Shoutt — Privacy Policy

Shoutt International Ltd is committed to protecting your personal data. This policy explains what we collect, why, how we store it, and the rights you have under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. It forms part of our Terms of Service.

Introduction

Shoutt International Ltd (Shoutt, we, our, us) is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and store it, and what rights you have under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy forms part of our Terms of Service. By using the Shoutt platform you accept both documents.

Who We Are

Shoutt International Ltd is the data controller for personal data processed through the Platform. Our registered address is 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE. Contact us at [email protected] for any data protection query.

What Data We Collect

Account Data

When you create an account: your name, email address, and password (stored encrypted).

Career and Application Data

Information you provide to use the Platform's job search features, including:

CV and work history
Cover letters and application content generated or uploaded on the Platform
Job preferences, target roles, salary expectations, and location
LinkedIn profile URL and publicly available LinkedIn profile information
Portfolio links and supporting materials

Relay Address and Email Data

Shoutt creates and operates a unique Relay Address for each User. We collect and process:

Emails sent through the Relay Address to employers and recruiters
Emails received at the Relay Address from employers and recruiters
Metadata associated with those emails (sender, recipient, timestamp, subject) This data is used solely to provide the Platform's application tracking and Placement detection functions. It is not used for advertising or sold to third parties.

Payment Data

Payment card details are collected when a User unlocks interview details for a role applied to via the Platform. Card details are captured solely as security for the Success Fee that will become payable if the User secures a Qualifying Role. No charge is made at the point of card capture. Card details are processed and stored by our payment provider, Stripe. Shoutt does not store full card numbers. The Success Fee will only be charged if the User lands a job through Shoutt. We retain transaction records and charge history for accounting and legal compliance purposes.

LinkedIn and Social Signals

By using the Platform, you agree that Shoutt may monitor publicly available LinkedIn profile data (including job title and employer fields) to detect changes that may indicate a Placement. This monitoring is limited to Placement detection. It does not extend to other social activity.

Platform Usage Data

We collect information about how you use the Platform, including pages visited, jobs viewed, and actions taken, to improve the service.

Communications

We retain communications between you and Shoutt support for service and troubleshooting purposes.

Legal Bases for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

Contract performance (Article 6(1)(b)): processing necessary to provide the Platform services you have signed up for, including operating the Relay Address, tracking applications, and collecting the Success Fee.
Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)): monitoring LinkedIn and other public signals to detect Placements; fraud prevention; debt recovery where a Success Fee is unpaid. Our legitimate interests do not override your rights where those interests are outweighed by your interests or fundamental rights.
Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)): retaining transaction and contract records as required by applicable law.
Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): where we process data for purposes not covered above (for example, using application data to improve AI models), we will seek your explicit consent separately.

How We Use Your Data

5.1To provide the Platform: creating your account, matching you with roles, generating and sending applications through the Relay Address, providing interview preparation, and supporting salary negotiation.

5.2To detect Placements: monitoring Relay Address email content and publicly available LinkedIn data to identify when you have secured a role applied to via the Platform.

5.3To collect the Success Fee: invoicing and charging the Success Fee when a Placement is confirmed, and pursuing recovery where payment is not made.

5.4To communicate with you: sending service notifications, placement alerts, support responses, and product updates.

5.5To improve the Platform: analysing usage patterns and application outcomes to improve job matching and platform features. Any use of personal data for AI model training requires separate explicit consent.

5.6To comply with legal obligations: retaining records as required by law, responding to lawful requests from authorities, and enforcing our Terms of Service.

Data Sharing

6.1Service providers: we share data with trusted third-party providers who help us operate the Platform, including cloud hosting (Microsoft Azure), email infrastructure, payment processing (Stripe), and analytics (Google Analytics). These providers act as data processors under written agreements and may not use your data for their own purposes.

6.2Legal and regulatory: we may disclose data if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of Shoutt, its users, or others.

6.3Business transfers: if Shoutt undergoes a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may transfer to the new operator. We will notify you before this occurs.

6.4We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

Data Retention

7.1We retain your personal data for as long as you have an account with us. We reserve the right to delete data associated with accounts that have been inactive for an extended period, and will notify you before doing so. Closing your account does not trigger automatic deletion — if you wish your data to be deleted, please submit a deletion request to [email protected].

7.2You may request deletion of your data at any time by emailing [email protected]. We will fulfil deletion requests within 30 days. However, we apply a minimum retention period of 6 months from account closure to ensure we can fulfil any Success Fee obligations arising from applications already submitted.

7.3Where we are required to retain data for legal, regulatory, or contractual reasons (including evidence relevant to an outstanding or disputed Success Fee), we will retain the minimum data necessary for the minimum period required.

7.4Payment records are retained for 7 years in accordance with HMRC requirements.

Automated Processing

8.1Shoutt uses automated means to detect Placement events, including analysis of Relay Address email content and LinkedIn profile monitoring. This automated detection triggers a notification to you and a 14-day dispute window before any charge is made.

8.2Where a User submits a dispute within the 14-day window, Shoutt staff will review the relevant Relay Address email content and other available evidence to assess the dispute. This means that in a dispute context, email content may be read by Shoutt personnel, not only processed by automated systems. No Success Fee charge is made until that human review is complete and the dispute is resolved. This process does not constitute solely automated decision-making within the meaning of Article 22 UK GDPR because a human review step precedes any financially consequential action.

International Transfers

Data is stored on Microsoft Azure infrastructure with locations in Europe and the United States. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent mechanisms recognised under UK data protection law.

Security

We apply technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. These include encryption at rest and in transit, access controls, and regular security reviews. In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the ICO within 72 hours and notify affected users without undue delay.

Cookies and Tracking

11.1Shoutt uses cookies and similar technologies to operate and improve the Platform.

11.2We use the following types of cookies:

Essential cookies: required for core functionality including login and session management.
Analytics cookies: we use Google Analytics and Meta Pixel to understand usage patterns and improve the Platform. These tools may collect data about your activity across Shoutt and other sites.
Preference cookies: to remember your settings and improve your experience.

11.3You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie consent tool. Disabling non-essential cookies will not affect your ability to use the Platform's core features.

Your Rights

Under UK GDPR you have the following rights:

Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure: request deletion of your data, subject to the retention provisions in clause 7.
Restriction: ask us to restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.
Portability: receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Object: object to processing based on legitimate interests, including Placement detection monitoring. Note that objecting to Placement detection monitoring will affect our ability to provide the Platform's core service.
Withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Third-Party Links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites and job listings. These operate independently and Shoutt is not responsible for their privacy practices. Review their privacy policies before providing any personal data.

California Residents (CCPA)

14.1This section applies to residents of California and supplements the rest of this Privacy Policy. It is provided in accordance with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).

14.2Categories of personal information collected. In the preceding 12 months we have collected the following categories of personal information: identifiers (name, email address, IP address); professional or employment-related information (CV, work history, job preferences); financial information (payment card details, salary data); internet or network activity (platform usage data); and inferences drawn from the above to create a profile relating to job search preferences and outcomes.

14.3We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising. We have not done so in the preceding 12 months.

14.4California residents have the right to: (a) know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and share about them; (b) request deletion of their personal information, subject to the retention provisions in clause 7; (c) correct inaccurate personal information; (d) opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (not applicable here as we do not sell or share data); and (e) not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.

14.5To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 45 days as required under the CCPA, with a possible extension of a further 45 days where reasonably necessary. We will not charge a fee for a verifiable consumer request unless it is excessive or repetitive.

14.6The Platform is not directed at anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Where changes are material, we will notify you by email at least 14 days before they take effect. The current version is always available on the Platform.

Contact

For any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or your personal data, contact us at [email protected].

Questions about this privacy?

Email us and we'll come back to you.

[email protected]