.7. Usage, device, and technical data

• IP address, device identifiers, browser and operating-system information, app version, log data, pages/screens viewed, actions taken, and approximate location derived from your device or network.
• Cookies and similar technologies, as described in our Cookie Policy.

4.8. Data from other sources

• Where you sign in through a third-party authentication provider (for example, Google sign-in), we receive basic profile information from that provider, subject to your permissions.

5. HOW WE COLLECT PERSONAL DATA

We collect personal data:

• directly from you, when you register, build a profile, upload documents, post jobs, apply, communicate, subscribe, or contact us;
• automatically, through cookies, log files, and similar technologies as you use the Services;
• from third parties, such as authentication and payment providers, and where another User provides information about an interaction with you (for example, an application or a report).

6. PURPOSES OF PROCESSING AND GROUNDS

6.1. We process your personal data for the following purposes:

(a) to create, operate, and secure your Account and provide the Services; (b) to operate the two-sided hiring marketplace — enabling Workers to build profiles and apply, and Restaurants to post jobs, discover Workers, communicate, and manage hiring; (c) to perform Verification (including OTP verification and, where required, KYC-document review) as a safety and trust measure; (d) to enable and route communications between Users, and to send you service-related and transactional messages (via email, SMS, WhatsApp, in-app, and push notifications); (e) to provide, bill for, and support paid features and Subscriptions, and to process payments through our payment provider; (f) to maintain safety, prevent and detect fraud, abuse, spam, impersonation, and other prohibited conduct, and to review reports and flags; (g) to moderate content and enforce our Terms and policies; (h) to respond to your queries, grievances, and rights requests; (i) to analyse and improve the Services, develop new features, and understand usage (using aggregated or de-identified data where feasible); (j) to comply with Applicable Law and lawful requests from courts, regulators, and government or law-enforcement authorities.

6.2. Grounds for processing. We process personal data on the grounds permitted under DPDP Law and other Applicable Law, principally: (i) your consent, given through clear affirmative action; and (ii) certain legitimate uses permitted by law, including where processing is necessary to provide a service you have requested, to comply with law, or to respond to specified situations recognised under DPDP Law. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it as described in Clause 16.

6.3. Data-minimisation and purpose-limitation. We collect only the personal data reasonably necessary for the purposes above, and we use it only for those purposes or for compatible purposes permitted by law.

7. IDENTITY / KYC DOCUMENTS — SPECIAL HANDLING (30-DAY DELETION)

7.1. Where we collect an Aadhaar card and/or PAN card (or comparable identity document) for the purpose of Verification, we handle these documents with heightened care:

(a) we use them solely to verify your identity and eligibility; (b) we retain them for a maximum of 30 (thirty) days; (c) we delete them once Verification is completed, or upon expiry of that 30-day period, whichever is earlier; (d) after deletion, we may retain only a minimal record that Verification was completed (for example, a status flag and date), and not the document itself, except where longer retention of the document is strictly and specifically required by Applicable Law.

7.2. Access to KYC documents during the retention window is restricted to authorised personnel for the verification purpose only. Full details are set out in the Verification Policy and the Data Retention & Deletion Policy.

7.3. We do not use Aadhaar or other identity documents for advertising, profiling, or any purpose other than Verification and legal compliance.

8. COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES

8.1. We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Services, remember your preferences, keep you signed in, maintain security, and understand usage. Details of the cookies we use, their purposes, and how you can manage them are set out in our separate Cookie Policy.

9. HOW AND WITH WHOM WE SHARE PERSONAL DATA

9.1. We do not sell your personal data. We share personal data only as described below:

(a) With other Users, to operate the marketplace.

• Worker profile information (excluding certain contact details) is visible to Restaurants to enable hiring. A Worker's direct contact details may be revealed to a Restaurant only through a paid, entitlement-gated "contact reveal" feature or where the Worker chooses to share them.
• Restaurant and job information is visible to Workers.
• Messages you send to another User are shared with that User.
• Initial contact through messaging may be initiated only by Restaurants, as stated in the Terms of Service.

(b) With our service providers ("Data Processors"). We engage trusted third parties to process personal data on our behalf, under contractual obligations to protect it and process it only on our instructions. These include providers of: authentication/identity management; SMS and WhatsApp message delivery; cloud hosting and file storage; payment processing; email delivery; background-job and infrastructure services; and analytics. A current list of key categories of processors is available on request from support@hireinst.com.

(c) For legal and safety reasons. We may disclose personal data where we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to: comply with Applicable Law, a court order, or a lawful request from a government or law-enforcement authority; enforce our Terms and policies; detect, prevent, or address fraud, security, or technical issues; or protect the rights, property, or safety of Hireinst, our Users, or the public.

(d) In a business transfer. If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganisation, financing, or sale of assets, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the receiving party honouring commitments consistent with this Policy.

9.2. Where we share data with Data Processors, we require them by contract to apply protections consistent with DPDP Law and to process personal data only for the purposes we specify.

10. DATA STORAGE AND LOCATION

10.1. Your personal data is stored primarily on secure servers located in India. Some of our service providers may process limited data outside India; where this occurs, we do so in accordance with DPDP Law, which permits transfer of personal data outside India except to any country or entity restricted by the Central Government, and subject to appropriate safeguards.

11. DATA RETENTION

11.1. We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, to provide the Services, to comply with our legal obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements.

11.2. KYC documents (Aadhaar/PAN) are retained for a maximum of 30 days and deleted as described in Clause 7.

11.3. When personal data is no longer required for the purposes above, we delete, anonymise, or de-identify it, save where retention is required by Applicable Law (for example, records that intermediaries are required to retain for a specified period, or tax and accounting records). Detailed retention periods and the account-deletion process are set out in the Data Retention & Deletion Policy.

11.4. Deleting your Account. You can delete your Account yourself at any time — from within the app (Job seekers: Profile → Delete Account. Restaurant owners: Settings → Delete Account), or on the web at https://hireinst.com/delete-account, which is open to anyone and requires only that you sign in to the Account you wish to delete. Your ability to sign in ends immediately and your profile stops being visible to other Users straight away. Your personal data — including your profile, uploaded résumé and identity documents, applications, messages, saved items and notification settings, and the underlying files in our storage — is then permanently erased automatically, normally within 7 days and in any event within the 30 days committed to in the Data Retention & Deletion Policy. A brief interval is retained before final erasure so that an accidental deletion can be stopped if you contact us in time.

11.5. What survives deletion. After erasure we keep only: (a) transaction, invoice and tax records, for the periods described in Clause 11 of the Data Retention & Deletion Policy; (b) security, moderation and audit records that we are required or permitted to retain to prevent fraud, resolve disputes, or comply with Applicable Law; and (c) business records that are not personal data, such as a Restaurant listing, which is unlinked from you and returned to an unclaimed state. The record of your Account that remains is anonymised so that it no longer identifies you. You may also request deletion of specific personal data without closing your Account — see Clause 3.5 of the Data Retention & Deletion Policy.

12. SECURITY

12.1. We implement reasonable security practices and procedures designed to protect personal data against unauthorised access, use, alteration, disclosure, or destruction, including access controls, encryption in transit, restricted internal access, malware scanning of uploaded files, and audit logging of sensitive actions.

12.2. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we work to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee absolute security, and you also play a role by keeping your credentials confidential and your devices secure.

13. DATA BREACH

13.1. In the event of a personal-data breach, we will act in accordance with Applicable Law, including taking steps to mitigate the breach and, where required, notifying the affected Data Principals and the Data Protection Board of India within the timelines and in the manner prescribed under DPDP Law.

14. AUTOMATED DECISIONS AND MATCHING

14.1. We use search, ranking, and matching logic (for example, to sort jobs or surface relevant profiles) to operate the marketplace. These features assist Users; they do not, by themselves, make legally significant decisions about you without a human User's involvement. Hiring decisions are made by Restaurants, not by Hireinst.

15. YOUR RIGHTS

15.1. Subject to Applicable Law, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

(a) Right to access — to obtain a summary of the personal data we process about you and the processing activities; (b) Right to correction and updating — to have inaccurate or incomplete personal data corrected, completed, or updated; (c) Right to erasure — to request deletion of your personal data where it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, subject to legal retention requirements; (d) Right to grievance redressal — to raise a complaint with our Grievance Officer (Clause 18); (e) Right to nominate — to nominate another individual to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity; (f) Right to withdraw consent — as described in Clause 16.

15.2. How to exercise your rights. You may exercise these rights by writing to support@hireinst.com or to our Grievance Officer at legal@hireinst.com, or by using in-app settings where provided. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

15.3. Our response. We will respond to your requests within the timelines prescribed under Applicable Law, and in any event within a maximum of 90 (ninety) days. Certain requests may be limited or refused where permitted by law (for example, where compliance would compromise the rights of others, an ongoing investigation, or a legal obligation), and we will explain the reason where required.

15.4. Duties of Data Principals. Under DPDP Law, you must not impersonate another person, must not suppress material information, must not register a false or frivolous grievance, and must provide only authentic information when exercising the right to correction or erasure.

16. WITHDRAWAL OF CONSENT

16.1. Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time by writing to support@hireinst.com or through in-app settings where available. The ease of withdrawal will be comparable to the ease of giving consent.

16.2. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal. Withdrawing consent necessary to provide the Services may mean we can no longer provide some or all of the Services to you, and may result in closure of your Account. We may continue to retain and process certain data where a ground other than consent applies (for example, a legal obligation).

17. CHILDREN

17.1. The Services are intended only for persons aged 18 or above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from persons under 18. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a person under 18, we will delete it. If you believe a minor has provided us personal data, please contact support@hireinst.com.

18. GRIEVANCE OFFICER AND DATA PROTECTION BOARD

18.1. If you have any complaint or concern about how your personal data is processed, please contact our Grievance Officer:

Grievance Officer: Tallam Sai Kiran Email: legal@hireinst.com Postal address: The Hiring Planet, Building No./Flat No. 6-3-1216/86/201, Vijitha Residency, Kundhanbagh, Begumpet, Secunderabad, Telangana – 500016, India

18.2. The Grievance Officer will acknowledge your complaint within 24 (twenty-four) hours and will endeavour to resolve it within 15 (fifteen) days, and in any event within the maximum period permitted under Applicable Law. The full process is in the Grievance Redressal Policy.

18.3. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may, where applicable, escalate to the Data Protection Board of India under DPDP Law, or to any other competent authority under Applicable Law.

19. THIRD-PARTY LINKS AND SERVICES

19.1. The Services may contain links to, or integrate with, third-party websites and services that we do not control. This Policy does not apply to those third parties. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing them your personal data.

20. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

20.1. We may update this Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date and, where appropriate, notify you (for example, by email, in-app notice, or a prominent notice on the Platform). Where required by law, we will seek fresh consent. Your continued use of the Services after changes take effect indicates your acknowledgement of the updated Policy.

21. CONTACT US

• General / data queries: support@hireinst.com
• Grievance Officer: Tallam Sai Kiran — legal@hireinst.com
• Entity: The Hiring Planet (partnership firm), operating "Hireinst"
• Address: Building No./Flat No. 6-3-1216/86/201, Vijitha Residency, Kundhanbagh, Begumpet, Secunderabad, Telangana – 500016, India
• GSTIN: 36AAVFT6494L1Z0

By using Hireinst, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.