Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

CCO — Career Counselling Online ("CCO", "we", "us" or "our"), operating the website https://www.careercounsellingonline.com, is committed to protecting the privacy of the students, parents and professionals who use our services. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the choices and rights you have. It is intended to comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (the "DPDP Act") and other applicable Indian law. By using our website, booking a discovery call, or engaging our career counselling services, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only the personal data we need to respond to your enquiry and deliver career counselling. When you submit our booking or enquiry form, we typically collect:

• Name — so we can address you and the student correctly.
• Phone / WhatsApp number — to schedule and conduct your session.
• Email address — to send confirmations, reports and follow-up support.
• Class / stage — for example Class 8–9, Class 10, Plus Two, graduate or working professional, to prepare the right guidance.
• City / area — to understand your location and context.

During the counselling process we may also collect assessment responses (psychometric and brain-mapping test answers) and any information you voluntarily share about your education, interests and goals. We may automatically collect limited technical data such as IP address, browser type, device information and pages visited, through cookies and analytics tools (see Section 5).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiry and schedule your free 20-minute discovery call.
• To deliver career counselling sessions, psychometric and brain-mapping assessments, and personalised career reports.
• To provide follow-up support by email and WhatsApp as included in your plan.
• To process payments and maintain records required for accounting and tax.
• To improve our website, services and assessment quality.
• To send you relevant service updates (you can opt out of non-essential communication at any time).
• To comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms.

We process your data on the lawful bases of your consent, the performance of our services to you, and our legitimate and legal obligations under Indian law.

4. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell your personal data to anyone. We do not trade, rent or make your personal data available to third parties for their own marketing. We may share limited data only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers (data processors) who help us operate — for example assessment platforms, payment gateways, email and video-calling tools — bound by confidentiality and data-protection obligations.
• Legal and regulatory authorities where disclosure is required by law, court order, or to protect our rights and the safety of others.
• Business transfers — if CCO is involved in a merger or acquisition, data may transfer under equivalent protection, and you will be notified.

5. Cookies & Analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to keep the site working, remember your preferences, and understand how visitors use our pages. We may use privacy-respecting analytics tools to measure traffic and improve content. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings; disabling some cookies may affect how parts of the website function. We do not use cookies to sell your data.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. These include restricted access on a need-to-know basis, secure transmission (encryption in transit where available), and secure storage with trusted service providers. While no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, we work to protect your data and to notify you and the relevant authority of any significant personal-data breach as required by the DPDP Act.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including delivering your counselling, providing the follow-up support period included in your plan, and meeting legal, accounting or reporting requirements. When your data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it. You may request erasure earlier, subject to any legal retention obligations (see Section 8).

8. Your Rights (India DPDP Act 2023)

As a Data Principal under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have the following rights in respect of your personal data:

• Right to access — to obtain a summary of the personal data we process about you and how it is used.
• Right to correction — to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected or updated.
• Right to erasure — to request deletion of your personal data where it is no longer required and no legal obligation compels us to retain it.
• Right to withdraw consent — to withdraw consent for processing at any time, without affecting processing already carried out.
• Right to grievance redressal — to raise a complaint with our Grievance Officer (see Section 12), and to escalate to the Data Protection Board of India if unresolved.
• Right to nominate — to nominate another individual to exercise your rights in the event of death or incapacity.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 12. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe as required by law.

9. Children's Data

Career counselling frequently involves minors (students below 18 years of age). Where we process the personal data of a child, we require verifiable consent from a parent or lawful guardian before collecting or using that data, in line with the DPDP Act. We do not undertake tracking, behavioural monitoring or targeted advertising directed at children, and we do not process a child's data in any way likely to cause harm. Parents and guardians may review, correct or request deletion of their child's data at any time by contacting us.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, tools or resources that are not operated by CCO. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those external sites. We are not responsible for their content or privacy practices, and we encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party site you visit.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology or the law. When we make material changes, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

12. Contact / Grievance Officer

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise your rights or raise a grievance about how your data is handled, please contact our Grievance Officer:

CCO — Career Counselling Online
D-60A, 100 Feet Road, Chattarpur Enclave, Chhatarpur, New Delhi 110074, India
Phone: +91 93193 36222 · +91 96500 38189
Email: info@careercounsellingonline.com