Trust & Security

Last Updated: January 16, 2026

At 5E Intel, security and privacy are foundational to everything we build. This page provides an overview of our security practices, compliance measures, and data handling procedures.

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1. Security Overview

1.1 Data Encryption

In Transit	All data transmitted to and from our platform is encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher
At Rest	Data stored in our databases and file storage is encrypted using AES-256 encryption
Recordings	Audio and video recordings are encrypted both in transit and at rest

1.2 Access Controls

• Authentication: Secure password hashing using industry-standard algorithms
• Session Management: Secure session tokens with automatic expiration
• Role-Based Access: Users can only access surveys and data they own or have been explicitly granted access to
• Admin Controls: Organization administrators have granular control over team member permissions

1.3 Infrastructure Security

• Cloud Hosting: Our infrastructure is hosted on enterprise-grade cloud providers with SOC 2 Type II certification
• Network Security: Firewalls, intrusion detection, and DDoS protection
• Regular Updates: Security patches applied promptly to all systems
• Backup & Recovery: Automated backups with point-in-time recovery capability

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2. Compliance

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3. AI Transparency

3.1 What AI Evaluates

• Response Content: The substance and relevance of answers to questions
• Behavioral Patterns: Accountability, consistency, and engagement indicators
• Transcription: Converting audio/video to searchable text
• Theme Extraction: Identifying key topics and insights from responses

3.2 What AI Does NOT Evaluate

• Protected characteristics (race, gender, age, disability, religion, national origin)
• Communication style preferences (introverted vs. extroverted)
• Accent, language fluency, or speaking pace
• Normal interview nervousness or anxiety
• Cultural differences in communication norms

3.3 Human Review Rights

All respondents have the right to:

• Request human review of any automated assessment
• Receive an explanation of how AI was used in their evaluation
• Object to solely automated decision-making that significantly affects them

Contact privacy@5eintel.com to exercise these rights.

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4. Data Handling

4.1 Retention Periods

Data Type	Retention Period
Interview recordings (audio/video)	2 years from collection
Interview transcripts	2 years from collection
Survey responses	3 years from collection
Incomplete sessions	90 days from start date
Inactive accounts	5 years after last activity

4.2 Deletion Procedures

• User-Initiated: Delete your data anytime through account settings or by contacting privacy@5eintel.com
• Automatic: Data is automatically purged after retention periods expire
• Backup Retention: Deleted data may persist in encrypted backups for up to 90 days

4.3 Subprocessors

We use the following categories of subprocessors to provide our services:

Category	Purpose	Data Processed
Cloud Infrastructure	Hosting and data storage	All platform data
AI Services (OpenAI)	Transcription, analysis, and AI features	Interview content, responses
Payment Processing (Stripe)	Subscription and billing	Payment information
Email Services	Transactional emails	Email addresses, names

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5. Certifications & Audits

While we work toward formal certifications, our security practices are designed to meet SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria:

• Security: Protection against unauthorized access
• Availability: System uptime and disaster recovery
• Processing Integrity: Accurate and complete data processing
• Confidentiality: Protection of confidential information
• Privacy: Collection, use, and disposal of personal information

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6. Security Contacts