Privacy Policy

Introduction and Scope

14234235 Canada Inc. (dba Big 4 Transparency) (“Big 4 Transparency”, “we,” “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it through our compliance with this privacy policy (the “Privacy Policy”).

This Privacy Policy governs our collection, use, and disclosure of Information (as defined below) from individuals who visit or use our website at https://www.big4transparency.com (the “Site”), including the salary data explorer, the Talent Pool, the Firm Portal, and any related services. We will only collect, use, and disclose your Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Definitions

• Disclosure: making Information available to a third party for that party’s own use.
• Information: collectively, Non-Personal Information and Personal Information.
• Non-Personal Information: aggregated, anonymized, or de-personalized information that cannot reasonably be associated with an individual.
• Personal Information: information, recorded in any form, that identifies or could identify an individual, but does not include Non-Personal Information.
• Transfer: making Personal Information available to a third party for processing, storage, or other purposes solely on behalf of Big 4 Transparency.
• Use: the treatment, handling, and management of Personal Information by and within Big 4 Transparency.
• Talent Pool: our voluntary candidate registry through which professionals may submit their background and preferences for introduction to hiring firms.
• Firm Portal: our subscription-based platform through which registered accounting and finance firms access compensation data and request candidate introductions.

Accountability

Big 4 Transparency is responsible for Information in our possession or under our control. We have designated a Privacy Officer responsible for our compliance with this Privacy Policy and applicable privacy legislation. You may request the name and contact information of our Privacy Officer at any time by writing to dom@big4transparency.com.

Big 4 Transparency implements policies and practices to give effect to these principles, including:

• implementing procedures to protect Personal Information;
• maintaining an internal process to receive and respond to privacy complaints and inquiries;
• training staff and communicating information about our privacy policies and practices; and
• only transferring Personal Information to third-party service providers who have agreed to maintain comparable privacy protections.

What Information Do We Collect?

a. Salary Submissions

Salary and compensation data submitted through the Site’s data submission form is collected and stored as Non-Personal Information. Submissions are anonymized before being displayed to any user. We do not collect your name, email, or any identifying information as part of a salary submission.

b. Newsletter and General Contact

If you subscribe to our newsletter or contact us by email, we collect your email address and any Personal Information you voluntarily provide (such as your name or phone number).

c. Talent Pool

Professionals who voluntarily apply to the Big 4 Transparency Talent Pool submit the following categories of Personal Information:

• Contact details: full name, email address, and optionally a phone number.
• Professional background: current employer, service line/stream, niche specialization, and seniority level.
• Location and work preferences: current country and city, work arrangement preference (in-office, hybrid, or remote), and cities you are open to working in.
• Compensation expectations: minimum salary expectation and preferred currency.
• Profile materials: LinkedIn profile URL and/or an uploaded resume (PDF, DOC, or DOCX).
• Career narrative: an optional written description of your goals and what you are looking for.

At least one of a LinkedIn URL or a resume upload is required to join the Talent Pool. All other fields (except name, email, and minimum salary) are optional but improve match quality.

d. Firm Portal

Firms that subscribe to the Firm Portal provide their firm name and a business email address for account creation and authentication. The Portal then enables subscribing firms to access anonymized, aggregated compensation data and to submit candidate introduction requests.

e. Analytics and Technical Information

We collect analytical information about visitors’ use of the Site, including browser name, device type, approximate geographic location, pages visited, and technical connection information (operating system, ISP, mobile network). This is collected via Google Analytics and is reviewed only in aggregate for demographic and usage purposes. This analytical data is not matched to individual salary submissions.

When you visit our website, cookies and similar technologies may be used by our online data partners or vendors to associate these activities with other personal information they or others have about you, including your email address. We (or service providers on our behalf) may then send communications and marketing to these email addresses. You may opt out of receiving this advertising by visiting https://app.retention.com/optout.

Talent Pool — Special Notice

By submitting your profile to the Talent Pool, you consent to Big 4 Transparency retaining your Personal Information and, when a suitable opportunity arises, sharing your profile with a subscribing firm for the purpose of a candidate introduction.

What we share with firms:When we determine that a Talent Pool profile is a strong match for a firm’s stated hiring needs, we may share your name, email address, LinkedIn URL, uploaded resume, professional background details, work arrangement preferences, and salary expectations with that firm. We will not share your profile speculatively or indiscriminately — introductions are made only when there is a genuine, considered match.

Your rights: You may withdraw your profile from the Talent Pool at any time by contacting us at dom@big4transparency.com. Upon withdrawal, we will delete your Personal Information from the Talent Pool and notify any firms that have received your profile of your withdrawal. We cannot, however, control the retention of information already in a firm’s possession.

Placement bonus: If you accept a position through a Big 4 Transparency introduction, we may contact you regarding our $1,000 placement bonus. Participation is entirely voluntary and does not alter any other aspect of this Privacy Policy.

Firm Portal — Special Notice

Subscribing firms access the Firm Portal using a business email address and password. We collect and retain this login information as Personal Information for the purpose of account management and access control.

Firms that receive a candidate introduction through the Portal receive the candidate’s Personal Information solely for the purpose of evaluating the candidate for a potential employment opportunity. Firms must not use candidate Personal Information for any other purpose, share it with unauthorized third parties, or retain it beyond their legitimate hiring need.

The compensation data accessible in the Firm Portal is anonymized and aggregated Non-Personal Information. It cannot be used to identify any individual who has submitted their salary data to the Site.

How Do We Use Your Personal Information?

We use Personal Information for the following purposes:

• to establish and maintain commercial and service relationships with you;
• to fulfill your service requests, including responding to inquiries and processing Talent Pool submissions;
• to match Talent Pool candidates with subscribing firms and facilitate candidate introductions;
• to manage Firm Portal accounts and provide access to the Portal’s features;
• to send you our newsletter and other company communications (where you have consented);
• to contact you regarding a potential placement bonus following a successful introduction; and
• to meet any legal or regulatory requirements.

We do not use Personal Information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects without human review.

How Long Will We Retain Your Personal Information?

Big 4 Transparency retains Personal Information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law.

• Talent Pool profiles are retained until a candidate withdraws, or until we determine the profile is no longer active or relevant, at which point it is deleted.
• Firm Portal account data is retained for the duration of the firm’s subscription plus a reasonable period thereafter for audit and dispute resolution purposes.
• Newsletter subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe.
• Correction or deletion requests involving temporarily identified Personal Information are deleted promptly after the request is fulfilled.

Consent

We respect your privacy and, unless otherwise required by law, will not collect, use, transfer, or disclose your Personal Information without your prior consent. Consent may be express (written, verbal, or electronic) or implied by your actions.

By submitting your profile to the Talent Pool, you expressly consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your Personal Information as described in this Privacy Policy, including disclosure to subscribing firms for the purpose of candidate introductions.

You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Withdrawing consent may mean we are unable to provide certain services to you. Please contact our Privacy Officer to withdraw consent.

Limiting Collection

We limit the collection of Personal Information to that which is necessary to fulfill the purposes identified in this Privacy Policy. We collect Personal Information by fair and lawful means.

Do We Disclose or Transfer Information to Others?

a. Personal Information

Big 4 Transparency maintains the strict confidentiality of all Personal Information and will not sell, transfer, or otherwise disclose any Personal Information to any third party without your knowledge and consent, except for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy.

We may share your Personal Information with:

• Subscribing firms — Talent Pool candidate profiles shared for the purpose of candidate introductions, as described under “Talent Pool — Special Notice” above.
• Third-party service providers — companies that help us operate the Site and deliver services (e.g., email delivery, data storage). These providers process Personal Information solely on our behalf and are bound by confidentiality obligations.
• Successors — in the event of a sale, merger, amalgamation, or other transfer of all or a portion of our business, Personal Information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
• Legal and regulatory purposes — when required or permitted by law, including to protect our rights, safety, or property, to detect and prevent fraud, or in response to a valid legal demand.

b. Non-Personal Information

Big 4 Transparency may use Non-Personal Information (including anonymized salary data) for any lawful purpose, including commercial purposes and disclosure to third parties. Such information cannot be linked to any identifiable individual.

Data Processors and International Transfers

We engage third-party service providers to help us operate the Site and deliver services. The key processors we currently rely on are:

• Supabase — database hosting and authentication services. Data may be stored on servers in the United States.
• Resend— transactional and marketing email delivery. Email content and recipient addresses are processed by Resend’s infrastructure.
• Google Analytics— website usage analytics, subject to Google’s own privacy policy.
• Vercel — web hosting and content delivery infrastructure.

These providers may store, process, or transfer Personal Information on servers located outside Canada. As a result, Personal Information may be subject to access requests from governments, courts, or law enforcement in those jurisdictions. Subject to applicable law, we will use reasonable efforts to ensure our service providers maintain protections for Personal Information equivalent to those that apply in Canada.

How Do We Protect Your Personal Information?

Big 4 Transparency protects Personal Information using security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. We maintain technical, physical, and administrative security measures to protect against loss, theft, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, and unauthorized access.

Specific measures include encryption of data in transit (TLS), access controls limiting Personal Information to authorized personnel, and the use of service providers who maintain their own security standards. No method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure; while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Accessing, Correcting, or Deleting Your Information

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of Personal Information we hold about you by contacting our Privacy Officer at dom@big4transparency.com. We will endeavor to respond within a reasonable time.

In limited circumstances, we may be unable to provide access to Personal Information — for example, where disclosure would reveal Personal Information about a third party, or where the information is subject to legal privilege or commercial confidentiality. We will advise you of any denial and the reasons for it, to the extent permitted by law.

Talent Pool withdrawal: To remove your profile from the Talent Pool, email dom@big4transparency.com and we will delete your profile promptly.

Electronic Communications

We comply with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). We will not send commercial electronic messages without your express or implied consent. Every marketing email we send includes an unsubscribe link. You may also unsubscribe at any time by emailing dom@big4transparency.com.

Transactional messages related to your Talent Pool submission or Firm Portal account (such as confirmation emails and candidate introduction notifications) are sent as part of the service and are not marketing communications.

Links to Other Sites

The Site may contain links to third-party websites independently owned and operated by third parties. These sites have their own privacy policies and are not governed by this Privacy Policy. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any third-party sites.

Changes to This Policy

Big 4 Transparency reserves the right to modify and amend this Privacy Policy from time to time in its sole discretion. Any amendments will be posted on our website at big4transparency.com/privacy-policy with an updated effective date. Continued use of the Site following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact our Privacy Officer at dom@big4transparency.com.