Privacy Policy

Last updated: 21 October 2025

Your privacy matters to us. This policy explains what information GuideBeam Pty Ltd (“GuideBeam”, “we”, “our”, “us”) collects, how we use it, and your rights under Australian privacy law and global data-protection principles.

1. Introduction

In short: We protect your data and use it only to help you learn and grow.

GuideBeam follows the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and aligns with GDPR standards for international users.

2. Information We Collect

In short: We collect personal, behavioural, and learning-related data to personalise your experience.

We may collect:

• Personal details: name, email address, age range, education, and career goals.
• Psychometric data: answers and scores from assessments such as CABIN-NET, HEXACO, and other validated instruments.
• Career materials: résumés, cover letters, job descriptions, or interview responses you upload or create.
• Profile imports: optional data from LinkedIn or similar platforms when you authorise connection.
• Behavioural data: non-personal metrics like navigation patterns, session time, and task completion.
• Device and usage info: IP address, browser type, operating system, and referral pages.
• Payment data: limited billing metadata via Stripe (GuideBeam never stores full card details).

3. How We Use Information

In short: To deliver your experience, improve our product, and comply with the law.

We use data to:

• Generate personalised career insights and skill recommendations.
• Operate AI-driven features such as résumé updates, job-fit analysis, and interview simulations.
• Analyse anonymised usage trends to improve design and usability.
• Communicate service updates, learning modules, and support messages.
• Meet legal, accounting, or compliance requirements.

We process data based on consent, legitimate interest, or contractual necessity.

4. Psychometric & Third-Party Tools

In short: We respect the creators of the tests we use.

Assessments such as CABIN-NET, HEXACO, or similar remain the property of their authors.
GuideBeam uses them under licence or permission and may share anonymised response summaries with authorised researchers or professionals where you’ve given consent.

5. Third-Party Services and AI Processing

In short: Some of your data is handled by trusted partners to power key features.

• OpenAI and similar AI providers – for generating career insights, résumé feedback, or interview simulations. Data is pseudonymised where possible and not used to train external models.
• Supabase – for secure hosting and authentication (servers in Australia or closest region).
• Google Analytics / Hotjar or equivalent – for anonymised analytics on how users interact with the site.
• Stripe Payments Australia Pty Ltd – for secure payment processing.
• O*NET and Lightcast – for career and skills taxonomies integrated into our recommendations.

We only share the data necessary to perform each service, and all partners follow strong privacy and security standards.

6. Peer Pods and Communication Data

In short: Conversations are yours; we only monitor for safety.

Messages or interactions in Peer Pods may be logged or temporarily reviewed to maintain community standards.
GuideBeam does not sell or disclose this information externally and uses it only for moderation and feature improvement.

7. Professional, Enterprise, and Educational Access

In short: You control who sees your results.

With your explicit consent, psychologists, counsellors, employers, HR teams, or schools may view selected parts of your data—such as psychometric summaries or skill progress.
You can revoke access anytime, and GuideBeam will terminate the connection immediately.
Enterprise and Educational partners must comply with privacy laws and use the data only for agreed career-development purposes.
For students under 18, parental or institutional consent is required.

8. Marketing and Communications

In short: We’ll only contact you about relevant things—and you can opt out.

We may email you about new features, learning content, or partner opportunities.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
We never share personal data for third-party advertising or behavioural targeting.

9. Data Storage, Security, and Retention

In short: Your data is encrypted, and you can delete it whenever you like.

• Stored on secure Supabase infrastructure with encryption in transit and at rest.
• Limited access by authorised staff under confidentiality agreements.
• Data retained while your account is active and deleted within 30 days of closure or on request.
• Aggregated, non-personal metrics may be kept for research and service improvement.

10. Data Breaches

In short: If something goes wrong, we’ll tell you.

In the unlikely event of a security breach involving personal information, GuideBeam will notify affected users and relevant authorities in accordance with Australia’s Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme.

11. Your Rights and Controls

In short: You’re in control of your data.

You can:

• Access and review your data.
• Correct inaccurate information.
• Delete your account and associated data.
• Export your information.
• Withdraw consent for specific uses.

Requests can be made at any time by emailing privacy@guidebeam.com.

12. Cookies and Tracking

In short: We use cookies for function and analytics, not for ads.

GuideBeam uses essential cookies for login sessions and optional cookies for analytics.
You can disable cookies through your browser without affecting core functionality.

13. Children’s Privacy

In short: We protect young users through parental or school consent.

GuideBeam is not designed for users under 16 unless consent is provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised school representative.
Institutions using GuideBeam for students must ensure appropriate permissions and disclosures.

14. Changes to This Policy

In short: We’ll let you know if we change anything important.

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect legal or operational changes.
Significant updates will be announced through the app or by email before taking effect.

15. Contact Us

In short: We’re here to help.

If you have questions or privacy concerns, contact us at:
📧 privacy@guidebeam.com

© 2025 GuideBeam Pty Ltd · All rights reserved.