Privacy Policy

FDE Circle is operated by FDE Circle. We provide simulation-based training and assessment for Forward Deployed Engineers and the companies that hire them. This policy explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, and your rights in relation to it. Our contact email is hello@fdecircle.com.

Account data

• Candidates: name and email address from your Google account, profile photo (optional).
• Companies: name, work email address, company name, and password (hashed — never stored in plaintext).

Assessment data

• All responses you submit during a scenario: code changes, terminal commands run, written answers, integration plans, Loom video URLs.
• Scores generated by automated test suites and LLM-as-judge models.
• Timestamps for session start, submission, and each phase completion.

Usage data

• Pages visited, actions taken within the platform (e.g. scenario started, profile viewed).
• Browser type, operating system, and approximate location (country-level, derived from IP).

Communication data

• Emails you send us and any support communications.

Candidate data submitted by a company

• When a company invites a candidate directly (rather than the candidate signing up themselves), the company submits that person's name and email address to us. We use this solely to create the assessment session and send the invitation email described in Section 3. For this specific data, the submitting company is the data controller responsible for the lawful basis of the initial contact — see our Terms of Service, Section 5. If the invited person never creates an account, we retain this data for the same period as other company assessment records (Section 5 below) and then delete it.

• To provide the service: running scenarios, generating scores, building your FDE-Ready profile, and displaying results to you and (where applicable) the employer who sent your assessment link.
• To improve scoring: aggregate and anonymised response data informs rubric refinement and LLM judge calibration. We do not use individual responses to train third-party LLM providers without explicit consent.
• To communicate with you: account confirmation, score notifications, product updates, and (if you opt in) news about the talent marketplace.
• For security and fraud prevention: detecting abuse, protecting accounts, and enforcing our Terms of Service.
• To deliver invitations: when a company submits a candidate's contact details to invite them to an assessment, we send that person an email containing the assessment link and information about FDE Circle Train, on the company's instruction. We act as a data processor for this specific activity — see "Candidate data submitted by a company" in Section 2.

Our lawful bases under UK GDPR are: performance of a contract (providing the service you signed up for), legitimate interests (improving scoring models, preventing fraud), and consent(talent marketplace discovery, marketing communications). Where we act as a data processor on a company's instruction (candidate invitations), the company is the controller responsible for the lawful basis of that processing.

We do not sell personal data. We share it only in these circumstances:

• Employers (ASSESS product): if a company sent you an assessment link, they receive your scores and full response record for that assessment. They do not receive your Google profile data or self-started training scores.
• Employers (HIRE marketplace, Phase 5): if you opt in to talent discovery, employers can view your overall tier, dimension scores, and completed scenario types. Your name and contact details are never shared directly — introductions are facilitated by FDE Circle staff.
• Infrastructure providers: Supabase (database and auth, hosted in EU), Vercel (hosting), and E2B (sandbox execution). Each is bound by data processing agreements.
• LLM providers: assessment responses are sent to OpenAI (GPT-4o) and/or Anthropic (Claude) for scoring. These providers process data under their own privacy policies and do not use submitted data to train their models under our agreements. Response data is not stored by these providers beyond the API call.
• Legal requirements: where required by law, court order, or to protect the rights of FDE Circle or others.

• Active account data is retained for as long as you hold an account.
• Assessment responses and scores are retained indefinitely to maintain your profile and score history, unless you request deletion.
• On account deletion: profile and scores are removed from public view immediately; stored response data is deleted within 90 days unless a legal obligation requires longer retention.
• Company assessment records are retained for 12 months after the assessment is completed, then deleted unless the company requests earlier deletion.

When the HIRE marketplace launches (Phase 5), candidates can opt in to being discoverable by employers. This is entirely voluntary. If you opt in:

• Your overall tier, dimension scores, and completed scenario types become visible to vetted employers.
• Your name and email are never shared with employers — all introductions go through FDE Circle.
• You can withdraw consent and become undiscoverable at any time from your profile settings. Withdrawal takes effect immediately.

We use session cookies to keep you signed in. We do not use tracking or advertising cookies. No third-party analytics scripts are loaded on the platform. Browser local storage is used for UI preferences (e.g. theme) — this does not contain personal data.

Passwords are hashed using bcrypt and never stored in plaintext. All data in transit is encrypted with TLS. Database access is restricted by row-level security policies — your data is accessible only to you and, where applicable, the employer who sent your assessment link. We conduct periodic security reviews.

No system is perfectly secure. If you discover a vulnerability, please report it to hello@fdecircle.com before disclosing it publicly.

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate data.
• Delete your data (subject to legal retention requirements).
• Port your data in a machine-readable format.
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing is consent-based (e.g. talent discovery, marketing emails).

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@fdecircle.com. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Your data is stored on Supabase infrastructure in the EU. It may be processed in the UK (our operating jurisdiction) and transmitted to LLM providers operating from the US. Where data is transferred outside the UK/EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent).

FDE Circle is intended for users aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

We may update this policy as the platform evolves. Material changes will be communicated by email or in-app notice at least 14 days before they take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page always reflects the most recent revision.

For any privacy questions or to exercise your rights: hello@fdecircle.com