Trust & Security
Privacy Center
Detailed documentation on how HawkNest protects student data, manages AI transparency, and complies with global data protection regulations.
Last updated: 20 April 2026
Data Protection Principles
Integrity & Confidentiality
We protect all personal data against unauthorized access, loss, or damage using industry-standard encryption and access controls.
Purpose Limitation
Data is collected only for specified, explicit purposes related to educational guidance and career planning.
Data Minimisation
We collect only the minimum data necessary to deliver personalised guidance and improve the platform.
Accuracy
We take reasonable steps to ensure personal data is accurate, complete, and kept up to date.
UAE data residency. All personal data is stored and processed within the United Arab Emirates (AWS me-central-1), with AI workloads on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service (Enterprise), also hosted in the UAE. We do not transfer personal data outside the UAE in the ordinary course of operations.
Minor Consent & Safeguarding
HawkNest is designed for students aged 13 and above. Our consent practices and safeguards are aligned with UAE child protection and data protection laws.
UAE PDPL (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021)
Compliance with the UAE Personal Data Protection Law, including lawful-basis processing, data subject rights, and specific provisions for minors. Schools act as data controllers during institutional onboarding and obtain parental/guardian consent.
UAE Child Digital Safety Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 3 of 2024)
Enhanced safeguards for all users under 18: age verification, highest-privacy defaults, AI content guardrails, and safeguarding-incident escalation within regulatory timeframes.
Retention & Deletion Policies
Active Accounts
Data retained while account is active and student is enrolled. Regular reviews ensure data remains relevant.
Analytics & Backups
Analytics and usage data is retained up to 24 months, then aggregated or anonymised. Disaster-recovery backups rotate on a 35-day cycle.
Hard Deletion
Upon request or after retention period, all personal data is permanently deleted from active systems within 30 days.
AI Transparency
Automated Decision-Making
HawkNest does not make autonomous admissions decisions. Our AI supports guidance by providing recommendations, career matches, and pathway suggestions that students and counsellors review together.
No Foundation Model Training
Student data, user prompts, and assessment responses are never used to train, fine-tune, or improve any third-party or foundation AI model. AI subprocessors are contractually restricted from doing so. Service improvements use only anonymised, aggregated, or synthetic data.
Compliance Mapping
| Requirement | Applicable Law | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Lawful basis for processing | UAE PDPL | ✓ Compliant |
| Data subject rights (access, rectification, erasure, portability) | UAE PDPL | ✓ Compliant |
| Cross-border transfer safeguards | UAE PDPL | ✓ Compliant |
| Data breach notification | UAE PDPL | ✓ Compliant |
| Data Protection Officer | UAE PDPL | ✓ Compliant |
| Parental/guardian consent for minors | UAE PDPLUAE CDS Law | ✓ Compliant |
| Age verification & gating (13+) | UAE CDS Law | ✓ Compliant |
| Highest-privacy defaults for users under 18 | UAE CDS Law | ✓ Compliant |
| AI content filters & age-appropriate safeguards | UAE CDS Law | ✓ Compliant |
| Safeguarding incident reporting (24 hr) | UAE CDS Law | ✓ Compliant |
UAE PDPL = Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021. UAE CDS Law = Child Digital Safety Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 3 of 2024.
Contact Our Data Protection Officer
For privacy inquiries, data access requests, or concerns about how we handle your data, please contact our Data Protection Officer.
Email: support@hawknest.ai
Legal Documents
Privacy Policy
How we collect, use, and protect your personal data.
Read document →Terms of Service
The agreement governing use of the HawkNest platform.
Read document →Acceptable Use Policy
Rules and expectations for using HawkNest responsibly.
Read document →Cookie Policy
How we use cookies and similar tracking technologies.
Read document →Data Retention & Deletion
How long we keep data and how we delete it.
Read document →Responsible AI Policy
Our commitments to ethical and transparent AI use.
Read document →Children's Safety & Safeguarding
How we safeguard minors using HawkNest.
Read document →