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Privacy & Cookie Policy

 

Effective Date: May 2026

 

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy outlines how Key Connections (hereinafter referred to as "the Company", "We", "Us", or "Our") collects, stores, uses, and protects your personal information.

We are committed to safeguarding your privacy in strict compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa and, where applicable, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

As a growing recruitment enterprise, this policy applies globally to all authorized personnel, employees, and independent contractors acting on behalf of the Company, ensuring your data is handled securely at every level of our organization.

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2. What Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following personal information:

  • Full name and contact details (email, telephone numbers, physical address).

  • Curriculum Vitae (CV), cover letters, and supporting documentation.

  • Employment history, professional skills, qualifications, and psychometric/assessment results.

  • Current and expected salary details, benefits, and notice period or availability.

  • Identification numbers, nationalities, and work permit statuses.

  • Professional profile information, employment history, and educational milestones sourced from publicly available professional networks (such as LinkedIn) and corporate directories during targeted talent-sourcing and headhunting operations.

 

3. Purpose of Collection

Your personal data is processed solely for recruitment and employment-matching purposes, which includes:

  • Assessing your qualifications and suitability for current or future employment opportunities.

  • Formatting and sharing authorized, de-identified profiles with prospective employers.

  • Communicating with you regarding application updates and career opportunities.

 

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your information under the following lawful grounds:

  • Contractual Necessity: Processing is necessary to carry out actions to conclude or perform a contract to which you are a party (i.e., your request for placement and employment-matching services) or to execute talent-sourcing engagements you have explicitly responded to.

  • Consent: Where you have provided explicit, voluntary consent to join our active talent network, receive career marketing, or have your profile hosted on our candidate portal.

 

5. Processing of Special Personal Information (Vetting)

For specific job roles, and typically only at advanced stages of the recruitment process (such as when an employment offer is imminent), the Company may conduct background screening, including criminal record checks, credit history checks, and qualification verifications.

The processing of this Special Personal Information is never conducted implicitly ; it strictly requires your separate, explicit, and written consent prior to executing checks via our designated verification vendors.

 

6. Automated Processing & Screening Tools

The Company may utilize software applications, CV parsing technologies, or automated algorithms to sort, index, filter, and match candidate qualifications against active client job mandates.

However, the Company does not utilize purely automated decision-making or AI-driven systems to conclusively reject or disqualify candidates. All final shortlisting, suitability determinations, and placement evaluations involve direct human review and intervention.

 

7. Candidate Portal & B2B Marketing

To optimize placement opportunities, the Company hosts a restricted-access digital candidate portal and distributes targeted career updates to verified corporate clients. Profiles featured on this digital portal or included in B2B marketing channels are pseudonymized and de-identified.

While direct identifiers (such as full names and contact information) are entirely removed, the Company treats this information as personal data under POPIA/GDPR due to the specialized nature of technical experience and the possibility of indirect deductive re-identification. To safeguard this data, access to the portal is strictly restricted to prospective corporate clients via individual, authenticated secure logins. Your full, unmasked CV and direct identifying details are only shared after direct consultation and your explicit consent.

 

8. Data Access & Security

  • Access Control: Access to your personal data is strictly restricted to authorized internal personnel, employees, legally contracted operators of the Company, and verified corporate clients using authenticated individual portal logins who require the information to perform recruitment and placement duties.

  • Technical Safeguards: We implement robust technical and organizational security measures, including firewall protections, secure cloud-based database structures, and industry-standard encryption protocols to prevent unauthorized access, loss, alteration, or accidental damage.

 

9. Cross-Border Data Transfers

The Company utilizes secure, enterprise-grade cloud hosting services and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms that may leverage servers located outside the borders of South Africa (including the European Union and United States regions).

In accordance with Section 72 of POPIA, we ensure that our international infrastructure and database vendors are bound by Data Processing Addendums (DPAs) and maintain data protection standards equivalent to or tougher than POPIA (such as GDPR alignment).

 

10. Data Retention Policy

In compliance with Section 14 of POPIA, the Company does not retain data longer than necessary for its intended purpose:

  • Standard Vacancy Submissions: If you submit your CV for a specific vacancy without opting into our long-term talent network, your personal data will be permanently deleted or irreversibly anonymized for statistical analysis as soon as that specific placement loop closes.

  • Talent Network Opt-In (Maximum Retention): If you provide explicit consent to join our active talent network and candidate portal, we will retain your CV and personal profile for a maximum period of 3 years (36 months) from your last active interaction with us (such as logging into the portal, updating your profile metrics, or responding to an outreach sequence). Upon the expiration of this period, your data will be securely and permanently purged unless you actively renew your consent.

 

11. Age Restrictions (Minors)

Our recruitment and placement services are exclusively directed at qualified adult professionals and corporate entities. We do not knowingly collect, market to, or process the personal information of individuals under the age of 18. If we discover that a minor has submitted personal data to us, it will be immediately and permanently purged from our systems.

 

12. Cookie Policy

Our website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and optimize portal performance.

  • Essential Cookies: Necessary for the technical and secure operation of our candidate portal, secure login infrastructure, and submission forms.

  • Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our site so we can continuously improve our services.

You can manage or disable cookies via your personal browser settings ; however, doing so may impact certain functionalities of our digital onboarding, secure authentication, and submission portal.

 

13. Your Rights under POPIA and GDPR

You hold the following statutory rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right of Access: Request confirmation and a record of the personal data we hold about you.

  • Right to Correction: Request the prompt correction or updating of inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete records.

  • Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request the permanent, irreversible deletion of your data from our systems at any time.

  • Right to Object: Withdraw your consent for future marketing, automated sequencing, portal hosting, or career nurturing at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, candidates may submit a request through our designated opt-out forms, utilize the unsubscribe functionalities in our digital communications, or email our Information Officer directly.

 

14. Contact Details & Regulatory Escalation

For any data protection inquiries, access requests, or complaints, please contact our designated Information Officer at: info@keyconnections.co.za.

You also have the right to lodge a formal complaint regarding our data handling practices with the relevant supervisory authority. In South Africa, this is the Information Regulator:

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