Zoho PeoplePrivacy Policy
Zoho's commitment to privacy
Zoho is always committed to keeping your data safe and secure. We do not make a single dollar from advertising revenue—never have, never will—even from the free editions of our products. This means we avoid the fundamental conflict of interest between gathering customer information and fueling advertising revenue, and the unavoidable compromises in customer privacy that it brings.This policy, read along with Zoho's privacy policy will guide you through what information we collect through Zoho People, how it's being stored and used.
About Zoho People
Zoho People is an online Human Resource Management System (HRMS) designed to manage and access all your employee data from a centralized location. Zoho People also provides a mobile application on the iOS and Android to facilitate employee self-service and easy access to everyday HR tasks.
Some features of the app includes recording employee attendance through check-in/check-out features, facial recognition for attendance, time tracking, performance metrics like goals and KRAs, LMS, and more.
Information entrusted to Zoho People
We process the information that you entrust to us in accordance with Part II of Zoho's Privacy Policy.
Zoho People Attendance Service Privacy Notice
Information processed for Facial Recognition
The facial recognition-based check-in/check-out feature in Zoho People can be enabled based on your organizational preferences. Once enabled, this feature enhances attendance tracking by capturing and validating employee identities through facial recognition, adhering to privacy protocols, and storing data in a secure environment.
By choosing to use the facial recognition feature, the following types of information will be processed:
Data Processed
Image Data
When you enable the facial recognition feature, images of employees marking their attendance are captured and used to verify their identity against the original photo stored in Zoho People.
Once verification is complete, the captured image is either:
Permanently deleted from our servers, or
Stored securely on our servers, based on the following settings.
Facial Recognition data processed based on Zoho People attendance settings
Capture and save photos during check-in and check-out: If enabled, the employee’s photo is captured and stored on our servers. Access to the photo is granted to authorized employees within your organization, based on the permission set by your organization.
Capture and verify photos during check-in and check-out: If enabled, the employee’s photo is captured during check-in and check-out, however, the photo is deleted immediately after verification.
Information processed for Location Tracking
The location capture and tracking feature in Zoho People can be enabled based on your organization's preferences. Once enabled, this feature enhances the management of employee attendance and work locations by tracking employees' geographic locations during check-in, check-out, and work shift hours, adhering to privacy protocols, and storing data in a secure environment.
By choosing to use the location tracking feature, the following types of information will be processed:
Data Processed
Location Data
When you enable the location tracking feature, the geographic location of employees marking their attendance is captured and used to verify their physical location during check-in and check-out.
Once verification is complete, the captured location data is either:
Permanently deleted from our servers, or
Stored securely on our servers, based on the following settings.
Location data processed based on Zoho People attendance settings
Make location sharing mandatory during check-in and check-out: If enabled, the employee's physical location is required to mark attendance. The system will use either the browser's location data or mobile GPS location (based on the setting) to validate the user's location and allow attendance marking. The location data will not be stored.
Track and show check-in and check-out locations: If enabled, the setting allows the system to store check-in and check-out location data and display it in Zoho People. The location data will be securely stored on our servers and will be accessible in Zoho People for your employees based on the permission set by your organization.
Location tracking using the Zoho People mobile app: This feature can be enabled in an attendance service-specific policy. It uses employees' mobile GPS to track, record, and display their geographical work locations in Zoho People during their work shift hours. Location tracking begins when checked-in through the Zoho People mobile app and ends when the employee checks out. The location data is accessible only to employees with permission in your organization.
Based on the above settings, location data for web and mobile-based attendance tracking is captured as follows:
Web-based attendance: For web-based check-in and check-out, Zoho People captures employees' location data (latitude and longitude coordinates) using the browser's geolocation API. If the employee's browser location settings is disabled, the system will capture location data based on the IP address of the connected network.
Mobile-based attendance: For mobile-based check-in and check-out, Zoho People captures location data from the employee's device's GPS. If the device's GPS is disabled, location data will not be captured.
Access and Data Security
Access to employees' facial recognition and/or location data is controlled based on the view and edit permissions set for attendance entries. Set up necessary permissions in Zoho People.
For administrators: Click here to set up permissions
For employees: Click here to manage access
Data Residency: All data is securely stored within Zoho's designated data centres, with robust security and privacy protections in place.
No Third-Party Sharing: We do not share your employees' Facial Recognition or Location data with any third parties.
Note: For information on our data privacy and security policy, refer to our Privacy and Security policies.
User Rights and Opt-Out Option
Users have the right to opt out of facial recognition and/or location tracking features. This can be done by:
Disabling Photo Capture: Users can Turn off the photo capture function for attendance entries to opt out of facial recognition.
Disabling Location Services: Users can disable location tracking on their mobile device or browser settings to opt out of location tracking.
Note: Opting out will prevent users from marking their attendance if facial recognition and/or location tracking has been enabled by administrators for attendance tracking purposes.
Important Notice for Administrators
Before enabling facial recognition and/or location tracking for attendance purposes, administrators must ensure that the use of this feature aligns with their organization's policies and complies with regional data protection laws.
Recommended Actions for Administrators
Consult with IT and Privacy Teams: Verify compliance with your IT, legal, or privacy teams to ensure compliance with internal policies and local regulations.
Conduct Privacy Audits: Perform regular audits to assess the impact of using biometric and location data within your organization, ensuring that employee privacy is protected.
Employee Consent: Based on your organization's policies, include the collection of facial recognition and location data for attendance purposes in your workplace privacy policy or employee handbook to ensure employees understand how their data is collected, stored, and used.
By enabling facial recognition or location tracking features, you acknowledge that your organization has reviewed and accepted all associated legal, privacy, and policy implications.