Privacy Policy

Last updated: 6 August 2026

Summary: HK Refer is operated independently by Harsh Kumar. We do not sell your data. We do not share it with third parties except to route you to the platform you choose to apply through. You can request deletion of any data we hold at any time by emailing harsh@hkrefer.online.

1. Who We Are

HK Refer is an independent referral service operated by Harsh Kumar ("we", "us", "our"), reachable at harsh@hkrefer.online. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of micro1, Mercor, or any other platform we reference.

2. What Data We Collect and Why

Outreach emails: We may send you a one-time email if your professional profile is publicly visible on platforms such as Mercor. We collect your name, email address, and publicly listed role/skills for the sole purpose of sending that referral message.
Email interactions: If you reply or click a link in our email, we record that interaction to manage our referral relationship (e.g. remove you from future outreach).
Contact form / email enquiries: If you contact us directly, we retain your email and message to respond.

We do not collect sensitive personal data, financial information, or any data from minors.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (DPDP Act / GDPR)

Where the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (India) or GDPR applies:

Legitimate interest — for sending a single unsolicited referral email to a publicly listed professional profile, subject to your right to object at any time.
Consent — for any ongoing email communication after initial contact. Your continued engagement (reply, click) constitutes implied consent; you may withdraw at any time.

4. How We Use Your Data

To send a single personalised referral email presenting an open role relevant to your publicly listed skills.
To honour unsubscribe / opt-out requests and maintain a suppression list.
To respond to enquiries you send us.

We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or sale to third parties.

5. Affiliate Disclosure

HK Refer participates in open referral programmes offered by platforms such as micro1 and Mercor. If you sign up or are placed on a paid project through one of our referral links, we may earn a referral fee — at no cost to you. This does not affect your pay, hiring eligibility, or any decision made by the platform.

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. Your data is shared only in the following limited circumstances:

By your own action: When you click a referral link, you are taken to the third-party platform (e.g. micro1). That platform's own privacy policy then governs your data.
Service providers: We use AWS SES to send emails. AWS processes email headers only and does not receive the content of your professional profile.
Legal obligation: If required by law.

7. Data Retention

We retain your email address and name for as long as necessary to manage our referral relationship (typically no longer than 12 months from last contact, or until you request deletion). Suppression list entries (unsubscribes) are retained indefinitely to ensure we do not contact you again.

8. Your Rights

Under the DPDP Act and/or GDPR, you have the right to:

Access — request a copy of personal data we hold about you.
Correction — ask us to correct inaccurate data.
Deletion ("Right to be Forgotten") — ask us to erase all data we hold about you.
Object — object to processing based on legitimate interest (e.g. stop all future outreach).
Withdraw Consent — at any time, without affecting prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, email harsh@hkrefer.online with the subject line "Privacy Request". We will respond within 72 hours.

9. Unsubscribe / Opt-Out

To stop receiving any emails from HK Refer, reply to any email with the word "Unsubscribe" or email harsh@hkrefer.online. We will add you to our suppression list immediately and you will not be contacted again.

10. Security

We take reasonable technical measures to protect your data, including encrypted email transmission (TLS) and secure credential storage. We do not store résumés or personal profiles on our servers.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top will reflect any changes. Continued use of our services after an update constitutes acceptance.

12. Contact

For any privacy-related questions or requests:
Harsh Kumar
New Delhi, India
harsh@hkrefer.online