Handshake partners with Ketch, a third-party privacy and consent management platform, to help users submit requests related to their personal information through Handshake’s Privacy Center.
This article explains what Career Services staff should know about data protection requests involving Student/Alumni, Handshake AI Fellow, and Employer accounts.
What data protection rights can users exercise?
Privacy Rights requests in Handshake’s Privacy Center are available to all user types, including students, alumni, Handshake AI fellows, employers, and Career Services users.
Depending on their location and applicable privacy laws, users may request to:
- Access their personal data
- Delete their account
- Correct their personal information
- Restrict how their personal data is used
- Opt out of certain uses of their personal information, such as targeted advertising or the sale or sharing of their data
The eligibility requirements for automated deletion do not limit who can submit a data rights request. Deletion requests that do not qualify for automation require manual review.
How do users submit a request?
Users submit data rights requests through Handshake’s Privacy Center and follow the email verification instructions.
School-affiliated accounts require manual review for deletion. After email verification, the deletion request creates a Support ticket. Support contacts the appropriate Career Services contacts so the institution has time to save data needed for reporting.
Automated deletion is available for unaffiliated student accounts when only one Handshake account is associated with the email address and the user completes email verification.
For deletion requests, users have three full days to click the verification button in the Ketch email. If they do not verify within that window, they receive a failure email and must restart the request.
The following articles explain the process for each account type and can help your team guide users:
- Students/alumni: Request User Account Deletion
- Handshake AI fellows: Request User Account Deletion (Fellows)
- Employers: Data Protection Requests: What Employers Should Know
Handshake processes submitted requests within the timelines required by applicable law.
How can students, alumni, and fellows request help with their data?
Affiliated students
Affiliated students can submit deletion requests through Handshake’s Privacy Center. After the student verifies their email, Ketch creates a Support ticket. The student receives an update confirming that their request was received.
Support contacts the appropriate Career Services contacts to notify them of the deletion request and provide time to save data needed for the institution’s reporting.
If your institution needs to request deletion on a student’s behalf, contact Handshake Support. Students submitting their own deletion requests should use Handshake’s Privacy Center.
Unaffiliated students
Automated deletion is available for unaffiliated student accounts when only one Handshake account is associated with the email address and the user completes email verification.
Requests involving multiple accounts require manual review.
Alumni
Alumni follow the same deletion process as students, based on whether their account is affiliated with a school:
- School-affiliated account: The deletion request requires manual review.
- Unaffiliated account: The request qualifies for automated deletion when only one Handshake account is associated with the email address and the user completes email verification.
Handshake AI fellows
A fellow’s student account affiliation affects deletion handling:
- School-affiliated account: The deletion request requires manual review.
- Unaffiliated account: Automated deletion is available when the single-account and email-verification requirements are met.
A fellow’s unverified status does not affect the deletion process.
What happens if a user has multiple accounts associated with the same email address?
Deletion requests involving multiple accounts associated with the same email address require manual review. Support confirms which account the user wants deleted. One account can be deleted while retaining the other accounts associated with that email address.
For Handshake AI fellows, deleting the student account also deletes the associated Handshake AI account.
What if a student accidentally created an unaffiliated account?
If a student has an unwanted unaffiliated account in addition to their institution-connected account, Career Services staff can direct the student to request deletion of the unwanted account through Handshake’s Privacy Center.
Eligible unaffiliated accounts can be deleted automatically after email verification. Requests involving multiple accounts associated with the same email address require manual review.
Where can users find help with a privacy request?
Users who encounter issues submitting a request or do not receive the Ketch verification email can contact Handshake Support for assistance.
Ketch emails come from a no-reply address. Users should contact Support rather than reply to those emails.
Additional information about Handshake’s handling of personal information is available in the Handshake Privacy Policy.