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START Canada

Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 22, 2026

1. Introduction

StartNew Technologies Corp. ("START Canada," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application ("App") and website ("Service").

2. Information We Collect

We collect information that identifies, relates to, describes, references, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with you ("Personal Information").

A. Information You Provide to Us

  • Account Data: Name, email address, phone number (optional), and sign-in credentials when you register.
  • Age and Location: Date of birth, country, and province or state to confirm account and AI eligibility.
  • Guardian Permission: For a minor requesting AI features, a parent or guardian's contact details, relationship declaration, and permission record.
  • Employment & Education Data: Information about your work history, education level, and career goals (optional) to improve job matching and employability analysis.
  • Assessment Data: Your responses to quizzes, self-assessments, and employability tests. This data is linked to your account to generate your Employability Score and provide personalized career insights.
  • Profile Package Assets: Employer-facing assets you choose to upload or manage, such as resumes, cover letters, reference letters, recommendations, education credentials, certifications, publications, articles, white papers, and self-introduction videos. These files are treated as private account data and are used only for product features you enable or sharing actions you take.
  • AI Privacy Preferences: Your consent choices for AI data processing, AI recommendations, and AI document and credential analysis.
  • User Content: Feedback, support queries, or other communications you send to us.
  • Priority Access Data: Name, email, audience type, platform preference, and consent choices when you join the product access waitlist or request launch notifications.

B. Information Collected Automatically

  • Usage Data: Details of your visits to our Service, such as traffic data, logs, and interaction data (e.g., which quizzes you take and completion times).
  • Device Data: Information needed to operate and secure the Services, such as browser or device type, operating system, IP address, and error logs.

C. Cookies and Similar Technologies

  • Our web and mobile Services may use cookies or local storage to keep you signed in, remember settings, and support basic operation. You can manage browser cookies through your browser settings; blocking essential storage may affect sign-in.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Provide the Service: To manage your account, calculate your scores, and display your progress history.
  • Profile Package Management: To store, organize, preview, download, and delete Profile Package assets, and to generate private employer share links when you choose to share employer-visible assets.
  • Personalization & Recommendations: To analyze your assessment results and provide personalized job, course, or mentor recommendations when enabled.
  • AI-Powered Features (Consent-Based): To provide AI recommendations from your profile and test results, and AI document and credential analysis of eligible assets you select for AI use, only when the required consents are enabled.
  • Improve Our Platform: To analyze usage trends and improve the accuracy of our assessment algorithms.
  • Communication: To send you updates, security alerts, and support messages.
  • Priority Access Invitations: To consider applicants for staged product access invitations and notify opted-in applicants about product launch availability.

4. AI Features, Consent, and Controls

AI features are optional. We use separate choices for AI recommendations and for AI analysis of eligible documents and credentials. When you enable an AI feature, relevant information is sent to our AI service provider to generate its response.

  • AI Data Processing Consent: Master consent required for any AI feature that processes your personal data.
  • AI Recommendations Consent: Controls AI recommendations generated from profile and assessment/test data.
  • AI Document and Credential Analysis Consent: Controls whether eligible uploaded documents and credentials may be processed for AI career guidance.
  • Eligible Assets: Supported AI asset types may include resumes, cover letters, education credentials, certifications, publications, articles, and white papers when the asset is selected for AI use.
  • Assets Not Used by AI Tools: Reference letters, recommendations, and self-introduction videos are stored and shared only through non-AI Profile Package features and are not used by current AI document and credential analysis tools.
  • Separate Document Consent Moment: Before first document and credential analysis use, users are asked to choose whether AI document and credential analysis is allowed.
  • Opt-Out and Revocation: You can change these choices in app settings at any time. Declining AI consents does not block core non-AI app features. Revocation stops future AI requests under those settings; it cannot recall information already processed.

For these AI features, we use OpenAI models through Amazon Bedrock. Relevant profile and assessment details, questions, and selected documents are processed in the United States. AWS states that this content is not shared with the model provider or used for model training. Flagged content may be retained for safety and abuse detection for up to 30 days, or longer if required by law.

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information with:

  • Service Providers: Providers that support hosting, security, communications, and other Service operations, including Amazon Web Services.
  • AI Processing: When you enable an AI feature, Amazon Bedrock processes the information needed for that request as described above.
  • Employer Share Links: When you create or share a private Profile Package link, people with an active link may view the assets you marked employer-visible until the link expires or is revoked.
  • Institution or Program Administrators: If your account is associated with an institution, program, or organization that uses START Canada, authorized administrators may review relevant learner profile information and Profile Package assets for program administration, support, and learner progress review. Administrators cannot edit your Profile Package assets through this review access.
  • Recommendation Partners: Educational institutions or employers (only with your explicit consent/opt-in) to facilitate job or course matching.
  • Legal Requirements: If required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with legal processes.

6. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.

  • Profile Asset Retention: Uploaded Profile Package assets remain associated with your account until removed by you or deleted as part of account deletion.
  • Share Link Changes: Revoking or rotating a Profile Package share link stops future access through that link, but it does not automatically delete the assets from your account.
  • AI Consent Changes: Disabling AI consents stops future AI processing based on those settings. Existing account and Profile Package asset storage is not automatically deleted unless you remove files or delete your account.

Your Privacy Choices

You can request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information, or raise a privacy concern, by contacting info@startnew.ca. These rights are subject to applicable law. You can withdraw optional AI consent in Settings; a guardian can contact us to withdraw their permission.

  • In-App Deletion: You can request account deletion directly within the App settings under "Profile" > "Delete Account".
  • Manual Request: You may also contact us at info@startnew.ca with the subject line "Delete My Account".

Deleting your account removes your active profile, assessment history and scores, and uploaded assets. Limited security and audit records, backups, and information that we must retain for legal or abuse-prevention reasons may remain for a limited period. AI information already sent to a provider is subject to that provider's retention policy.

7. Security

We use administrative, technical, and physical security measures to help protect your personal information, including encryption of data in transit and at rest.

8. Age and Guardian Permission

START accounts are for people age 13 and older. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us. Minors need parent or guardian permission before using AI features, including when joining through a school. We use guardian details to obtain and manage that permission.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy. We will post changes here and update the date above. Where required, we will notify you and ask for renewed consent.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at info@startnew.ca or visit our Contact page.