HONE — PRIVACY POLICY
Lives at: https://hone.detecktiv.io/legal/privacy Version 1.1 — effective on publication Last updated: 30 July 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Virtual Data Integration Ltd (trading as "Hone", "we", "us", "our"), company number 16747738, registered office 22 Walbank Grove, Shenley Brook End, Milton Keynes, England, MK5 7WB, handles personal data when you visit our website, enquire about or use the Hone service, or otherwise deal with us.
We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) under registration reference ZC111083 (Tier 1; registered 26 March 2026, renews 25 March 2027).
1. Two different roles — please read this first
Hone is a business-to-business platform used by recruitment agencies. It is important to understand which "hat" we are wearing:
(a) When we handle candidate data inside a customer's workspace, we act as a processor. The recruitment agency (our customer) is the controller of candidate personal data — they decide why and how it is used. This Privacy Policy does not govern that processing. If you are a candidate and want to know how your data is used, or to exercise your rights, please contact the recruitment agency that holds your details. Our handling of candidate data on our customers' behalf is governed by our Data Processing Agreement with that customer. We can help route your request to the right customer if you are unsure — see section 9.
(b) When we run our own business, we act as a controller. This Privacy Policy covers the personal data we control: data about website visitors, people who enquire about Hone, our account users, and our billing and support contacts. The rest of this policy is about that data.
2. The personal data we collect (as controller)
| Category | Examples | Where from |
|---|---|---|
| Account & profile data | Name, work email, password (hashed), workspace role, organisation name | You, when you sign up or are invited |
| Billing data | Billing contact, billing address, VAT number, subscription and payment metadata (card details are handled by Stripe, not stored by us) | You / Stripe |
| Enquiry & marketing data | Name, email, company, message content, marketing preferences | You, when you contact us or sign up to updates |
| Usage data | Product events, features used, log/diagnostic data, approximate location from IP | Automatically, when you use the Services (see our Cookie Policy) |
| Support data | Correspondence and its contents | You, when you contact support |
| Technical data | IP address, device/browser type, cookie identifiers | Automatically |
3. Why we use it, and our lawful basis
| Purpose | Lawful basis (UK GDPR Art 6) |
|---|---|
| Providing and administering your account and the Services | Performance of a contract (Art 6(1)(b)) |
| Taking payment and managing billing | Contract; and legal obligation for tax/accounting records |
| Responding to enquiries and support requests | Legitimate interests (Art 6(1)(f)) — running and supporting our business; or contract |
| Product analytics and improving the Services | Legitimate interests; consent where required for non-essential cookies |
| Sending service/transactional emails | Contract / legitimate interests |
| Sending marketing about Hone | Consent, or legitimate interests / the "soft opt-in" for existing business customers, in line with PECR — you can opt out at any time |
| Security, fraud prevention and protecting our systems | Legitimate interests; legal obligation |
| Complying with legal and regulatory obligations | Legal obligation |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have balanced those interests against your rights and are happy to explain that assessment on request.
4. Cookies and analytics
We use cookies and similar technologies for essential site functionality and, with your consent, for product analytics and error monitoring. See our Cookie Policy for detail and to manage your choices.
5. Who we share it with
We share personal data with:
- Service providers (processors) who help us run Hone — including hosting, database, payment, email, analytics and monitoring providers. Our current sub-processors are listed at https://hone.detecktiv.io/legal/sub-processors.
- Professional advisers (accountants, lawyers, insurers) where necessary.
- Authorities and regulators where required by law.
- A buyer or successor if we sell or reorganise our business, subject to appropriate protections.
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not use customer or candidate data to train AI models.
6. Google user data (Gmail integration)
Hone lets you connect your Google account to send outreach emails from your own Gmail address. When you connect Gmail, Hone requests only the gmail.send scope — permission to send emails that you compose and approve in Hone. Hone does not request permission to read, search, or index your mailbox.
Hone's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Specifically:
- We use Gmail access solely to send emails you initiate and approve within Hone.
- We do not read, store, or index the contents of your Gmail mailbox. Replies to your outreach are captured via Hone's own reply-to address, not the Gmail API.
- We do not sell Google user data, and we do not use it for advertising.
- We do not use Google user data to train generalised or non-personalised AI/ML models.
- Human access to Google user data occurs only where necessary for security, to comply with law, or with your explicit consent (for example, when you request support).
You can disconnect your Google account at any time in Hone under Settings → Connections, which revokes Hone's access.
7. International transfers
Some of our providers are located outside the UK. Where we transfer personal data to a country without UK "adequacy" status, we rely on an appropriate safeguard — the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or the EU Standard Contractual Clauses with the UK Addendum, or another lawful mechanism such as the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework — and carry out a transfer risk assessment. See the Sub-processors page for locations and safeguards.
8. How long we keep it
We keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes above:
- Account data: for the life of your account and then a limited period afterwards.
- Billing and tax records: for 6 years to meet UK tax/accounting requirements.
- Enquiry/marketing data: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it, or after a reasonable period of inactivity.
- Support correspondence: for a reasonable period after the matter is resolved.
(Candidate data inside customer workspaces is retained per the customer's instructions and our DPA, not this policy.)
9. Your rights
Under the UK GDPR you have the right to: access your data; have it corrected; have it erased; restrict or object to processing; data portability; and withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. Where our processing is based on legitimate interests, you can object at any time. You will not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you without appropriate safeguards.
To exercise any right, contact us at privacy@detecktiv.io. We will respond within one month (extendable by two months for complex requests) and will not charge a fee except where permitted.
10. Candidates and other data subjects in customer workspaces
If you are a candidate or other individual whose data is held in a recruitment agency's Hone workspace, that agency is the controller. Please direct access, deletion or other requests to them. If you contact us by mistake, we will acknowledge you and forward your request to the relevant customer so it can respond; we will not action the request ourselves except on the customer's instruction.
11. Complaints
If you have a concern, please contact us first at privacy@detecktiv.io so we can try to resolve it. You also have the right to complain to the ICO — https://ico.org.uk, helpline 0303 123 1113.
12. Changes
We may update this policy from time to time. The version and effective date at the top show when it last changed; material changes will be notified where appropriate.
13. Contact
Virtual Data Integration Ltd trading as Hone — data protection contact: privacy@detecktiv.io. Registered office: 22 Walbank Grove, Shenley Brook End, Milton Keynes, England, MK5 7WB.