Applicant & HR Privacy Notice
1. Introduction
This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information throughout the recruitment and employment lifecycle.
Mega Cat Studios (“MCS”, “we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of our job applicants, employees, contractors, and other personnel (“you”).
It is not a contract and does not create any legal rights or obligations. Whomever you submit your application to, be that MCS or a third party service provider utilized by MCS, will be the data controller of your personal information. This Privacy Notice supplements our other notices and privacy policies and is not intended to override them.
2. What is Personal Information
“Personal Information” refers to any information that identifies, relates to, describes, or can reasonably be linked to an individual.
This may include direct identifiers (e.g., name) and indirect identifiers (e.g., IP address, employment history).
3. Categories of Personal Information We Collect
We collect personal information about you when you apply for a job with us, during the applicant recruitment and tracking process, and throughout your ongoing employment relationship with us, which, depending on the location, we may collect the following categories of personal information:
A. Identification and Contact Information
- Full name - We collect your full legal name to accurately identify you in our records. This is used for official documentation, employment or contractor agreements, background checks, and internal record-keeping.
- Email address - Your email address is used as a primary means of communication. This includes sending updates, notifications, work-related information, and important documents related to your application or engagement with the company.
- Phone number - We collect your phone number to contact you directly for urgent matters, interview coordination, work-related updates, or other time-sensitive communications.
- Home address - Your home address may be used for identification, record-keeping, and administrative purposes. It may also be required for compliance with legal, tax, or contractual obligations
- Government-issued identifiers (where legally required) - We may collect government-issued identification numbers (such as tax identification numbers or other official IDs) when required by law. These are used for verification, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and processing of payments or contracts.
B. Recruitment and Employment Information
- Resume/CV and cover letter - We collect your resume/CV and cover letter to assess your skills, experience, and suitability for the role. These documents provide an overview of your professional background, achievements, and career objectives, and are used during the screening and selection process.
- Work history and qualifications - Your work history and professional qualifications are reviewed to evaluate your experience, expertise, and alignment with the role requirements. This may include previous job roles, responsibilities, duration of employment, certifications, and relevant accomplishments.
- Educational background - We collect information about your educational background to verify your academic qualifications and ensure that you meet the requirements of the role. This may include degrees obtained, institutions attended, and any relevant training or coursework.
- References and interview notes - We may collect references provided by you to verify your professional background and performance. Additionally, interview notes may be recorded by interviewers to document assessments, feedback, and evaluation outcomes during the hiring process.
C. Professional and Technical Information
- Portfolio - We may collect and review your portfolio to evaluate the quality, style, and relevance of your work. This is particularly important for creative and technical roles, as it helps us assess your practical skills and experience.
- Skills assessments and test results - We may ask you to complete skills tests or assessments as part of the recruitment or evaluation process. The results help us objectively measure your capabilities, technical proficiency, and suitability for the role.
- Work-related communications - We may collect and retain communications related to your work, such as emails, messages, and collaboration records. These are used to support business operations, ensure proper documentation, and maintain effective communication within teams.
D. Sensitive Personal Information (where applicable)
- Background check information - Where permitted by law, we may conduct background checks to verify your identity, employment history, and other relevant information. This helps ensure trust, safety, and compliance within the organization.
- Health-related data - We may collect limited health-related information when necessary, such as for workplace accommodations, fitness to work, or compliance with legal obligations. This information is handled with a high level of confidentiality and only accessed by authorized personnel.
- Diversity information (voluntarily provided) - We may collect diversity-related information (e.g., gender, age group, or other demographic data) on a voluntary basis. This is used to support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and is not used to make employment decisions.
E. Device and Usage Information
- IP address - We may collect your IP address to help identify and authenticate users accessing our systems. This information is used to enhance security, detect and prevent unauthorized access, and support system administration and troubleshooting.
- System access logs - We may maintain logs of access to our systems, including login times, logout times, and activity records. These logs help us monitor system performance, investigate technical issues, ensure compliance with internal policies, and protect against security threats.
- Use of company systems and tools - We may monitor the use of company-provided systems, software, and tools to ensure they are used appropriately and in accordance with company policies. This may include tracking usage patterns to maintain security, safeguard company resources, and support operational efficiency.
4. Our Use of Personal Information
We use the personal information we collect during the recruiting process, when you apply for a job with us, and throughout our ongoing employment relationship with you to:
- Managing recruitment, selection, and hiring processes
- Evaluating qualifications and suitability for roles
- Conducting background checks
- Onboarding and managing employment relationships
- Payroll, benefits, and compensation administration
- Ensuring security of company systems and intellectual property
- Compliance with legal and regulatory obligations
- Internal reporting, analytics, and workforce planning
5. Sources of Personal Information We Collect
We collect personal information from:
- You directly (applications, interviews, onboarding forms)
- Third parties, such as:
- Recruitment agencies
- Background check providers
- References you provide
- Automatically, through:
- Company systems and devices
- Online platforms used during recruitment or employment
6. The Legal Reasons We Rely on to Process Your Personal Information
We process personal information based on one or more of the following legal grounds:
- Performance of a contract: (e.g., employment agreement)
- Compliance with legal obligations
-
Legitimate business interests, such as:
- Hiring qualified personnel
- Protecting company assets and systems
- Consent: In certain countries and in some limited situations, MCS relies on your voluntary consent to process your personal information. Please be advised that responding to a job posting and/or submission of a job application to MCS or a third party service provider through which MCS has posted an open position is considered voluntary consent for the purpose of this Notice. Without such consent, we are not able to process your application. Where you have provided consent, you can withdraw this at any time by contacting us at hope@megacatstudios.com. Any decision to pursue and maintain an employment relationship with MCS after receipt of any offer for employment will also be considered voluntary consent.
7. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:
- Information: To know what personal information we are processing and why.
- Access: To request a copy of your personal information.
- Correction: To request correction of your personal information where it is inaccurate.
- Deletion: In certain circumstances, to request deletion of your personal information where the continued processing is no longer necessary.
- Object: To request that we stop processing your personal information particularly where there are no longer sufficient legitimate grounds to continue such processing.
- Restrict: To request that we limit the processing of your personal information.
- Portability: In certain circumstances, you may request that your personal information is transferred to a third-party.
If you wish to exercise one of these rights, please contact the Human Resources department or
8. Recipients of Personal Information
We may share personal information with:
- Internal teams (HR and management)
Your personal information may be accessed by authorized personnel within our organization, such as Human Resources and management teams. This is for purposes including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, payroll processing, and overall employee administration. Access is limited only to those who need the information to perform their job responsibilities. - Affiliates and subsidiaries
We may share your information with our affiliated companies or subsidiaries within our corporate group. This allows us to maintain consistent processes, provide centralized services (such as HR or IT support), and support internal reporting and business operations across different entities. - Service providers (e.g., payroll, cloud services, recruitment tools)
We may engage trusted third-party service providers to perform certain functions on our behalf, such as payroll processing, data storage, recruitment platforms, and IT support. These providers are given access only to the information necessary to perform their services and are required to protect your personal information in accordance with applicable data protection laws - Legal and regulatory authorities (when required)
We may disclose personal information to government agencies, regulators, or other authorized bodies when required by law, legal processes, or to comply with regulatory obligations. This may also include responding to lawful requests, court orders, or to protect the rights, safety, and security of the company and its stakeholders.
All third parties are required to protect your personal information and process it only for specified purposes.
9. Security Safeguards in Place
We implement appropriate technical, organizational, and administrative measures to protect personal information, including:
- Secure data storage and encryption
- Access controls and authentication mechanisms
- Employee confidentiality obligations
- Regular monitoring and security assessments
10. Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to:
- Fulfill the purposes outlined in this Notice
Personal information is kept for as long as it is needed to carry out the purposes for which it was collected. This includes activities such as recruitment, onboarding, employment administration, performance management, and other related business operations. Once the information is no longer required for these purposes, it will be securely deleted or anonymized. - Comply with legal or regulatory requirements
We may retain personal information for a longer period when required to comply with applicable laws and regulations. This may include retention obligations related to tax, employment, accounting, or reporting requirements imposed by government authorities. - Resolve disputes and enforce agreements
Personal information may be retained as necessary to handle potential disputes, claims, or legal proceedings, and to enforce our contractual rights and obligations. This ensures that we have appropriate records to support any legal or administrative matters that may arise.
Applicant data may be retained for a limited period after recruitment for future opportunities, unless otherwise required or permitted by law.
11. Updates to this Privacy Notice
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements or our practices.
If we decide to make material changes to our Privacy Notice, we will update the “Last Updated Date” above to indicate when those changes will become effective.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Notice or your personal information, please contact us to
