1. Who we are

Symbolica AI Limited (“Symbolica”, “we”, “us”) is the data controller responsible for the personal data we collect and process during the recruitment process. Our registered office is at 66 City Road, Fourth Floor East, London EC1Y 2AL, United Kingdom.

If you have questions about this notice or how we handle your data, please contact us at corporate@symbolica.ai.

2. What personal data we collect

During the recruitment process we may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

(a) Identity and contact information: name, address, email, phone number.

(b) Application information: CV, cover letter, work history, qualifications, references.

(d) Right to work information: proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

(e) Background check information: results of pre-employment screening, including DBS checks or equivalent, where applicable to the role.

(f) Criminal offence data: where voluntarily disclosed by you or obtained through a background check.

(g) Equal opportunities data: information about your gender, ethnicity, disability status, or other characteristics, collected on a voluntary basis for monitoring purposes only and not used in recruitment decisions. We may also use information you provide about any disability to make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process.

(h) References: information provided by your nominated referees, including their assessment of your suitability for the role.

(i) Publicly available information: information from online sources, including professional networking sites and social media profiles, where relevant to verifying your identity or assessing your application.

(j) Interview recordings and AI-generated notes: audio or video recordings of interviews and notes or summaries generated by AI-powered tools used during the interview process. All hiring decisions are made by people.

(k) Technical data: information generated through your interaction with our application systems.

3. How we collect your data

We collect personal data from the following sources:

(a) Directly from you, through your application, correspondence, and interviews.

(b) From recruitment platforms and job boards where you have submitted an application.

(d) From background check providers, where a check is carried out as part of a conditional offer.

(e) From publicly available online sources, including professional networking sites and social media, where relevant to verifying your identity or assessing your application.

(f) From AI-powered tools used during interviews, which may generate automated notes or summaries of conversations.

4. Why we process your data and our lawful basis

We process your personal data for the following purposes:

Purpose: Assessing your application and suitability for the role.

Lawful basis: Article 6(1)(b) -- steps necessary prior to entering into a contract.

Purpose: Conducting interviews and evaluating candidates.

Lawful basis: Article 6(1)(b) -- steps necessary prior to entering into a contract.

Purpose: Carrying out background and reference checks.

Lawful basis: Article 6(1)(b) -- pre-contractual steps; and Article 6(1)(f) -- our legitimate interest in verifying candidate information and maintaining a safe workplace.

Purpose: Verifying candidate identity through publicly available online sources.

Lawful basis: Article 6(1)(f) -- our legitimate interest in confirming that applicants are genuine, preventing fraud, and protecting against identity misrepresentation.

Purpose: Processing criminal offence data obtained through background checks.

Lawful basis: Article 6(1)(f) -- legitimate interests; Schedule 1, Part 1, Paragraph 1 DPA 2018 -- employment purposes. An Appropriate Policy Document is maintained.

Purpose: Processing criminal offence data voluntarily disclosed by you.

Lawful basis: Article 9(2)(a) -- explicit consent.

Purpose: Verifying right to work in the UK.

Lawful basis: Article 6(1)(c) -- compliance with a legal obligation.

Purpose: Equal opportunities monitoring.

Lawful basis: Article 9(2)(j) -- statistical and research purposes. Data is anonymised and not used in individual recruitment decisions.

Purpose: Defending or establishing legal claims.

Lawful basis: Article 6(1)(f) -- legitimate interests; Article 9(2)(f) -- establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

5. Who we share your data with

We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients where necessary:

(a) Background check and screening providers.

(b) Our applicant tracking system provider (currently Ashby).

(d) Professional advisers, including legal counsel, where required.

(e) Regulatory or government bodies where we are required to do so by law.

6. International transfers

Symbolica operates in both the UK and the United States. Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in the United States by Symbolica AI, Inc., our US parent company, where necessary for the recruitment process. Where we transfer personal data outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including standard contractual clauses, reliance on an adequacy decision or an appropriate derogation, as applicable.

7. How long we keep your data

If your application is unsuccessful, we will retain your personal data for 6 months after the conclusion of the recruitment process, after which it will be securely deleted. If a longer retention period is necessary to defend against a legal claim, data will be retained until that claim is resolved.

If you are offered and accept a role, relevant data from your application will be transferred to your personnel file and retained in accordance with our employee privacy notice.

If you consent to us keeping your details on file for future opportunities, we will retain your data for up to 12 months and then securely delete it unless you renew your consent.

8. Automated decision-making

We do not make recruitment decisions based solely on automated processing. We use AI-powered tools during interviews to assist with note-taking and generating summaries. These tools support our interviewers but do not score, rank, or assess candidates. All hiring decisions are made by people. You may request a copy of any AI-generated notes relating to your interviews.

9. Your rights

In certain circumstances, you may have the right to:

(a) Access the personal data we hold about you.

(b) Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

(d) Restrict or object to certain types of processing.

(e) Data portability -- receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.

(f) Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent.

(g) Make a complaint to us regarding the processing of your personal data.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact corporate@symbolica.ai.

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) if you believe your personal data has been handled unlawfully.

10. Changes to this notice

We may update this notice from time to time. The latest version will always be available on request and via our careers page.

Applicant Privacy Notice