A New Era of Character-Based Hiring
In today’s competitive job market, hiring transcends resumes and interviews; it’s about understanding a candidate’s character. KANNY, developed by Sean Vassilaros and powered by Rixon Technology, introduces a groundbreaking approach to character-based hiring. By leveraging anonymous employee feedback and vaultless tokenization, KANNY provides actionable insights into traits like integrity, humility, and accountability, all while ensuring data privacy.
Measuring Character: KANNY’s Innovative Approach
Traditional reference checks often fall short, relying on limited and potentially biased feedback. KANNY disrupts this model by collecting candid, confidential reviews from a candidate’s past coworkers. As Sean Vassilaros states, “You cannot credibly tell me about your character… It must be observed.”
The platform aggregates insights from up to ten verified sources, focusing on key character traits. This results in a comprehensive character profile that helps employers make informed hiring decisions.
By ensuring anonymity for reviewers, KANNY encourages honest feedback while protecting all parties involved—a cornerstone of its privacy-first approach.
Key Takeaway: KANNY’s character-based insights enable better cultural alignment and long-term employee success.
Trust: The Foundation of KANNY’s Platform
“Trust is the most valuable asset any organization has,” says Sean. KANNY builds trust at every level:
- Reviewers are protected through anonymous feedback
- Candidates have full consent and data control
- Clients receive accurate, actionable character insights
To support this, KANNY integrates privacy by design using Rixon’s vaultless tokenization. This technology replaces sensitive data with non-reversible tokens, reducing risk and ensuring compliance with GDPR and HIPAA. KANNY’s publicly available Trust Center reinforces transparency, outlining how the platform handles privacy, security, and compliance.
Why It Matters: In today’s digital world, many younger professionals are entering the workforce with a deep sense of skepticism. Platforms like KANNY help rebuild confidence by prioritizing data privacy, transparency, and trust from the start.
Privacy as a Business Enabler
KANNY’s commitment to privacy is more than ethical—it’s strategic. Sean’s background in healthcare technology taught him that embedding privacy early streamlines audits and builds customer confidence. With Rixon’s vaultless tokenization integrated from day one, KANNY avoids the pitfalls of retrofitting security.
This approach has enabled seamless navigation of rigorous compliance audits, transforming privacy from a hurdle into a competitive advantage.
Start with a clear privacy policy. Then, tokenize high-risk data to strengthen compliance and accelerate trust.
Lessons for Legacy Organizations
What if you’re not a startup? Sean’s advice to legacy organizations is clear: “It’s never too late to start.”
Even small steps—like updating your privacy policy or protecting sensitive data—can have a meaningful impact. These moves show stakeholders that your organization takes data protection seriously.
Cross-functional collaboration is key. Engaging legal, compliance, and engineering teams helps surface risks, document existing practices, and drive meaningful change.
Pro Tip: Begin by asking: “What data do we collect, and why?” Then document how it’s protected today—and how it should be tomorrow.
KANNY’s Broader Impact: Teaching the Next Generation
Beyond building KANNY, Sean mentors student-led startups at Lehigh University, encouraging them to adopt privacy-first development. These students are tackling global issues—from tuberculosis tracking apps in the Philippines to sustainability tools in Kazakhstan—and using Rixon’s tokenization to secure sensitive data.
By asking questions like “Do we really need this data?” and “How will we protect it?”, these projects teach future entrepreneurs to prioritize user trust and ethical design from day one.
Privacy by design isn’t just for startups. It’s a mindset any organization can adopt to drive innovation and trust.
Trust, Character, and the Future of Hiring
KANNY, supported by Rixon Technology, is redefining what it means to hire with integrity. By focusing on character and embedding privacy at the core, KANNY enables better hires, deeper trust, and scalable, compliant operations.
“If you have an opportunity to get candid feedback, take it.” The same goes for building trust through privacy.
Ready to Rethink Hiring?
FAQs
Character-based hiring focuses on evaluating a candidate’s personal traits, such as integrity and accountability, through peer feedback rather than just resumes and interviews.
KANNY uses vaultless tokenization to replace sensitive data with non-reversible tokens, complying with standards like GDPR and HIPAA.
Yes. Start by reviewing your privacy policy, identifying sensitive data, and protecting it proactively.
Vaultless tokenization replaces sensitive data with tokens without storing the original information, offering enhanced security and compliance.
KANNY gathers anonymous, confidential reviews from a candidate’s coworkers to build a character profile focused on core traits like integrity, humility, and reliability.
Published on May 22, 2025, by Rixon Technology
Why Rixon Technology?
Rixon Technology complements existing encryption solutions by filling security and privacy gaps that encryption alone does not cover. Our keyless and vaultless tokenization technology ensures that even if encrypted data is exposed, sensitive information remains protected. By reducing operational complexity and enhancing data security at scale, Rixon enables compliance, risk reduction, and seamless integration with existing security frameworks.
FLEXIBLE DEPLOYMENT | PATENTED VAULTLESS TOKENIZATION | REGULATORY COMPLIANCE | SEAMLESS INTEGRATION
Disclaimer:
This video is provided by Rixon Technology for informational purposes only and reflects the views and opinions expressed during a podcast interview in May 2025. The content does not constitute professional advice, legal guidance, or official endorsement by Rixon Technology, its affiliates, or the individuals featured. Sean Vassilaros and Heidi Trost, as contributors, share their insights based on their personal and professional experience; however, these statements are not intended to represent definitive solutions or guarantees.
All content © 2025 Rixon Technology. Reproduction or distribution without prior written permission is prohibited.
