Privacy Notice

1. Controller and contact

The controller is IFDS International Institute for Data Science LLC, Rue du Perron 10, 1296 Coppet, Switzerland (UID CHE-409.168.665).

For privacy questions or to exercise your rights, contact info@ifds.ch or write to the address above.

2. Scope and applicable framework

We process personal data in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection. Where the EU or UK General Data Protection Regulation applies to a specific activity, we also process data under that applicable framework.

3. Data we process

• Website and security data: IP address, date and time, requested pages, referrer, browser/device information, language, session identifiers and technical security logs.
• Customer and inquiry data: name, business contact details, company, project or service interests, inquiry content, communications, source information and related CRM activity.
• Talent and recruitment data: identity and contact details, country and timezone, roles, seniority, experience, skills, languages, availability, work preferences, rates where supplied, profile text, CV, image, qualifications, projects, supporting documents, opportunity applications, consent and review history.
• Account and verification data: portal account identifiers, password credentials stored only in protected hashed form, email-verification status and audit data, login/session information and security events.

Please do not submit sensitive personal data that is not relevant to an inquiry, professional profile or recruitment process.

4. Why we process data

• to operate, secure and troubleshoot the website, portal and business systems;
• to respond to inquiries, qualify requirements and prepare or perform requested services;
• to create and maintain talent profiles, verify contact details, review professional evidence and consider people for relevant opportunities;
• to retain an active profile in the IFDS Talent Network and send relevant IFDS opportunity notifications where the person has consented;
• to prevent abuse, protect accounts and establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
• to meet legal, accounting and regulatory obligations; and
• to improve services using aggregated or appropriately minimized operational information.

Where GDPR applies, these activities rely as appropriate on steps requested before a contract, performance of a contract, legal obligations, legitimate interests in secure and effective business operations, or consent. Consent may be withdrawn for future processing at any time.

5. Talent review and automated tools

IFDS uses human review for talent acceptance, opportunity consideration and customer recommendations. Technical tools may assist with organizing, normalizing or summarizing information, but IFDS does not make solely automated hiring, eligibility or compensation decisions.

6. Recipients and service providers

Access is limited to authorized IFDS personnel and service providers who need the data for the purposes above. We may involve professional advisers, security or IT providers, and public authorities where legally required.

Joining the Talent Network does not itself make a profile public. Before identifiable candidate information or documents are provided to a prospective customer for a specific opportunity, IFDS will involve the candidate in that opportunity process unless a legal exception applies.

7. Processing locations and transfers

IFDS is established in Switzerland. Its current core website, application and transactional-email infrastructure is operated through a provider in Germany. Data may also be accessed from another country when a specific customer, expert or service-provider relationship requires it. For disclosures to a country without an officially recognized adequate level of protection, IFDS uses an applicable safeguard or legal exception and provides further information where required.

8. Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as needed for the stated purpose, an active business or talent relationship, security and backup cycles, and applicable legal documentation or limitation periods. Talent profiles are retained while active in the network or until withdrawal, subject to data that must be kept for legal obligations, consent evidence, security or claims. Short-lived email-verification challenges are automatically removed under the verification-retention schedule. When data is no longer required, it is deleted or anonymized where practical.

9. Cookies and similar technology

The current website uses technically necessary session and language cookies to provide Odoo website and portal functions and protect sessions. IFDS does not currently use advertising cookies or website analytics/tag-manager services. If that changes, this notice and any required consent mechanism will be updated before activation.

10. Your choices and rights

Subject to applicable law, you may request information about your personal data and ask for access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection or portability. You may withdraw consent for future processing and ask to leave the Talent Network. We may need to verify identity before acting on a request.

You may also contact the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner, or an applicable EU/EEA/UK supervisory authority where the relevant law applies.

11. Security

We use proportionate technical and organizational measures intended to protect personal data, including controlled access, transport encryption, account security controls, verification, backups and monitoring. No system can guarantee absolute security.

12. Updates

We may update this notice when processing or legal requirements change. The effective date and version identify the notice in force. Talent acknowledgements retain the notice version recorded when submitted.